News
October brings pastor appreciation opportunities for churches, the North American Mission Board notes. "It's the greatest privilege in the world to pastor a congregation," NAMB President Kevin Ezell said, "But it is also very demanding and we need to take steps to protect, strengthen and express appreciation for our pastors."
Missionary Kyra Karr, though killed in a traffic accident in mid-August, was an inspirational example of using one's days wisely, missions columnist Erich Bridges writes, noting, "The weeks in your earthly life are a prelude to your life in eternity."
A county clerk in Kentucky defied a federal judge's order to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Thursday (Aug. 13), turning away two men who arrived at her office as soon as it opened.
Emphasizing the importance of liberty to American Christians, a North Carolina megachurch pastor noted he would rather live in a pro-choice United States than a pro-life Soviet Union.
The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota will soon be moving its offices in Sioux Falls to the city of Pierre to be closer to its Native American members, who comprise about half of its numbers
Americans believe firmly in religious freedom but think atheists are more welcome than Muslims in the United States, a LifeWay Research study finds.
Among 80,000 people at Bonnaroo -- an annual camping and music festival in Tennessee -- quite a few trekked to "The Jesus Tent." An estimated 13,000-17,000 Bonnaroovians visited The Jesus Tent for its 24/7 offer of shade cooled by fans, snacks, water, smartphone charging stations, WiFi and conversation -- a peaceful oasis at a festival featuring 150-plus acts over four days at a 700-acre farm near Manchester, Tenn.
"Plodders get things done," Erich Bridges writes, "even on the mission field." Bill Koehn, one of three workers killed by a gunman in Yemen in 2002, for example, was "one of the most faithful plodders in Southern Baptist mission history," Bridges writes.
Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd sets forth five actions to take amid today's cultural conflict. "[W]e need to rise up together, becoming the spiritual light in this darkening world," Floyd writes in the wake of the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
Seminary president Paige Patterson, reflecting on the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, writes, "With gratitude to God, we accept the opportunity, when necessary, to suffer for Him," particularly in regard to religious liberty.
