BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With Sunday, Nov. 13, marking Orphans and Widows Sunday on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) calendar, Southern Baptists reflected on the important ministry of caring for widows. The emphasis Sunday is on of James 1:27 which reads: “pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (CSB). For Eastwood Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Ky., caring for widows has become part of the DNA of the whole … [Read more...]
Russian Christian radio station continues to broadcast despite war, tightening restrictions
ODESSA, Ukraine (BP) – Despite its broadcasting team being split among Iasi, Romania, and Odessa, Ukraine, New Life Radio continues its ministry of sharing the Gospel in the Russian language amid myriad challenges. New Life Radio is Russia’s first ever Christian FM radio station and has been broadcasting since the 1990s. Content of the broadcasts includes biblically focused music, Scriptural content and expository preaching. The station quickly expanded to broadcast in several surrounding … [Read more...]
Southern Gospel singer to appear on America’s Got Talent after 10-year wait
NASHVILLE (BP) – Ben Waites, a Nashville-based Southern Gospel singer and vocal coach, will appear on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” tonight (Tuesday, July 12) at 8 p.m. EDT. Waites’ performance has already been released online, garnering millions of views. He told Baptist Press his journey to the show has been “a very interesting and wild ride,” and glorifying God remains the primary motivation for his appearance. “At the end of the day I can only say that it’s a God thing,” Waites … [Read more...]
Lifeway’s ‘Spark Studios’ VBS album No. 1 on Apple Music Album chart
NASHVILLE (BP) – Lifeway’s 2022 Vacation Bible School soundtrack “Spark Studios,” reached the No. 1 spot on Apple Music’s Top 100 Children’s Music Albums chart recently. The album reached the top spot on the chart during the week of the SBC annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif. In addition to reaching the top spot on the children’s chart, the record also reached the 63rd spot on the overall Apple Music Top 100 chart for all genres. Released Dec. 3, 2021, the album features six tracks, … [Read more...]
Ancient Hebrew language fragment uncovered near Israel’s Mt. Ebal
MOUNT EBAL, Israel (BP) – Further evidence of ancient Hebrew language, in the form of a lead tablet with a written inscription, has been discovered near Mt. Ebal in Israel. The finding has been hailed as a major boon to the case for an older Old Testament, but a Southern Baptist seminary professor urges caution. Mt. Ebal is mentioned in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8, where it describes Joshua building an altar to the Lord. The inscription on the tablet, which measures only a few … [Read more...]
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief experiences more than 2,100 salvations in 2021
NASHVILLE (BP) – More than 2,100 professions of faith came as a result of the ministry of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) in 2021, which is nearly a record number for professions of faith in a single year for the ministry. The full total of 2,133 professions of faith is just one of the positive statistics from SBDR. Other positive reports include more than 83,000 meals distributed, more than 51,000 volunteer days throughout the year and more than 10,000 Gospel … [Read more...]
“American Underdog” tells the football and faith journey of Kurt Warner
NASHVILLE (BP) – Going from working in a supermarket to winning the Super Bowl seems like something out of a movie, but that is exactly the story of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner depicted in the new film “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.” Releasing on Christmas Day, the movie follows the improbable journey of Warner from being undrafted after college, to working at a grocery, to playing Arena League football, to eventually leading the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl … [Read more...]
Film depicts ‘unlikely’ conversion of C.S. Lewis
NASHVILLE (BP) – A new film depicting the Christian conversion of author and apologist C.S. Lewis titled “The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis,” opened for a limited release in theaters, Wednesday (Nov.3). The movie follows Lewis’ life story from the tragic childhood experience of losing his mother, to his time at Oxford University, where his friendship with fellow authors like J.R.R. Tolkien challenged his atheistic worldview. The film stars actor Max McLean, … [Read more...]
SBC EC allocates $500,000 for sex abuse legal fees, initiates conflict of interest review
NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) considered a number of referrals from messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting and approved several financial items at the entity’s meeting, Sept. 21. Among the actions taken were the approval of the EC’s 2021-2022 operating budget and approving a preliminary financial allocation for the EC’s legal services connected to the upcoming investigation of the Sexual Abuse Task Force established by the messengers … [Read more...]
9/11: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief left legacy at Ground Zero
NEW YORK CITY (BP) – Twenty years after spending weeks in what could only be called a war zone, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are reflecting on their experience working in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and how it affected their lives. Sam Porter is the national director for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief for Send Relief with the North American Mission Board. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, Porter was serving as the disaster relief director for the Baptist General … [Read more...]
History professor to use Vision 2025 to show Baptists’ ‘cooperative venture’
HANNIBAL, Mo. (BP) – As a professor of Christian studies and religious history at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU), Miles Mullin is always looking for ways to communicate the history and impact of Baptist work to the students in his charge. During the upcoming semester, one of Mullin’s tools for his Baptist history class will be Vision 2025, the strategic initiative adopted by messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville earlier this summer. “As I’m teaching Baptist history … [Read more...]
Elevation Worship, Zach Williams, for KING & COUNTRY lead Dove nods
NASHVILLE (BP) – Elevation Worship, Zach Williams and for KING & COUNTRY highlight the list of nominated artists for the 52nd annual GMA Dove Awards, which were announced via livestream Wednesday (Aug. 11). Elevation Worship received seven nominations, including a joint nomination with Brandon Lake in the “Worship Recorded Song of the Year,” category for their hit “Graves into Gardens.” Lake also received seven individual nominations. Another song by Elevation Worship (featuring … [Read more...]