NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Politics trumps God for most Americans when it comes to conversations with their friends. Six in 10 Americans are more comfortable talking about politics than their spiritual beliefs. And most say they aren’t interested in having more spiritual conversations. By contrast, evangelical Christians prefer talking about God over politics by a 2-to-1 margin. Those are among the findings of an online survey of 1,004 Americans about their views on spirituality and politics … [Read more...]
Supreme court blocks transgender rulings
WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked for now lower-court decisions requiring a Virginia school district to enable a female student who identifies as male to use the boys’ restroom. The justices announced, Aug. 3, they had put on hold a June ruling by a federal court ordering the Gloucester County School Board to permit Gavin Grimm to use the male restroom while the case is settled in court. Grimm, 17, is a female biologically but considers herself a male. The Supreme … [Read more...]
Racism alleged as part of pastor’s termination
BUTLER, Ala. (BP) – A former Alabama pastor and the rural congregation that terminated him last July 31 have offered varying reports to media outlets regarding the role racism played in the 31-0 vote to dismiss him. Mt. Sterling Baptist Church in Butler, Ala., was the subject of news stories by WTOK television in nearby Meridian, Miss., the AL.com news website and other media outlets when it fired pastor Jonathan Greer, 26, over what Greer described as “pushback” against his intention to … [Read more...]
CCCU board considers membership requirements
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) – The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) board of directors is considering recommendations for new membership and affiliate guidelines during meetings this week, amid differences over same-sex marriage hiring policies. The regular July board meeting – taking place at the council’s Oxford study abroad location – comes after a special task force spent nine months exploring CCCU’s categories of affiliation. The task force has submitted its final … [Read more...]
Setting the world straight in 2016
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) – Political leaders, social activists and the entertainment industry are ballyhooing for extreme reform in this rather chaotic era, as if trying to reconstruct our nation ideologically. Sadly, I'm not sure the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election will get us into balance. Then what will? Hollywood plays to humanity's narcissism and love of gadgets, and a growing anger that seemingly calls for anarchy. Many of us who see the Bible as the inerrant Word of … [Read more...]
Atheist responds to Baptists’ service, love
SEATTLE (BP) – Kim Menon was an avowed atheist. As a child, her parents took her to church but no one could satisfy her with the answers she sought. “I thought believers just weren’t intelligent enough,” Menon said. Now a kindergarten teacher in Seattle, education is a central part of Menon’s life. Striving to get involved in her students’ lives and to know their parents, she believes that’s how students best learn and grow. But Menon had no idea this path would lead her into a Christian … [Read more...]
‘Left Behind’ author Tim LaHaye dies at 90
SAN DIEGO (BP) – Tim LaHaye, author of the bestselling Left Behind novels who helped stir a national interest in end-times prophecy, died today (July 25) of a stroke. He was 90. In addition to his end-times novels, LaHaye was a pastor, evangelical leader and author of more than 60 other books with 14 million copies in print on topics ranging from family life and sexuality to secular humanism and God’s will, according to an obituary from Tim LaHaye Ministries. The 16-book Left Behind … [Read more...]
Olympian’s prayer: ‘Thy will be done’
RIO DE JANEIRO (BP) – In Sarah Scherer’s competitions, the slightest movement – even an errant breath – can be the difference between winning and losing. It’s understandable that such circumstances can cause times of nervousness and tension during a shooting competition. That’s why the Olympic shooter a few months ago decided to start reciting the Lord’s Prayer to herself when the pressure is on. “I realized I do that in life,” Scherer told Baptist Press. “I might as well do that when I’m … [Read more...]
Podcast gives ‘fuller picture’ of SBC
NASHVILLE (BP) – For more than a year, the “SBC This Week” podcast hosted by Amy Whitfield and Jonathan Howe has delivered a weekly roundup of news and views from around the Southern Baptist Convention, featuring stories from Baptist Press and other outlets as well as interviews with SBC newsmakers. A new podcast is available each Friday at www.sbcthisweek.com and via subscription. Whitfield is director of communications at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., … [Read more...]
Financial struggle segues to church planting
AUSTIN, Texas (BP) – High Pointe Baptist Church was struggling financially when Juan Sanchez arrived as pastor just over 10 years ago. Sanchez and High Pointe members decided that if God allowed the church to grow “we would no longer build auditorium space, but instead we would plant churches.” The Austin church committed to reaching beyond its walls to ensure they were not keeping all the money for themselves and were modeling by faith sacrificial giving, Sanchez told the Southern … [Read more...]
Much ventured, gained by Ariz. church planter
KINGMAN, Ariz. (BP) – The idea of starting over is ominous: driving off, developing new friends and breaking the barriers of the unknown, all with risk. Meet Tommy Thomas, North American Mission Board church planting catalyst in northern Arizona. He has turned starting over into an art form. Thomas repeatedly risks everything: reputation, safety, finances and the future. In remote rural life, there’s another risk – a stint in irrelevance if he fails. In a nation where urban ministry … [Read more...]
Changing genders isn’t morally wrong, Americans say in poll
NASHVILLE (BP) – Most Americans see nothing morally wrong with gender change, a study released July 14 shows. Six in 10 Americans don’t think it’s wrong for people to identify with a gender different from their birth sex, according to a LifeWay Research survey conducted Sept. 14-28, 2015. And more than half don’t think it’s wrong to switch genders by taking hormones or having surgery. The findings indicate most Americans don’t see moral significance in being born male or female, said … [Read more...]
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