WASHINGTON (BP) – Pleas for revival and religious freedom were heard repeatedly at the National Day of Prayer service May 7 in Washington, including the keynote address by Southern Baptist pastor Jack Graham and a letter he read from imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini. Graham, pastor of the 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and a former Southern Baptist Convention president, served as honorary chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. “We are facing a … [Read more...]
Five things all churches should have in their bylaws
Editor's note: The article and download that follows is made available through Alliance Defending Freedom. "In the wake of battles in several states over the issue of same-sex “marriage” and the adoption by states and local governments of special rights for those engaging in homosexual behavior, many churches are unsure of their legal rights. Churches have broad constitutional protections designed to ensure the free exercise of religion and to prevent intrusion by the state into matters … [Read more...]
New Obamacare tax law may affect churches
NASHVILLE (BP) – A new tax rule in conjunction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may affect many churches that pay or reimburse individual health insurance premiums, and imposes daily fines beginning June 30 for those not in compliance. GuideStone Financial Resources health plan participants should notice no impact as a result of the rule known as IRS Notice 2015-17, GuideStone said in a March 2 press release. Other churches whose employees do not participate in a group … [Read more...]
National Day of Prayer at a Glance
The Pew Research Center provided the following facts about the National Day of Prayer: • The National Day of Prayer (May 7) was enacted in 1952 by Congress and President Harry S. Truman. • In 2011, The Freedom From Religion Foundation unsuccessfully challenged the National Day of Prayer in federal court. • Some 55% of Americans said they pray every day, according to a 2013 Pew Research survey, while 23% said they pray weekly or monthly. Another Pew survey conducted in 2012 found that 76% … [Read more...]
Once a fishing guide, now a CP-committed pastor
EDITOR'S NOTE: Cooperative Program Sunday is April 12 in the Southern Baptist Convention. WATER VALLEY, Ky. (BP) – Jimmy Brown trusts the Lord whenever he goes fishing, whether the fishing hole is filled with lake water or the silt of an undredged life. "I had never realized the similarities between fishing, soul-winning and pastoring," said Brown, a former professional fishing guide on Kentucky Lake who has been pastor of Pilot Oak Baptist Church in western Kentucky since … [Read more...]
34,000 black churches break fellowship with Presbyterians over same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON (Christian Newswire) – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans has broken its fellowship with Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) following its recent vote to approve same-sex marriage. The Presbyterian General Assembly, the top legislative body of the PSUSA, voted last June to revise the constitutional language defining marriage. This arbitrary change of Holy Scripture … [Read more...]
HIS ‘Show and Shine’ to draw bikers to Fargo
FARGO, N.D. – Motorcycles thundering up the I-29 corridor attract attention. When Christian bikers take to the road this summer, they’ll be attracting attention for Jesus as they share the Gospel through their witness and give away copies of the Bible. And it’s all part of H.I.S. – the Heartland Interstate Strategy. Roaring out of the Midwestern Seminary’s parking lot on Friday, June 19, and stopping at key cities along the way, Missouri Baptists are headed ultimately to Fargo, North … [Read more...]
White church dissolves ‘to glorify God’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) – What should a traditional, white Southern Baptist congregation do when they can no longer sustain their ministries or their facilities, when the community around them looks nothing like their membership, when they know they are dying? Emmanuel Baptist Church was a thriving rural fellowship. But after 61 years of ministry, the North Carolina church's leaders faced some painful decisions. In June 2014 by unanimous vote, Emmanuel's property was deeded to Meeting … [Read more...]
Ministers’ tax guide released by GuideStone
DALLAS – GuideStone Financial Resources has released its Ministers’ Tax Guide for 2014 Returns. The annual handbook provides step-by-step instructions for both active and retired ministers, sample forms and detailed help in understanding the latest tax laws. Additionally, church treasurers and other church leaders will find a valuable resource in the guide’s special section about important federal requirements for churches. GuideStone participants can receive the free guide by visiting … [Read more...]
Sunday morning in America still segregated
NASHVILLE – Sunday morning remains one of the most segregated hours in American life, with more than 8 in 10 congregations made up of one predominant racial group. And most worshipers like it that way. Two-thirds of American churchgoers (67 percent) say their church has done enough to become racially diverse. And less than half think their church should become more diverse. Those are among the findings of a study of church segregation by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Researchers … [Read more...]
Atlanta fire chief fired over pro-family book
ATLANTA (BP) – Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran has been terminated following a city investigation into a book he wrote that calls homosexual behavior immoral. But Cochran said the investigation, which has not been released to the public, produced no evidence of wrongdoing. Allegations of discrimination against homosexuals were "completely unfounded," Cochran said Jan. 6. "The investigation shows that there is no evidence. Under no circumstances have I been discriminatory or hateful … [Read more...]
Bible’s Christmas accounts ‘complementary’
NASHVILLE (BP) – A historian named Julius Africanus was among the first Christians to wonder why the stories of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke differ slightly. Around the year 200, Julius apparently sought Jesus' living relatives to ask them why the genealogies of Christ in the two Gospels aren't exactly the same. Was one of the accounts in error? Jesus' ancient relatives explained, according to the third-century church historian Eusebius, that the lineage of Joseph, Jesus' adoptive … [Read more...]
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