ROGERS, Ark. (BP) – “Love One Another” is the theme for the 2019 National Day of Prayer May 2, event president Ronnie Floyd announced today (Oct. 30). Anchored in John 13:34, the theme seeks to mobilize the nation in prayer on May 2 in every U.S. locale across generational, ethnic and linguistic lines, said Floyd, senior pastor of the multisite Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. “I realize that our task today is daunting and quite intimidating,” Floyd said in his Facebook announcement, … [Read more...]
‘Queen of soul’ Aretha Franklin rooted in Gospel
DETROIT (BP) – From the submissive surrender of her “Amazing Grace” to the womanly exclamations of “Respect” and other provocative hits, the late queen of soul Aretha Franklin is widely remembered for the gospel music foundations she learned at her father’s Baptist church. New Bethel Baptist Church (non-SBC), the Detroit congregation where Franklin grew up singing in the choir and performing solos, grieved her death Aug. 16 at age 76 of advanced pancreatic cancer. Franklin’s popularity in … [Read more...]
‘Mormon’ name too common to go away, many say
SALT LAKE CITY (BP) – Mormon and LDS will likely remain widespread monikers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, theologians and marketing insiders say, despite the church leader's directive for change. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. is among those to predict that the common names of the church will remain in popular use, days after church president Russell M. Nelson issued a public statement asking that everyone discontinue the … [Read more...]
Again: Colo. says cake artist Jack Phillips broke law
DENVER (BP) – Christian cake artist Jack Phillips is in court again, defending the same religious freedom right the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed on his behalf in a previous case in June. This time, transgender attorney Autumn Scardina filed a discrimination complaint against Phillips for refusing to bake a birthday cake celebrating Scardina's transition from a male to female identity. Pink cake on the inside and blue frosting on the outside describes the cake Scardina requested. The … [Read more...]
Case against Army chaplain called ‘anti-religious’
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (BP) – A U.S. Army investigator ignored key evidence in saying a Southern Baptist chaplain was derelict in his duties for rescheduling a marriage retreat to accommodate a lesbian couple, the chaplain's attorney said. Army Chaplain Jerry Scott Squires refused to conduct a Strong Bonds marriage retreat because a lesbian officer planned to attend, the investigating officer identified as Major Ford said at the close of an extended investigation. Squires is endorsed by … [Read more...]
Rwanda closes thousands of churches, arrests 6 pastors
KIGALI, Rwanda (BP) -- An estimated 6,000 churches have been closed across Rwanda and six pastors arrested in a government crackdown that began March 1 with 700 closures in the nation's capital of Kigali, according to news reports. The six pastors, who reportedly tried to rally public support for the churches in Kigali, were accused of "masterminding" a plot to disobey the government, the BBC reported March 6. The closures come as the Rwanda Governance Board (RGO) is conducting a … [Read more...]
‘I Can Only Imagine’ film still strong in 4th week
LOS ANGELES (BP) -- The MercyMe faith biopic "I Can Only Imagine" continues to draw strong audiences nearly a month after its debut, grossing $68.5 million and gaining 1,200 more theater screens. Featuring the story behind MercyMe's crossover megahit of the same name, I Can Only Imagine placed sixth at the box office in its fourth weekend April 6-8, earning nearly $8 million and showing in 246 more theaters over the previous weekend, Box Office Mojo reported. Roadside Attractions' … [Read more...]
Sweden 1st to offer payouts to sterilized transsexuals
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (BP) -- Transgender Swedes forcibly sterilized to expressly prevent reproduction are eligible for payouts of about $27,000 each under a new law that is reportedly the first of its kind worldwide. Sweden's one-house parliament, the Riksdag, adopted the legislation March 21 affecting people forced to undergo sexual sterilization under the Gender Recognition Act of 1972 before changing their gender designation on legal documents. "People who applied to change their … [Read more...]
Kidnapped pastor’s family ‘solid and secure in Jesus’
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (BP) -- A Malaysian pastor threatened with death for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity remains missing more than a year after his February 2017 kidnapping in Kuala Lumpur, a family friend confirmed to Baptist Press today (March 26). The family of 63-year-old Raymond Koh has heard nothing of his whereabouts or health since his abduction by as many as a dozen masked men in broad daylight, family friend and Nashville-area pastor Greg Wilton told … [Read more...]
Religious liberty ruled no basis for transgender policy
CINCINNATI (BP) -- Religious freedom provides no legal basis to discipline transgender workers who violate workplace gender policies, a U.S. appeals court has ruled in a groundbreaking decision. The March 7 decision is the first to extend Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 to transgender individuals charging discrimination based on sexual identity, and reverses a lower court ruling that had protected the workplace under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act … [Read more...]
Faith group regains campus status after suing college
DETROIT (BP) -- A Christian student group dispelled from a public university for requiring chapter leaders to be Christian has been readmitted. But attorneys say the school's change of heart is hardly adequate. Wayne State University (WSU) recertified InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as an official campus student group two days after InterVarsity filed a lawsuit against WSU, the university said in a March 8 statement to media. InterVarsity's legal representative the … [Read more...]
Gerber baby spotlights Down syndrome abortion fight
CLEVELAND, Ohio (BP) -- A smiling baby with Down syndrome is making history as the Gerber "spokesbaby" just as a growing list of states are trying to criminalize the abortion of babies diagnosed with the genetic disorder in utero. A federal appeals court heard arguments Friday (Feb. 16) in Indiana's two-year battle with Planned Parenthood over a law criminalizing the abortion of babies with disabilities such as Down syndrome, the Indianapolis Star reported at IndyStar.com. The 2016 … [Read more...]