WASHINGTON (BP) – Two Southern Baptists – one a U.S. senator and the other a convention entity head – said on Religious Freedom Day the idea of “separation of church and state” entails freedom – rather than limitations – to Americans in the practice of their faith. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, co-wrote “The Real Meaning of the Separation of Church and State” for the celebration Jan. 16 of the country’s heritage … [Read more...]
Muslim Fulani herdsmen launch more attacks
JOS, Nigeria (BP) -- A mass burial on Sunday (Jan. 7) was announced for 49 of at least 65 Christians killed in Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacks in Benue state, Nigeria that began on New Year's Day, sources said. Benue Gov. Samuel Ortom announced on Saturday that coffins would be provided for the state-sponsored funeral as he visited Benue State University Teaching Hospital-Makurdi's hospital morgue. Brandishing heavy weaponry as well as cutlasses, Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked several … [Read more...]
World’s worst religious freedom violators evaluated
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Trump administration's first designation of the world's worst violators of religious freedom received the same evaluation as the last list under President Obama -- good but not good enough. Religious liberty advocates had hoped the State Department would add other countries to the CPC list, which is required by federal law. The measure calls for the designation of countries that commit or tolerate "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious … [Read more...]
Is support of Israel waning among younger evangelicals?
NASHVILLE (BP) – Older American evangelicals love Israel, but many younger evangelicals simply don't care, according to a new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Three-quarters (77 percent) of evangelicals 65 and older say they support the existence, security and prosperity of Israel. That drops to 58 percent among younger evangelicals, those 18 to 34. Four in 10 younger evangelicals (41 percent) have no strong views about Israel. Fewer younger evangelicals (58 percent) have an … [Read more...]
Jesus as the firstborn
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a disturbing take on the apostle Paul’s description of Jesus as the “firstborn over all creation.” Consider how the Watch Tower renders Col. 1:15-17 in its New World Translation: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have … [Read more...]
HLGU’s John Francis: Give thanks!
Baptists are Baptists because of worship. Our predecessors, the English Particular Baptists, claimed worship as their early distinctive from every other Christian denomination in the world. Understand that their idea of “worship” were two principle concepts or ordinances, “Baptism” and “The Lord’s Supper.” This new people group wanted desperately to be “people of the Word.” In doing so they sought to worship as those in the earliest church did with a desire to take everything back to their … [Read more...]
U.K. remembers persecuted Christians: Parliament, churches light up red to raise awareness
(WNS) - On Nov. 22, the British Houses of Parliament and more than 30 churches and schools, mostly in the U.K., bathed their buildings in red light to bring attention to the worsening problem of Christian persecution around the world. The initiative was part of Red Wednesday—the second annual centerpiece of Aid to the Church in Need’s efforts to remember the most persecuted religious group in the world. Special services and vigils also were held throughout the week. Aid to the Church in … [Read more...]
Is Islam hostile to Christianity?
November 5 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. North Korea continues its run as the nation most brutal toward its Christian citizens, but the vast majority of the top 50 persecutors are Muslim-dominated nations, according to the 2017 World Watch List. Which begs the question: Is Islam hostile to Christianity? Many Muslims worldwide condemn the violence done in the name of Allah, especially to Jews and Christians. They desire peaceful coexistence with their … [Read more...]
Nailed it! Luther triggered Reformation 500 years ago
WITTENBERG, Germany – Five hundred years ago this month, Martin Luther, a German monk and university professor, turned the world upside down as he began to proclaim a gospel of “costly grace.” On Oct. 31, 1517, Luther posted 95 theses for public debate on the Castle Church door in the small university town of Wittenberg, Germany. In his pungent theses, he criticized abuses of church power – especially the pope’s attempt to raise funds for renovating St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by … [Read more...]
The Cooperative Program and the ‘Missouri Plan’
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third of several articles commemorating the Baptist history in Missouri, written by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Historical Commission. Many Missouri Baptists do not realize how influential our state association was in establishing the current model for the Cooperative Program. In 1845, when the Southern Baptist Convention was formed by withdrawing fellowship from the Baptist Triennial Convention, many states like Missouri had to decide which … [Read more...]
Calvin & Calvinism
When Martin Luther pinned (or pasted) his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg in 1517, John Calvin was only 8 years old. By the time Calvin published the first edition of his classic Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536, Ulrich Zwingli—the Reformer of Zurich—had been dead for five years, having been cut down in battle against the city’s Catholic opponents in 1531. Multiple pathways for reform had been carved out across the European landscape before Calvin even entered … [Read more...]
Trump order to enforce religious liberty
WASHINGTON (BP) – Religious liberty advocates commended President Trump's new executive order to protect faith beliefs and practice, but some said it fell short of what is needed. Trump's order – issued May 4 on National Day of Prayer in a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden – says: The administration's policy will be to enforce vigorously the "robust protections for religious freedom" in federal law. The Department of Treasury, which includes the Internal Revenue Service, … [Read more...]
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