JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) leaders called on Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to defend the Missouri Constitution and thwart Gov. Jay Nixon’s announcement Nov. 14 (today) that he would allow gay couples married in other states to file joint returns in Missouri. “This is a flagrant disregard for the will of the people of Missouri,” said MBC Executive Director John Yeats. MBC Director of Public Policy Don Hinkle called Nixon’s action “reckless” and warned … [Read more...]
Messengers pass resolutions on DOMA court ruling, Boy Scouts policy change overwhelmingly expressed dismay
KANSAS CITY – Reaffirming traditional marriage and lamenting changes in Boy Scout membership requirements were hot topics in resolutions passed by messengers at the 2013 Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) annual meeting Oct. 30. Resolution 2, on the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Striking Down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), blasted the June ruling that federally recognized same-sex “marriage.” “… Redefining the concept and legality of marriage to mean anything other than the union between … [Read more...]
European Parliament calls on Iran to free Abedini
The European Parliament Oct. 10 passed a resolution that called for the exoneration and release of American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is imprisoned in Iran simply because of his Christian faith. The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), along with our European affiliate – the European Centre for Law and Justice – has been meeting with members of the European Parliament (MEPs) detailing the facts surrounding the illegal imprisonment of Abedini, a U.S. citizen. In a press … [Read more...]
Naghmeh Abedini shares at Annual Meeting
Nagmeh Abedini shares how God has taken the persecution of her husband and turned it into an amazing opportunity to share the gospel in prison and with world leaders. Nagmeh Abedini from MBC on Vimeo. … [Read more...]
Audio interview with Naghmeh Abedini, wife of imprisoned Saeed Abedini
Click here to listen to Harold Hendrick interview Naghmeh Abedini. Naghmeh (pronounced “Nog’ may”) Abedini is being used of God to call attention to persecuted Christians worldwide. She is the wife of an American citizen, and the native Iranian, Pastor Saeed Abedini, persecuted and imprisoned in the notorious Evin Prison in his native Iran for functioning as a Christian. At the time he was developing plans for building an orphanage there on family owned property. And, she will be sharing … [Read more...]
Captive in Iran: Incredible story of courage, love
DON HINKLE/editor dhinkle@mobaptist.org A powerful book by two Iranian Christian women who spent 259 days in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, in 2009, gives outsiders a look at the harsh conditions and brutal persecution Christians face within the prison’s confines. Captive in Iran is the story of Maryam Rostampour and Maziyeh Amirizadeh who – over a three-year period – covertly put New Testaments in the hands of 20,000 of their countrymen, knowing that Islamic laws in Iran … [Read more...]
Wife of imprisoned U.S. pastor in Iranto speak at Ministers’ Wives Luncheon
JEFFERSON CITY – Registration for the 2013 Ministry Wives Annual Luncheon is quickly filling. “Snapshots: Women Partnering in Gospel Advancement” is the selected theme for the 2013 Ministry Wives luncheon Oct. 29 in conjunction with the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting. “Our desire is simply to encourage and remind our MBC ministry wives that they are part of a larger story, an army of women called to advance the gospel in our generation,” said Sandee Hedger, 2013 Task … [Read more...]
Obama urges Rouhani to release U.S. pastor as prayer vigils continue
BY STAFF WASHINGTON – American Pastor Saeed Abedini is now aware that President Obama urged Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to release him from wrongful imprisonment for his Christian faith in Iran. Early on the morning of Sept. 30 in Tehran, Abedini’s Iranian family was able to sit and visit with him – through a glass partition – during regular visitation hours at Evin Prison, said a spokesman for the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), which is representing the Abedini … [Read more...]
Guns in church
Norwood – Pastor Stephen Fugitt believes that churches have the right to arm themselves for the day when a gunman enters their buildings to do harm. Yet no one had time to open fire against a gunman who aimed his .357 magnum revolver at Fugitt as he preached to his congregation at the First Baptist Church of Norwood, July 21. Instead, one church member grabbed the gunman’s arm, causing his first shot to hit the ceiling, while other men helped to wrestle him to the ground. They held him … [Read more...]
Praying for the persecuted church
Umar Mulinde grew up in a strict Muslim home in Uganda. His grandfather was an imam (religious leader), and Umar was trained in Islamic thought, which went unchallenged until he left home for college. One Sunday Umar visited a church for the first time and was so impressed with the gospel that he surrendered his life to Christ. Three Muslim friends saw him leave the church and attacked him. He assumed the beatings would stop. He was wrong. In time, Umar preached in a church that … [Read more...]
Naghmeh Abedini tells of persecution against her husband
VICKI STAMPS/contributing writer BOISE, Idaho – Naghmeh Abedini’s life has been turned upside down. Her husband, Saeed, an Iranian-born pastor who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, is imprisoned in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, known by human rights watchdog groups as one of the most brutal in all the world. Saeed was arrested a year ago at his parents’ home in Iran by five Revolutionary Guards who charged the house. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for threatening “national … [Read more...]
Air Force Sergeant claims he was fired for refusing to endorse gay ‘marriage’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – An Air Force sergeant who filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. military claiming he was fired by his lesbian commander for refusing to make a statement of support for same-sex “marriage” may now face prosecution for taking his accusations public. Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk was relieved of his duties as first sergeant at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in August after two separate confrontations with an openly homosexual superior officer, Major … [Read more...]