FIRST-PERSON: Make the most of your time
5:45
CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP)--1. 24. 1440. 7. 168. 28. 30. 31. 744. 12. 365. 8760. Alone, these numbers are interesting symbols on the page. Separately, you might recognize a few of them. Together they represent the passing of...
LifeWay stores to collect Christmas shoe boxes
5:45
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--LifeWay Christian Stores will hold an Operation Christmas Child collection day Saturday, Nov. 14, for gift-filled shoe boxes to be distributed in 100-plus countries.Since 2003, LifeWay has taken...
TRUSTEES: GuideStone up 31% March-Sept.
5:45
DALLAS (BP)--GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins updated trustees on the first three quarters of 2009, including how the GuideStone staff has demonstrated perspective amid one of the greatest economic...
N.M. Baptists retire debt, seek the lost
5:45
GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--Nearly 400 Baptists from across the Land of Enchantment braved a wintry mix of cold and snow to celebrate the retirement of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico's indebtedness and to commit to...
Indonesians responsive to quake relief
5:45
WEST SUMATRA, Indonesia (BP)--"And so, this is what He is up to on our island ... taking a tragedy and opening up a door for seeds to be planted," a Christian worker in Indonesia wrote following the magnitude 7.6...
Baltimore council targets pregnancy centers
5:45
!P>BALTIMORE, Md. (BP)--Most of the members of the Baltimore (Md.) City Council are promoting a measure that would require pregnancy help centers to post a sign saying they do not provide abortions or...
Pro-lifers: Amendment to health-care bill 'phony'
5:45
WASHINGTON (BP)--The U.S. House of Representatives appears poised to vote on health-care legislation that includes a so-called pro-life compromise opponents of abortion say is bogus.The House may vote as early as...
Rick Warren, Reader's Digest part ways on project
9:45
A joint publishing venture between influential pastor Rick Warren and Reader's Digest magazine has collapsed less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare. The multimedia project, called the Purpose Driven...
Rick Warren, Reader's Digest part ways on project
8:44
A joint publishing venture between influential pastor Rick Warren and Reader's Digest magazine has collapsed less than a year after it was announced with great fanfare. The multimedia project, called the Purpose Driven...
FIRST-PERSON: Christian comedian does more than tell jokes
4:30
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP)--"Years ago in a crowded Grand Rapids, Michigan movie theater, the projector malfunctioned," the promotional material reads. "The house lights came on, and acting on a dare, a young Black comedian...
James Dobson resigns radio post
4:30
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)--James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, has announced his intention to step down from his role as host of the ministry's flagship radio broadcast at the end of February.Focus on the...
Mo. Baptists pare budget; re-elect officers
4:30
RAYTOWN, Mo. (BP)--Messengers approved a reduced budget and, in a departure from tradition dating back beyond three decades, re-elected an incumbent president during the 175th Missouri Baptist Convention annual meeting,...
Festivals of Marriage hit 30th anniversary
4:30
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--It's been 30 years.The Festivals of Marriage sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources began with a single event in 1979 at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, N.C. -- subsequently...
Casino gambling plan passes in Ohio, 53-47
4:30
COLUMBUS (BP)--By a 53-47 margin, voters in Ohio approved a ballot initiative Nov. 3 to allow casino gambling in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo."Let's start lighting it up like Las Vegas," Dan Gilbert, owner...
Marijuana access expanded in Maine
4:30
AUGUSTA, Maine (BP)--Voters in Maine overwhelmingly approved a measure to allow nonprofit organizations to provide medical marijuana to patients Nov. 3, making Maine the third state to establish dispensaries and the...
Land: GOP wins send reminder to D.C.
4:30
WASHINGTON (BP)--Republicans won the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia Nov. 3, only a year after then-Sen. Barack Obama swept both states on his way to the White House.The GOP's Chris Christie and Robert...
Maine voters stun pundits, reject 'gay marriage' law
4:30
AUGUSTA, Maine (BP)--Supporters of traditional marriage in Maine shocked the political world and even some of their own supporters Nov. 3, overcoming a slew of obstacles to overturn a new law that had legalized "gay...
Religion News in Brief
11:29
An Ohio village's Christmas parade has been canceled amid concerns over possible lawsuits, expected protests and logistical problems. Amelia Mayor Leroy Ellington said the Amelia Business Association that sponsored the...
Gone to the dogs: LA church starts pet service
9:52
When the Rev. Tom Eggebeen took over as interim pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church three years ago, he looked around and knew it needed a jump start. Most of his worshippers, though devoted, were in their 60s,...
FIRST-PERSON: Why some are cast out of the Kingdom
4:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--One of the more humbling experiences from my days in the corporate world was being told that my reserved seat on the company jet was revoked at the last minute to make room for a late-arriving...
'Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?'
4:15
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--"Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?" was the theme of a conference sponsored by the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture and hosted by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary...
Gaming interests joust over casinos in Ohio
4:15
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP)--Ohioans are voting Tuesday on a casino gambling proposal opposed not only by traditional-values groups but also other gambling interests.The ballot initiative is the fifth brought to voters in the...
Church personalizes missions for members
4:15
NAPLES, Fla. (BP)--In what he hopes will be a "game-changer in terms of the Cooperative Program and our whole relationship with missions," Hayes Wicker has led First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., to launch the "Great...
Chinese lawyers face govt. oppression
4:15
WASHINGTON (BP)--Religious freedom activists in China are not the only ones needing a lawyer; their lawyers also are being attacked by the government."They are the defenders for the defenseless and a voice to the...
