JEFFERSON CITY – As the debate heats up in the halls of government and social media, religious leaders come down on all sides of the question of what to do with thousands of Syrian refugees. Rob Phillips, the team leader for communications for the Missouri Baptist Convention, said the MBC does not take a position on refugee policy, but called on all sides in the debate to pray for the best possible outcome. “For peace in Syria and other war-torn countries, we should pray for wisdom for … [Read more...]
R-rated movies – a rising flood
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) – Five movies opened during the same weekend recently and, though of different genres, all were rated R. It seems to be a trend. Last year, of the nine Oscar nominees for Best Picture, only three escaped an R rating — and just barely. Perhaps “trend” is the wrong word, as this decades-old direction toward harsher content seems to have become the norm. It’s one thing to endure crudity or obscenity in our daily lives (work, school, walking past others at the mall) … [Read more...]
Adoption ‘a picture of the gospel,’ Jasper Rains says
ST. LOUIS – One thought filled Jasper Rains’ prayers during his daily, one-hour drive to and from work in early 2007 – the thought of a baby boy who had been abandoned by his birth mother at the hospital. The previous summer, after Jasper and his wife Kendra received Missouri state foster care licenses, the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) contacted them about this baby boy. “The Children’s Home told us … that this may be our child,” Jasper, who now serves as minister of … [Read more...]
Could churches erase the orphan problem?
BRIDGETON – A map of the nation created by “Together for Adoption” – a Christian conference for adoptive families – suggests that churches around the United States could take care of the nation’s orphan care problem if Christians fully engage in caring for the fatherless. In Missouri, according to the map, there are only 2,067 orphans in Missouri, but there are 8,973 churches of various denominations within the state. So Missouri churches could erase the orphan problem in the state if only … [Read more...]
Mizzou student calls for Christian empathy
Daniel Woodman, a journalism student at the University of Missouri and 2015 Baptist Press intern, shares his perspective on recent student protests at his school. Racism will not end until God returns. I hear it all the time. It is not an incorrect statement, but it is an incomplete one. Racism will not end until God returns, but we have an obligation to fight racism around every corner until the trumpets sound. That is why the protests at my university have been so monumental; they show … [Read more...]
Political neutrality, sex and quizzy pollsters
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas estimates that about 64 percent of the total delegates in states with presidential primaries on or before March 8 will come from states with electorates that may be at least 50 percent evangelical. In Missouri it is believed to be around 60 percent evangelical in advance of the March 15 primary, with Southern Baptists representing the bulk of that vote. Yet we still have untold thousands who … [Read more...]
Missouri faces discrimination charges against Christian pre-school
KANSAS CITY– Whitehead Law Firm, LLC, in Kansas City, has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of a Missouri church pre-school and daycare center that was discriminated against by a state program that provides recycled tires to surface children’s playgrounds. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld a federal court’s decision that ruled the State of Missouri was justified in denying participation by the center because a church runs it. Trinity … [Read more...]
Sedalia couple in crosshairs of homosexual activist group, remain firm on marriage
SEDALIA – Josh and Sara Howell, Christian business owners here, are in the crosshairs of Missouri’s homosexual activist group, PROMO, for refusing to allow a same-sex couple to get married at their privately owned event venue, Heritage Ranch. Rachel Cathey and Beverly Vaughn, a same-sex couple planning to wed in 2016, visited Heritage Ranch earlier this year, but were informed by Sara Howell that the venue could not host same-sex weddings because of the owners’ Christian beliefs about … [Read more...]
‘Those Ungrateful Kids!’
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name,make known his deeds among the people. – I Chronicles 16:8 How can we get kids to appreciate their blessings? Can we just tell them they should be thankful and expect their attitudes to change? In today’s culture of materialism, it is not surprising that children often do not feel thankful for what they have. Things come easily. In many middle-class homes, one can go into the room of a child and see hundreds of dollars worth of toys or other … [Read more...]
New Muppets ‘too toxic for children,’ PTC says
NASHVILLE (BP) — In a study of “The Muppets,” the Parents Television Council reports that the new TV show includes a preponderance of sexual innuendos and other offensive content not suited for children. The first four episodes of half-hour comedy featuring characters created by the late Jim Henson decades ago included adult-themed content every 3 minutes and 38 seconds, the PTC found. The PTC joins another critic of the series, the morality watchdog group One Million Moms, in saying the … [Read more...]
Pro-family voters score ‘massive victory’
NASHVILLE (BP) – Pro-family voters scored wins at the polls Nov. 3. Houston overturned a measure granting protected status to homosexuals and transgendered persons. Both Kentucky and Mississippi elected governors who are pro-life and opposed to same-sex marriage, and Ohio defeated recreational marijuana. Ryan Anderson, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, wrote in an online commentary that Election Day 2015 disproved the “conventional wisdom ... that social liberalism is an … [Read more...]
Study spotlights divorce among churchgoers
NASHVILLE (BP) – Before a divorce, churchgoers in troubled marriages look a lot like their happily married counterparts at church — participating, serving and leading at similar rates, a new study shows. After a divorce, the differences can be stark. Twenty percent have dropped out of church entirely. In many cases, their children have stopped attending too. A third give less to the church than they did before. Their churches report leadership voids and fractured relationships. Yet … [Read more...]
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