WASHINGTON (BP) – After a record low in the U.S. abortion rate, pro-life advocates and an abortion rights research organization have offered differing explanations. The Guttmacher Institute announced, Sept. 18, the abortion rate was 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women age 15 to 44 in 2017, the latest year for which it has statistics. That rate marked an 8 percent drop from the previous figure of 14.6 in 2014. Guttmacher was a Planned Parenthood affiliate from 1977 to 2007, when the abortion … [Read more...]
Heartbeat bill: Judge blocks Missouri’s ban on abortions at 8 weeks, state appeals
KANSAS CITY – Days before it was to take effect, a federal judge on Aug. 27 temporarily blocked a Missouri ban on abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy. Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed an appeal of the decision Sept. 5. U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs blocked the law for the time being, pending a legal challenge from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union. The abortion provider and the ACLU filed their suit arguing that the Missouri Stands for the … [Read more...]
Missouri Valley College welcomes state’s newest collegiate ministry
MARSHALL – The students starting classes this week at Missouri Valley College aren’t just starting a new semester with new classes. They also have a chance to be a part of the newest Missouri Baptist collegiate ministry. A long-time student pastor, Scott Westfall has been on the campus for a few weeks now and said he is ready to build relationships and point Missouri Valley’s 1,500 students to Jesus. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve met with people all day long,” he said. “I’m trying to … [Read more...]
‘It’s just a joy to serve the Lord’ – Duckworths serve through food ministry, pay it forward to SBU students
ELDON – Dan Duckworth, a 1978 Southwest Baptist University alumnus, and his wife, Marylin, saw a need to help feed people in the community where Dan has pastored since 1977 at Rocky Mount Baptist Church here. A food pantry that began in the basement of the small rural church 22 years ago now has its own 6,400-square-foot facility. Visions Unlimited Food Pantry works with the Food Bank for Northeast and Central Missouri in Columbia to distribute food within a four-county area to about … [Read more...]
MBU trustees move to align governing docs with MBC’s
ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist University (MBU) trustees approved an institutional consultant to examine the school’s mission and approved revised bylaws during their May 23 meeting here. The Missouri Baptist Convention and has requested its entities bring their governing documents in line with the convention’s. Over the past several years, the various entities have been at different stages of that process. May 23, trustees at MBU worked through the updates for the school’s articles of … [Read more...]
Gov. blasts Planned Parenthood’s ‘apparent disregard for the law’
Licensing battle may mean zero abortion clinics in Missouri JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Mike Parson called for Planned Parenthood to comply with state law as the lone abortion provider in the state is asking for a restraining order that would keep its license from expiring at the end of the month. If it expires, Missouri will become the first state since 1974 – the year after Roe v. Wade was decided – with no licensed abortion facilities. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood are expected argue … [Read more...]
Rising Sun Baptist Church’s Hoffmann builds ministry to reach out to Latter-day Saints
HATTON – Wil Hoffmann is interested in Mormons. It has been a lifelong fascination for the central Missouri pastor. Formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the Salt Lake City-based church is one of the fastest growing religious groups in the world. The LDS Church is particularly dominant in Utah, where early church pioneers migrated by wagon train in the 1840s, fleeing persecution in Missouri and Illinois. Hoffman, pastor of Rising Sun Baptist Church, … [Read more...]
Disappointing ‘Tolkien’ forgets Christian symbolism that set apart ‘Lord of the Rings’
When it comes to fiction, few authors can stir Christians’ (and non-Christians’) imagination like J.R.R. Tolkien. His Lord of the Rings (LOTR) books are rightfully 20th-century classics. While there is zero doubt Tolkien’s deep faith influenced his work – you can’t ignore the themes of temptation, sin, redemption and sacrifice in LOTR – I’ve always appreciated that his writings were substantially subtler than that of his contemporary and friend, C.S. Lewis. Where Lewis’s symbols were … [Read more...]
‘Breakthrough’ tells true story of Missouri miracle
ST. PETERS – I’m a sucker for a true story. “Breakthrough,” the latest faith-based movie to hit theaters, is worth your time and attention precisely because it is the story of a true miracle. The fact that some of the setting will feel familiar to you is a bonus. It’s based on the real-life case of John Smith, a 15-year-old boy from St. Peters, Mo. who fell through the ice on a frozen lake in 2015. He was submerged for nearly 15 minutes before paramedics found him and pulled him from the … [Read more...]
‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ brings engaging adventure to theaters
When my dad was a little boy, his favorite bedtime story was John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. I’m told he would gasp and cheer as my grandmother read each chapter of the second most-read book of all time (The Bible still holds the top spot). He was riveted by the tale of Christian, his heavy burden, and his journey along the Narrow Way from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. All while the ultimate enemy tries everything in his power to distract him. But even though I’ve … [Read more...]
‘Unplanned’ tells former Planned Parenthood clinic director’s powerful story
“Unplanned” is not particularly enjoyable. That’s not the point, however. It’s the true story of Abby Johnson, a pro-life activist who used to be one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors in the nation. Over a span of eight years, she was involved in 22,000 abortions and counseled countless women on their “reproductive choices.” In advocating for abortion, Johnson believed she truly was helping women and herself. She and her colleagues were “doing God’s work.” Her … [Read more...]
Manna Fellowship’s pantry introduces bread of life to Pleasant Hill community
PLEASANT HILL – In Exodus 16, God fed the Israelites with bread from heaven. He fed them with manna. In Northwestern Cass County, Manna Fellowship Church feeds the needy with the love of Christ—and some food. Manna Fellowship’s food pantry, located in northwestern Cass County serves roughly 400 people monthly. The pantry is not located on church grounds. Lead pastor Rick Friesen says that sixteen percent of the population in Belton live below the poverty line. It is located where it is … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- …
- 291
- Next Page »