It was a Monday night unlike any other on January 10th . That was the night the Buffalo Bills were playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. And, what do people search for in the pages of the Bible? According to the folks at the YouVersion app…they look for hope.
2023 was the year well known pastor and author Charles Stanley passed from this life to his heavenly reward. Stanley died in April at age 90. And, prayer requires patience. In the Christmas story, as told through the winding narrative of Luke, there briefly appears a mysterious man of prayer named Simeon (Luke 2:25-35).
Tragedy and disasters around the world present sad opportunities for ministry in 2023. Haylee Williams is viewing Christmas through a different lens. She’s just weeks away from giving birth to a baby as holiday plans move forward. And, in Luke 2, we encounter a woman named Anna. An elderly widow who lived a life of non-stop intercession she is identified as a “prophetess” (v. 36).
American Christians tend to have nuanced perspectives on the circumstances surrounding the war between Israel and Hamas but clear views on the reality of Hamas, the rights of Israel and the need to protect innocent lives, according to Lifeway Research. A Lifeway Bible study says, in Genesis 3, we read of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And, in the Christmas story, as told through the winding narrative of Luke, there briefly appears a mysterious man of prayer named Simeon (Luke 2:25-35).
Online church attendees read the Bible more than onsite worshipers. Last fall, IMB missionary Steve Evans and Angolan Baptist partners Ezekiel Castelo and João Quintas traveled to the border to share the Gospel with unengaged and unreached micro people groups — people with populations of less than 100,000. And, Americans love to pray but are often unclear about how, or if, God answers prayer.
Most American Christians have been following the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Ultimately, they say they want negotiations, Hamas to be subdued, and a result that benefits both Israel and Palestinians. The Satanic Temple’s display at the Iowa Capitol has spurred outrage, debate and prayer as many spar over the boundaries of free speech. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Mark Dance provides a perspective on the very first Christmas based on John 3:16…a very popular Bible verse spoken by Jesus to the Jewish priest Nicodemus.
The US Supreme Court says they will take up a case challenging the FDA’s decision to legalize the abortion pill mifepristone. Current lawsuits by expectant mothers in Texas and Kentucky highlight the complex legal landscape of abortion across the nation. A mother’s address sometimes impacts whether an unborn child is carried to term. And, during the holiday season, a natural tendency exists to open the Bible and read the story of Jesus’s birth. But that’s not all Scripture readers are turning to this time of year.
Many people are receiving degrees this Christmas as colleges, universities and seminaries will confer degrees for the students’ hard work. Texas pastor James Reeves knows the pain of neglect and abuse but he also knows the healing that Jesus brings and how the local church can be an expression of care. And, Christmas music is a gift. It’s one that is often overlooked. Jeff Iorg writes, “The music at Christmas is special for several reasons.
With Christmas just around the corner, many Tennesseans are dealing with the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that swept through West and Middle Tennessee on Saturday. At least six people were killed by the weekend storms. International Mission Board missionary Paul Yount sits just outside a crowded cafeteria. Inside the room, chairs squeak across the floor. A cacophony of voices mixes. Forks scrape plates. The ice in the drink machine crashes to the bottom of an empty glass. And, the two leading presidential candidates in the polls today are 81 years old and 77 years old. In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Thom Rainer wonders if pastors are working until later in life as well.
Christian companies have seen conflicting legal decisions about religious exemptions from Title VII LGBTQ rules after the U.S. Supreme Court said in 2020 that the statute prohibits bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For many people, Christmas means family – even family that may not be kin. And, sometimes it requires decades to see the Lord’s faithfulness. In 1963 that Southern Seminary launched the Billy Graham chair for evangelism…a specific professorship to help students focus on evangelism.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) have partnered together for the first time to place an international ultrasound machine as part of the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project. Churches are offering Christmas events and activities beyond weekly worship services this Christmas season, which will make many churchgoers happy. And, when First Lawton of Lawton, Oklahoma sensed godly inspiration to add a second weekend to its Living Christmas Tree, Senior Pastor Mike Keahbone didn’t realize what was in store.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) have partnered together for the first time to place an international ultrasound machine as part of the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project. Churches are offering Christmas events and activities beyond weekly worship services this Christmas season, which will make many churchgoers happy. And, when First Lawton of Lawton, Oklahoma sensed godly inspiration to add a second weekend to its Living Christmas Tree, Senior Pastor Mike Keahbone didn’t realize what was in store.
While gamers are looking to escape from the real world, many often make real life connections while in a virtual world. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission hosted ethics leaders from across the U.S. last week. And, most parents wonder if they are a “good mom or dad”. In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Haylee Williams says this might not be the best question a parent could ask.
Lostness around the world is growing every day. In fact, 59 percent of the world’s population remains unreached. Religious organizations including churches are no longer the most trusted charities among American adults, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said in its 2023 Give.org Study. And, Lifeline’s Herbie Newell says believers can do a lot to help the world’s orphan care crisis.
When most people hear the phrase “sex-based harassment,” they think of unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, assault or inappropriate comments that are sexual in nature. And, an Lifeway Bible study recalls that “Luke 24 opens on resurrection morning with some women bringing spices for the body of Jesus, but they found the stone rolled away from His tomb and two gleaming angels instead.”
Though the cease fire has been in place over the past few days in the Middle East, there are many who still need help. Meanwhile, a group of believers from Texas are providing food to those reeling from the devastation in Israel and Gaza. And, how can you lead with integrity and care? Pastor Steve Viars writes, “Establish a Relationship with the Greatest Leader.”
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind a recently proposed regulation regarding foster care providers and foster children who identify as LGBTQ+. The chefs who are preparing meals for hundreds of Secret Service agents, Georgia Highway Patrol troopers, National Guard troops, and others providing security during three days of memorials for former first lady Rosalynn Carter have vast experience feeding huge crowds, usually in disaster zones. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Chuck Lawless urges churches and believers to reach out to college students.
Cornerstone Baptist Church in Dallas takes a multifaceted approach to fighting hunger in the food-desert community it serves, persevering amid rising inflation and greater need. An AdelFi study conducted by Lifeway Research found that having a Christian worldview impacts the way young adults (ages 25-40) manage their money, which is most evident in that Christians give nearly three times as much money as non-Christians. And, prayer is a great resource for helping someone who is hurting.
Christian Statesman Emerson Falls from Oklahoma has developed a missiological strategy for reaching Native Americans with God’s life-equipping gospel of Jesus. “Amazing Grace,” in its 250th year, has such eclectic appeal and attracts so many genres that ethnomusicologist Paul Benham often discusses with his students whether it’s a gospel song. And, as Grammy and Dove Award-winning recording artist Zach Williams performs concerts around the country, he realizes the importance of sharing his own personal testimony of God’s redemption, hoping to connect audiences with Christ.
The funeral of First Lady Rosalynn Carter is scheduled for Wednesday in her home church in Plains, Georgia. #GivingTuesday is a refreshing change of pace at the start of the Christmas shopping season, which is often filled with buying gifts, and typically kicks off the year-end giving season. And, Indiana pastor Stephen Viars offers four tips on how to lead with integrity.