News For Friday Aug 29, 2008 News For Friday Aug 29, 2008

Religion Religion

Louisianans prepare as Gustav churns - Added 7 hours ago

NEW ORLEANS (BP)--During this week's Democratic National Convention, national media were breaking away to report on the threat of Tropical Storm Gustav becoming a devastating hurricane. The media reports have New...

Gustav prompts relief teams' preparations - Added 7 hours ago

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--As Tropical Storm Gustav churns toward the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast region, Southern Baptist disaster relief units in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Virginia have been put on...

WORLDVIEW: Back to the future - Added 8 hours ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: An audio version of this column is available online athttp://media1.imbresources.org/files/57/5721/5721-30967.mp3RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Russia is on the move, reasserting its military power in the Caucasus...

LifeWay blogs help customer relationships - Added 8 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Employees of LifeWay Christian Resources spend hundreds of hours producing resources or events with the hope of providing spiritual transformation in the lives of individuals. Some LifeWay...

LifeMatters editor connects via blog - Added 8 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When Chad Jordan became editor of LifeMatters, a Sunday School curriculum published by LifeWay Christian Resources, he wanted to develop a more intimate connection with the Sunday School teachers...

Online feedback welcomed for new study - Added 8 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Who hasn't sat in a Bible study group slightly distracted and pondered, "I wonder what John Q. Author was really thinking when he wrote that?" Or, "I wish there was more explanation about...

Man shares Gospel through hitchhiking - Added 8 hours ago

LA PUENTE, Calif. (BP)--He's "J.L." on his business card. His wife calls him "Mac." Some friends call him "James," although he often forgets to stand up when he's introduced as James. But he's best known simply as "The...

Hunt focuses on challenges facing SBC - Added 8 hours ago

WOODSTOCK, Ga. (BP)--In his first 75 days as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Johnny Hunt has met with more than 500 Southern Baptist leaders, discussing ways to tackle challenges facing the SBC -- issues...

Friendships grow as Baptists serve first responders at Democratic Convention - Added 8 hours ago

DENVER (BP)--As Democrats celebrated the nomination of Barack Obama as their presidential nominee Wednesday, Southern Baptist volunteers continued at work behind the scenes providing law enforcement personnel with...

Disaster relief specialists head to Georgia - Added 8 hours ago

TBLISI, Georgia (BP)--Disaster relief specialists from three Baptist state conventions are deploying to the Black Sea country of Georgia to help families displaced by fighting between Georgian and Russian troops.A...

Hindu attacks on Indian Christians spark crisis - Added 8 hours ago

BHUBANESWAR, India (BP)--The murder of a Hindu swami, reportedly by Maoist terrorists, has unleashed a frenzy of violence against Christians falsely accused of the killing in Orissa, a state in eastern India.The...

Religion news in brief - Added 17 hours ago

The pastor of one of Minnesota's largest churches said an IRS investigation into his ministry's finances is "politically motivated." The Rev. Mac Hammond is recognizable to a wide audience through Sunday morning TV...

Religion today - Added 17 hours ago

!!-- pobj:NY376-0821081154 -->!!-- pobj:NY377-0821081154 -->!!-- pobj:NY378-0821081155 -->!!-- pobj:NY379-0821081154 -->Carol Umsted got more than the word of God during services this summer at the Congregational United...

No longer lesbian - Added 1 day ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the SBC Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals.FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (BP)--My heart...

Katrina, after 3 years, still presents opportunities for missions, partnership - Added 1 day ago

NEW ORLEANS (BP)--Three years ago, New Orleans residents escaped a city that, in just a few days, had changed forever. Nearly half would leave for good because they had no reason to return after Hurricane Katrina's...

Senior duo adds to 70-plus mission trips - Added 1 day ago

GULU, Uganda (BP)--Ann Davis lifted her aching body from a straw mat and reached with her right hand to touch the shoulder of a new sister in Christ. The woman turned and their meeting eyes initiated laughter, tears of...

Gospel message met with joyful 'trill' - Added 1 day ago

GULU, Uganda (BP)--Josephine's shrill trill came without warning -- like the battle cry of a warrior -- splitting the afternoon serenity created by a fading orange sun and cornstalks swaying in the gentle breeze. A few...

Pro-lifers decry APA's denial of link between abortion, depression - Added 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--Representatives of post-abortion and pregnancy center organizations have denounced a report that asserts there is no trustworthy evidence that a lone abortion causes mental health problems in a woman.A...

While Denver parties, witnesses impact eternity - Added 1 day ago

DENVER (BP)--As thousands of people converged on Denver for the Democratic National Convention, a small group of Southern Baptist street evangelists arrived in the city to make an impact far beyond even a four-year term...

Sharing Christ in the school - Added 2 days ago

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--With school back in session, drivers are heeding the warning again to slow down in school zones. Public school buses loaded with excited children are rolling down our streets. If school hasn't...

Union to open 14 student housing buildings - Added 2 days ago

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Union University students will move into 14 new student housing buildings when they return to the campus for the fall semester, less than seven months after a tornado destroyed much of the...

After Fay's drenching, volunteers mobilize - Added 2 days ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Moving at a snail's pace while dumping heavy rain and pushing strong winds in an erratic pattern through Florida, Tropical Storm Fay -- or "Fickle Fay" as it's been called -- finally headed out...

'Fickle Fay' displaces blind family - Added 2 days ago

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (BP)--Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers assisted a Daytona Beach family Aug. 23 after Tropical Storm Fay dumped rain in the area. Earlier in the week the storm's unpredictable nature caused...

S. Baptists' views of Scripture studied - Added 2 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Research from two studies by LifeWay Research indicates a disconnect between Southern Baptist pastors' view of Scripture and those of the people in their pews.The research arm of LifeWay Christian...

