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BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus' manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope.

WASHINGTON (RNS) —  Leith Anderson is a fan of the word "evangelical" and the Christians who claim that name. But he knows the term may have outlived its usefulness in a polarized country where evangelical has often become a synonym for conservative Republican.

Non-Christians in the U.S. are more likely than the national average to have a negative perception of evangelicals, according to a Barna Group report published Nov. 21. The top three descriptors: Narrow-minded, homophobic, and puritanical.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (BP) -- Central Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Lawrenceville sits right next door to Central Gwinnett High School. The close proximity sparked an idea among the small body of believers -- an idea that has grown tenfold.

NDIA (BP) -- Regaining consciousness after attackers left him for dead in his house church in eastern India, pastor Basant Kumar Paul proclaimed he no longer fears persecution and is certain of his heavenly home.

FARMINGTON, Maine — Farmington Conference Center in rural Maine is the only Southern Baptist-related conference center in New England. Amid that challenging setting, Farmington’s staff and volunteers are seeking to shine the light of Christ for children and youth.

(RNS) — As Americans gear up for a long and bitterly contentious presidential election year, their message to religious leaders and institutions couldn't be clearer: Keep out.

Nashville-based LifeWay Research asked 1,000 Protestant pastors about their personal connections to the opioid epidemic and how their churches are looking to address the issue. Half (52 percent) knew someone directly in their church is dealing with an opioid addiction.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- On Monday (Nov. 18), the popular U.S. fast food chain, Chick-fil-A, Inc., announced a new policy concerning its charitable giving to take effect in 2020. It will will focus the company's charitable donations on the areas of hunger, homelessness and education.

ANACOCO, La. (Baptist Message) -- Once, Bill Blackmon drove his big rig cross-country in pursuit of big hauls and big bucks. But since 1993, after repenting for salvation at Good Hope Baptist Church in Anacoco, he has been driven by the desire to share Jesus among truckers.