Summer Camps Set to Run Ahead in 2024, How Alabama Court’s Ruling Affects IVF & How God Conveyed His Word to the Prophets

Years after a summer of practically no camps, the institution is continuing its comeback. And according to a study from the Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA), the figures have caught up with and even exceeded pre-COVID numbers.

In terms of enrollment, there were more camps at or near capacity in 2022 (15 percent) than 2019 (9 percent). The number of camps reaching 90-99 percent capacity was also slightly higher in 2022 (29 percent) than in 2019 (28 percent).

Thirty-five percent of camps in 2019 were at 75-89 percent capacity, higher than the 29 percent of camps reporting as such in 2021.
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University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) healthcare system announced that it was pausing all in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertility treatments. This pause is due to the perceived fear of prosecution and lawsuits in light of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, Feb. 16, stating that human beings in the embryonic stage have the same legal rights and protections as children who are born.

In an explainer piece at Baptist Press, ethicist Jason Thacker stresses that believers must remember that “It is vital to note in these conversations about the ethics of IVF that all children conceived through this technology are not only made in the image of God, but should also be seen as good gifts from God. How a child is conceived does not change that fundamental truth. Further, the desire for children is a moral good as designed by God, rooted into the fabric of the created order. Infertility is a widespread reality, affecting 1 in 6 couples today, and is a sad reminder of the devastating effects of the Fall.”
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Every day, hundreds of thousands of people die without the hope of Jesus. Your faithful prayers will make a difference. That’s why the IMB created a free 18-month calendar, called “Impacting Lostness Through Prayer”. It provides guidance, reminders and encouragement as you pray for individuals and communities who have yet to hear the gospel. Learn more about this free resource at IMB.org/prayercalendar.
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How did God convey His Word to the prophets and the apostles, such that we can trust it today? Different theories of inspiration have been offered, but conservative evangelicals like I am hold to the “verbal plenary” view of inspiration.

This view grants the initiative in inspiration to the Holy Spirit as divine author. The human author, moreover, remains fully involved in the process of writing as a particular human being with distinct experiences shaped by a definite context using personal expression. Due to the supervising authority of the Holy Spirit, the writings retain the quality of inspiration.

Proponents of this theory ascribe inspiration to the original autographs as written in their entirety, or plenarily, and not just to portions. This theory also affirms that the Spirit led the writers in their choice of certain words. The verbal aspect of verbal plenary inspiration honors the distinctive context, thoughts, and style of the writers. It also recognizes meaning occurs not merely with the choice of particular words but at the levels of sentence, genre, and purpose.

Read the full piece at Baptist Press.com.