At the DNC, Baptists aid first responders - Added 2 days ago

DENVER (BP)--Southern Baptist volunteers are donning aprons this week in Denver as they prepare meals for city, state and national personnel providing protection and aid to those attending the Democratic National...

Alternatives make embryonic stem cell research obsolete - Added 2 days ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--Scientists continue to deal blows to the campaign for embryonic stem cell research, some by shifting their allegiance to a more ethical form of experimentation and some by discovering new means of...

EDITORIAL: In China, some things never change but some things cannot stay the same - Added 2 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--I have vivid memories of the 1989 pro-democracy protests in China. I was a member of an aviation unit deployed on one of three ships that made a historic visit to Shanghai. At the time, it was the...

DVDs give modern view of Jesus' parables - Added 2 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--If the story of the Good Samaritan were retold with modern-day characters, what would it look like? How about an elderly white man on a busy street playing the role of the man who was robbed, a...

Obama, Biden align on most major issues - Added 2 days ago

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (BP)--When presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate, he chose someone who aligns with him on most issues, differs on a handful, but can possibly...

In Gori, relief logistics move forward - Added 2 days ago

TBLISI, Georgia (BP)--When Russian troops pulled back from Gori, Georgia, Aug. 22, a Southern Baptist overseas relief team in Tblisi scrambled to assess the need for humanitarian assistance."The city of Gori is in...

Prayer vigil for revival to begin Sept. 24 - Added 2 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A call for Southern Baptists and other believers to engage in 40 days of prayer beginning in late September has been issued by the SBC's North American Mission Board and Ethics & Religious Liberty...

LETTER FROM CHINA, 'Now is the time of opportunity' missionary Lottie Moon said - Added 2 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

FROM THE OLYMPICS: U.S. 'Redeem Team' duo adds perspective to redemption - Added 2 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--They called themselves the "Redeem Team," and at least two of the U.S. men's gold medal basketball team know an added something about the word: Center Dwight Howard and shooting guard Michael Redd have...

Olympic impact echoes in eternity, volunteers say - Added 2 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth covered the 2008 Olympics while in Beijing Aug. 6-16 and after returning to the States. Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, has been assisted with...

Let's tax abortion - Added 6 days ago

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--The topic of abortion has become front and center for conservatives in the presidential election, with questions for both candidates about the issue now on the table.However, one question that...

MBC files appeal of Windermere ruling - Added 6 days ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--The lead attorney for the Missouri Baptist Convention wants a hearing by the end of the year of an appeal to overturn a trial judge's ruling in favor of a conference center that broke its ties to...

COSBE pres.: Baptism decline can be turned - Added 6 days ago

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Ron Herrod has seen the statistics and is well aware that baptisms are on the decline in the Southern Baptist Convention.Like many Southern Baptists, Herrod, who was elected president of the...

Volunteers tackle Fay's damage & debris - Added 6 days ago

BAREFOOT BAY, Fla. (BP)--Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers from throughout Central Florida descended into Barefoot Bay Aug. 21, site of a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Fay Aug. 19.Rain was still falling and...

New HHS rule would protect pro-life docs - Added 6 days ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--The freedom of conscience of pro-life doctors and other health-care providers would be protected under a new rule proposed by the Bush administration.The regulation, issued by the Department of Health...

Calif. marriage amendment supporters take fundraising lead on strength of big donations - Added 6 days ago

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--After trailing in fundraising by $3 million, supporters of a proposed California marriage amendment have taken the lead over opponents, thanks in part to a series of gifts totaling nearly $2...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Chinese believer Wang Way Sze says more missionaries needed - Added 6 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

God's call motivates marathoner in Beijing - Added 6 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Ryan Hall, a native of Big Bear Lake, Calif., set a U.S. Olympic Trials marathon record on Nov. 3, 2007, when he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in a time of 2:09:02 on the Central Park course...

FROM THE OLYMPICS: Bryan Clay gets decathlon gold; Robinson, BMX bronze - Added 6 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Bryan Clay, in winning the gold medal in the decathlon Aug. 22 and the unofficial title of "world's greatest athlete," tallied the largest margin of victory in the epic Olympic competition since 1972.The...

Now saved, boxing manager helps others - Added 6 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, who was in Beijing Aug. 6-16, is continuing his coverage of the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, has been assisted with...

Olympian shunned abortion; now has son & bronze medal - Added 6 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Tasha Danvers chose her unborn child four years ago over her hopes for an Olympic medal. Now she has both.Running for Great Britain, Danvers won the bronze medal Aug. 20 in the women's 400 meter hurdles,...

A growing concern - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Recently I was in Tulsa, Okla., sharing in an EKG/Sunday School conference. It was both well-organized and well-attended. A large crowd gathered for the better part of a beautiful Saturday to...

Longtime prof C.W. Brister dies - Added 1 week ago

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--C.W. Brister Jr., a pastoral ministry professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1957 until his retirement in 2001, died Aug. 9 after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. He was...

Allen remembered for mentorship legacy - Added 1 week ago

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--John H. Allen, who supervised the mentoring of hundreds of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students, died Aug. 18 after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 77.Allen was director of...

Zambian president's death mourned - Added 1 week ago

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is mourning the death of Zambia's president, Levy Mwanawasa, on Aug. 19 at the age of 59.Mwanawasa's pastor, Rodney Masona of Twin Palms Baptist Church...

Fay's heavy rains continue in Fla. - Added 1 week ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Tropical Storm Fay made it to the Atlantic coast Wednesday but stalled in the Cape Canaveral area, after passing across the Florida Keys Monday night and making a second Florida landfall early...