TEHRAN, Iran (BP) – A female Christian convert who worked with Saeed Abedini planting house churches years ago in Iran is on a hunger strike and near death in the harsh Evin prison in Tehran, Iran, the freed pastor told Baptist Press. Nasim Naghash Zargaran, also known as Maryam, was one of the first persons who converted to Christianity under Abedini's counsel [16 years ago], he told BP, and shortly after Abedini's 2012 imprisonment was arrested because of her vigilant evangelism. … [Read more...]
Obama ‘potty policy’ should be ‘flushed’
Michael Whitehead/contributing writer WASHINGTON – On May 13, the Obama administration directed public schools (K-12) and colleges to permit transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity instead of their biological sex. It did so in a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Education Department (ED), warning that failure of a school district or college to comply might result in loss of federal funding. … [Read more...]
Light in a confused world
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 Few would dispute the fact that our world is becoming more confusing. Young children may question, “Am I a boy/girl, or am I a boy/girl who looks like a boy/girl?” While shopping, where do I go to us the bathroom when there may be new choices? What are the Ten Commandments? Do those Ten Commandments just apply sometimes, or are they no longer applicable at all? Is our country’s Constitution outdated? Who has the … [Read more...]
Should adulterous pastors be banned?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Half of Protestant pastors say their colleagues should step down from the pulpit for a time if they are accused of misconduct. Most say such accusations should be kept in confidence until proven. And few think pastors who commit adultery should be permanently banned from ministry. Those are among the findings of a new telephone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. “Pastors believe church leaders should be held to high … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptist University’s Title IX exemption at risk
ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University’s application for exemption from Title IX has been questioned by the U.S. Department of Education because of the actions it took in 2001 to separate from the Missouri Baptist Convention. Religious schools and colleges may request an exemption from Title IX if they hold sincere religious convictions about sex or gender and if the school is owned and controlled by a church or religious denomination. In a January 4, 2016, letter from the Department’s … [Read more...]
N.C. governor defends restroom law in suit
WASHINGTON (BP) – North Carolina’s governor went to federal court, May 9, to defend his state’s new restroom privacy law against a threat from the Obama administration. Gov. Pat McCrory’s lawsuit asks a judge to declare the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, also known as H.B. 2, does not violate federal anti-discrimination protections by requiring individuals in government buildings to use the restrooms of the sex on their birth certificates. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had … [Read more...]
Atheists plan billboards against Ark museum
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (BP) – A leading outdoor advertising company has refused to construct billboards a group of atheists had planned against the Answers in Genesis Ark Encounter museum and park nearing completion in Williamstown, Ky. Lamar Advertising Company refused the project after learning Tri-State Freethinkers planned to call the biblical story of Noah's Ark genocide and incest, Hal Kilshaw, Lamar vice president of governmental relations, told Baptist Press May 12. "We have a copy … [Read more...]
When ball becomes Baal
It’s rare to see kids playing sports in the neighborhood anymore. We’re now organized and “professionalized”—including uniforms, state-of-the-art facilities, endless trips to the field, competitive coaches, equally competitive parents, and the after-season tournaments designed to give parents “bleacher bottom.” In addition, you’ve got to pay to play—and when you’ve paid that much, you’ll be sure to play. It is also fun, and it can be instructive. I love to watch my kids play sports. In … [Read more...]
Religious liberty was tossed like a toy
On a Tuesday afternoon in April, I shared with the crowd that was gathered in the state capitol rotunda that we were there to talk about religious liberty in the context of a culture that seems to be struggling with principle vs. political power brokering. The great principle of religious liberty was tossed around like a toy doll between competing agendas. You would think that the protections passed by the Senate were common-sense “no brainers” that removed government from a potentially … [Read more...]
Review: Is ‘Captain America: Civil War’ family friendly? (And what about that superhero vs. superhero worldview?)
CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) – There is a popular belief among Christian moviegoers about superhero movies, and it goes something like this: Superhero films are popular because all humans innately are looking for a Christ-like figure – that is, an otherworldly being that will save the day, defeat evil and uphold justice. In other words, even non-Christians are attracted to superhero movies because they, unknowingly, are looking for such a cosmic King. I hold to this belief, but what do we … [Read more...]
Allen addresses worldview
HANNIBAL – Christians must base their understanding of marriage and family—as well as all those issues facing the church today—on a worldview shaped by the Word of God, Anthony Allen, president of Hannibal-LaGrange University here, said during the opening of the Worldview Conference, April 14. “From a Christian worldview, we understand God has created,” Allen said. “After so much was good with creation, God found it was not good for man to be alone. Marriage was designed for companionship … [Read more...]
Mitchell talks on life, death
HANNIBAL – Especially in this high-tech society, families are often faced with serious questions about the beginning of life and about dying—questions that C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University, addressed during two presentations at the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Worldview Conference, April 14. Churches are all-too-often unprepared for one beginning-of-life issue facing families in their own congregation: namely, infertility. “Infertility is like any … [Read more...]
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