Iowa Baptists Note Church Growth, Increased Giving
AMES, Iowa (BP) -- The 2017 Baptist Convention of Iowa annual meeting was held in conjunction with a two-day "For the Church" micro conference in partnership with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Iran-Iraq Earthquake Called 2017’s Deadliest Yet
NASHVILLE (BP) -- The death toll continues to rise after the deadliest earthquake of 2017 shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday (Nov. 12).
More than 450 people have been killed and 7,000 injured in the 7.3-magnitude quake, with major aftershocks continuing to shake the region, extending into Turkey, Kuwait, Pakistan and Lebanon, according to CNN.
Texas Town Holds 1st Sunday Service Since Church Attack
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (AP) — Hundreds of mourners crowded into the tiny town of Sutherland Springs for the first Sunday service since a gunman stormed the First Baptist Church a week earlier, killing more than two dozen people in the worst mass shooting in Texas history.
SWBTS Announces Cuts to Staff, Belt-Tightening Measures
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Escalating health care costs, increased expenses for utilities and other higher education costs have prompted personnel cuts at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Texas Church to Be Demolished, Like Other Mass Killing Sites Before It
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (RNS) — The funerals were yet to be held.
But one thing was already clear in this tiny Texas town of 600 a couple days after one of the worst mass shootings at an American church: First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs will be razed.
Craving the Spiritual in Alice McDermott’s New Novel
(RNS) “There is a hunger …”
That declaration, uttered by an old, crippled nun who has scrubbed away her life and her vocation in a convent’s basement laundry, sums up “The Ninth Hour,” the newest novel by National Book Award-winning author Alice McDermott.
Top Indonesia Court Overturns Discriminatory Religious Law
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's top court has overturned a law that denied recognition and legal rights to followers of indigenous faiths in a surprise advance for religious freedom in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Planning for the Future: Talking about Death is Difficult but Imperative
Important conversations are seldom easy to have. As a child transitions into adolescence, parents often dread “the talk.” Years later, roles shift and adult children are faced with starting another dreaded but critical discussion, one medical and legal professionals often call “the conversation.”
Shootings at U.S. Houses of Worship in Recent Years
The Associated Press has compiled a list of fatal shootings occuring at U.S. houses of worship since 2012.
Billy Graham’s 99th Birthday Offers 12-Day Radio Special
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- Sermons from Billy Graham's prolific international ministry will be broadcast on an ad hoc radio station 12 days surrounding the evangelist's 99th birthday (Nov. 7), the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has announced.