Tom Strode/Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) – The White House and Congress need to make specific changes to combat persecution 15 years after enacting legislation to promote religious liberty globally, a federal watchdog says in its annual report. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called Wednesday (April 30) for the Obama administration to improve its implementation of the 1998 law designed to protect the rights of people of faith worldwide. In its 2014 report … [Read more...]
Call for apology from ERLC’s Moore
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – In a letter addressed to the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) President Russell Moore, Bott Radio Network President Richard P. Bott, II, called on Moore to apologize publicly for his recent critical remarks regarding Christian talk radio—an industry supported by millions of Southern Baptist and evangelical listeners. Bott’s May 5 letter was also sent to more than 70 Southern Baptist and evangelical leaders, including … [Read more...]
Most Americans: Keep ‘Under God’ in Pledge
Bob Smietana/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In 1954, the United States Congress added the words “under God” to the country’s Pledge of Allegiance. Sixty years later, most Americans would like to keep it that way, despite ongoing legal challenges to the pledge. A lawsuit filed against a New Jersey school district on March 28 contends that reciting the phrase “under God” in the pledge sends a message that nonbelievers are bad citizens and creates a hostile environment for … [Read more...]
KC school district ends ban on religious speech
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A Kansas school district has revised its speech policy after Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of a student prohibited from posting or handing out fliers promoting a student-led “See You at the Pole” prayer event. Because Unified School District No. 204 revised its policy to remove the ban on distributing religious materials, ADF attorneys voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit April 29, having achieved the original goal of ensuring that the … [Read more...]
Mohler open to meeting with gay author
David roach/Baptist Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — Through an exchange on Twitter, R. Albert Mohler Jr. has expressed his willingness to meet with author Matthew Vines, whose new book God and the Gay Christian argues that Scripture permits monogamous homosexual relationships. Four Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professors who contributed with Mohler to an e-book critiquing Vines also apparently have shared their interest on Twitter in meeting with him. Mohler, president of Southern … [Read more...]
National Day of Prayer message highlights obedience under pressure
JEFFERSON CITY – Saying the time has come for Christians to stand up and be counted, Mark Snowden brought a message from Daniel 3 to the steps of the State Capitol as one of many National Day of Prayer events across Missouri May 1. Snowden, evangelism/discipleship strategist for the Missouri Baptist Convention and an expert in “Bible storying,” told the small crowd that braved the rainy, windy weather the familiar account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s been retold many times, but … [Read more...]
LifeWay challenges churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups
Bob Smietana/LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE (BP) – LifeWay Christian Resources is challenging churches to start 100,000 new Bible study groups by the end of this year. The new groups initiative is a partnership between churches, state conventions and LifeWay. It’s designed to help longtime churchgoers jumpstart their faith and to help new believers grow spiritually, Bruce Raley, director of church education ministry for LifeWay, said. Whether they meet on Sunday mornings or … [Read more...]
Documentary on Joplin Tornadoes
JOPLIN – Where is God in the midst of a storm? Specifically, where was God in the 2011 EF5 tornado that killed 158 people and caused more than a billion dollars in damage in Joplin? What about the 2013 EF5 tornado that killed 24 and inured nearly 400 in Moore, Okla. last year? A new documentary, “Where Was God? Stories of Hope After the Storm,” attempts to answer that question. During an interview with The Pathway, Oklahoma film maker Chris Forbes said the short answer is that He was … [Read more...]
SBC conservative icon Patterson honored
Ali Dixon/SEBTS WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – In recognition of his past service as the school’s president, Paige Patterson has received the highest honor granted by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), the Presidential Award. Patterson, who has served as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, since 2003, served as president of Southeastern from 1992 to 2003. He was presented with the award before preaching in chapel during the spring board … [Read more...]
Baptists minister to fire victims in Chile
Daniela Ramirez/Baptist Press VALPARAÍSO, Chile (BP) – Baptists in Chile are providing food, supplies and the hope of Christ to victims of a large and fast-moving forest fire that has killed 15 and displaced at least 12,000 people in Valparaíso, Chile. The fire broke out April 12 and rapidly spread through some of the 42 hillside neighborhoods that comprise the historic city, Chile’s chief seaport. Because of strong winds, firefighters have had difficulty containing the blaze, which has … [Read more...]
Warrens help others 1 year after son’s suicide
Diana Chandler/Baptist Press LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP) – On the first anniversary of their son’s suicide, Saddleback Church founders Rick and Kay Warren are using the painful experience to uplift others, incorporating Facebook, YouTube, a mental health seminar and worship services scheduled at Saddleback campuses this Easter weekend. “The old Rick and Kay are gone. They’re never coming back,” Kay Warren wrote in a March 13 Facebook post with more than 3.2 million views and more than 10,000 … [Read more...]
‘Heaven Is For Real’ stirs discussion of heaven
DAVID ROACH/Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptists have mixed reviews of “Heaven Is For Real,” a Sony Pictures movie released April 16 about a 4-year-old boy who claimed he was transported to heaven as he underwent emergency surgery. Commentators said the movie presents opportunities for evangelism and considering the Bible’s teaching on heaven. But they also warned that the film is theologically inaccurate and reveals Christians’ propensity to trust “fanciful” accounts rather … [Read more...]
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