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NASHVILLE (BP) -- Going to church for some can be a bit like hanging out at Starbucks. The coffee's hot, the people are friendly, and the Wi-Fi is almost always free.

More than 63,000 people died in the U.S. from drug overdose in 2016, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Dec. 21, 2017.

(RNS) For the 16th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of 50 countries ranked for the worst persecution of Christians in the world, according to the Christian watchdog organization Open Doors USA.

Rev. William O. "Bill" Poe, 95, of Abilene, Texas, passed away Saturday Dec. 2, 2017, in Abilene, Texas.

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. (BP) -- In the mountains of north Georgia, volunteers at Antioch Baptist Church work year-round on a unique ministry -- providing firewood to those in need.

During the recent cold snap when temperatures dropped to near zero some days, it's been more important than ever.

Feelings of "American exceptionalism" remain strong in the U.S., but the nation has become exceptional in "problematic ways," according to Philip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (BP) -- Jerry Walls has enjoyed three decades of a prosperous and peaceful pastorate of Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Ga.

But with Alabama and Georgia colliding on Jan. 8 for the College Football Playoff National Championship, Walls and the Southside family are facing a challenge unlike any they've encountered together. It's a challenge some might think could threaten the harmony that has characterized the church.

(RNS) — A few years ago I went to the grocery store and ran into some cultists.

They didn’t look like end-times cultists at the time. Instead, they appeared to be do-gooders — warmhearted local volunteers who were rescuing kittens.

AUGUSTA, Kan. (BP) -- For bivocational pastor Don Mayberry, it's not uncommon to go from counseling a vice president of the international auto supply company to sitting atop his horse and sharing the story of Joseph with local ranchers and cowboys -- all within a few hours.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — After lawsuits and a Supreme Court decision, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a new policy extending disaster relief to churches, synagogues and other congregations.