Abortion clinic director witnesses ultrasound, quits
4:15
BRYAN, Texas (BP)--The director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Texas quit her job and is supporting a pro-life organization after watching an ultrasound of an abortion.Abby Johnson, 29, worked at the...
FIRST-PERSON: Keeping the Body healthy: Supporting CP
5:30
FORT TOTTEN, N.D. (BP)--Coupons in hand, I race through the grocery store attempting to find the most nutritious foods for the least amount of money. Today's economic climate pushes me to pinch every penny while the...
FIRST-PERSON: Stop traffic with a live nativity scene
5:30
INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--Picture this: a simple, well-lit stable stands visibly on your church lawn. A lighted sign says "Turn here for free live nativity." Music is playing and costumed nativity characters create a...
Richardson to lead Miss. Baptists
5:30
JACKSON, Miss. (BP)--Gary Richardson, pastor of North Oxford Baptist Church in Oxford, Miss., was elected as the new president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention during the 174th annual meeting at First Baptist...
October CP giving 5.25% below '08
5:30
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--October contributions of $16,861,354.15 through the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program were 5.25 percent below CP gifts received in October 2008, according to a news release from...
Church envisions CP-style strategy
5:30
CEREDO, W.Va. (BP)--With a passion reflective of the Cooperative Program, pastor Rodney Hale yearns to plant a church in the vicinity of Wayne County, W.Va., his immediate mission field."We'd love to be able to start a...
Young pastors lead churches to support Cooperative Program
5:30
LEXINGTON, S.C. (BP)--Three young pastors have different fresh ideas about "being the church" -- in a growing community in South Carolina, a coal mining town in Pennsylvania and in rural northeastern Alabama -- but they...
Maine 'gay marriage' opponents may have October Surprise
5:30
AUGUSTA, Maine (BP)--Supporters of Tuesday's effort to overturn Maine's "gay marriage" law believe they have a pre-election October Surprise, and it comes thanks to an untimely letter from someone friendly to the...
In India, Hindu extremism sharpens
5:30
PUNE, India (BP)--After more than a decade of severe persecution, India's Christian minority is growing increasingly concerned over the mushrooming of newer, more violent Hindu extremist groups.Gone are the days when...
Land, other religious leaders: Sanctions needed on Iran
5:30
WASHINGTON (BP)--Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land has joined Jewish and evangelical Christian leaders in New York in calling for immediate sanctions to thwart Iran from developing nuclear weapons.The president of...
Maine 'gay marriage' opponents may have October Surprise
4:15
AUGUSTA, Maine (BP)--Supporters of Tuesday's effort to overturn Maine's "gay marriage" law believe they have a pre-election October Surprise, and it comes thanks to an untimely letter from someone friendly to the...
Internet believers: Pastors open online churches
10:36
Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service. When the sermon is done, it's time for communion, and the...
Internet believers: Pastors open online churches
7:55
Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service. When the sermon is done, it's time for communion, and the...
Defections, court fights test Scientology
2:11
The Church of Scientology is going through a difficult season. Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis' resignation from the church...
FIRST-PERSON: Hate crimes law intended to silence
5:15
ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--Legislation signed into law by President Obama Oct. 28 purports to target crimes of hate, but the new statute is nothing more than a tool designed to silence those who sincerely believe that...
FIRST-PERSON: A prom to remember
5:15
ST. LOUIS (BP)--Tim Sitek was as excited as you'd expect any 3-year-old to be about seeing Fredbird, the burly, red St. Louis Cardinals mascot. Fredbird stole the attention at the Pujols Family Foundation's third annual...
CP EMPHASIS (FIRST-PERSON, Jim Burton): What about the missionaries?
5:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: In recognition of the SBC's October emphasis on the Cooperative Program, Baptist Press will provide readers with extra news and information detailing the scope and depth of the Cooperative Program and its...
Mo. board authorized to act on suits against 5 breakaways
5:15
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--Messengers to the Missouri Baptist Convention's annual meeting voted overwhelmingly to expand the executive board's authority to make decisions between MBC annual meetings regarding the lawsuits...
CULTURE DIGEST: Vatican invitation could mean married priests
5:15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--An invitation by the Vatican for Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their liturgical heritage could mean an increase in the number of married...
BP journalism conf. ventures to the Web
5:15
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Christian journalists should excel at their work and give non-believers reason to consider the Gospel, a Baptist newspaper editor told collegiate journalists Oct. 29."Colossians 3:23 says, 'Whatever...
CP EMPHASIS: Seminarians speak up
5:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: In recognition of the SBC's October emphasis on the Cooperative Program, Baptist Press will provide readers with extra news and information detailing the scope and depth of the Cooperative Program and its...
CP EMPHASIS: Diverse profiles reveal a common passion for cooperation
5:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: In recognition of the SBC's October emphasis on the Cooperative Program, Baptist Press will provide readers with extra news and information detailing the scope and depth of the Cooperative Program and its...
Vodka unlikely ally for witness to Muslims
5:15
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering supplements Cooperative Program giving to support more than 5,600 Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the Gospel overseas. This year's offering goal is $175...
ELECTION 09: N.J. among key ballots Nov. 3
5:15
TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--When New Jersey voters go to the polls Tuesday, they'll decide not only who gets to reside in the governor's mansion the next four years but possibly also the future of "gay marriage" in the...
Fight over abortion funding nears in push for health care
5:15
WASHINGTON (BP)--The Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives unveiled its 1,990-page health care bill Oct. 29 with funding for abortion intact, setting the stage for a battle with pro-life members of its...
Evangelical leader Dobson leaving radio show
4:07
James Dobson, the voice of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, will no longer host its flagship radio broadcast and is cutting formal ties with the organization that he founded more than 30 years ago, the...