News For Thursday Aug 21, 2008 News For Thursday Aug 21, 2008

Religion Religion

Fixer-upper or move-in ready? - Added 14 hours ago

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)--Is it financially wiser to buy a home that is a fixer-upper or one that is move-in ready? Well, that depends, because obviously the answer won't be the same for all situations. For example, if you...

LETTER FROM CHINA, William S. Walker: 'Progress of our work is encouraging' - Added 14 hours ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

Olympics hoops star sustained by faith - Added 14 hours ago

BEIJING (BP)--Tamika Catchings, a leading field goal shooter on the U.S. women's basketball team, has been articulate about her faith playing a key role in her development as an athlete at the top of her game.When the...

Decathlete wakes up to God's expectations - Added 14 hours ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, who was in Beijing Aug. 6-16, is continuing his coverage of the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, has been assisted with...

Baptists share 'More Than Gold' in Beijing - Added 14 hours ago

BEIJING (BP)--The North American Mission Board's Jeff Wagner has attended Summer and Winter Olympics in the past, but his seventh, the Beijing Games, are beyond compare."We're having fun, we're being blessed, we're...

Minister preaches on his 100th birthday - Added 14 hours ago

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (BP)--"I thought I was going to get all of this when I got to heaven," W.L. Baker said on his 100th birthday.Nearly 500 people turned out to hear Baker preach, and citations from President George W....

Team begins effort to aid Georgia refugees - Added 14 hours ago

TBLISI, Georgia (BP)--A Southern Baptist overseas team has engaged the relief crisis in the Black Sea country of Georgia, where an estimated 50,000 people, driven from their homes by fighting, have been forced to take...

Smoking gun? Documents expose Obama 'infanticide' vote - Added 14 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama asserted Aug. 16 that National Right to Life was "lying" about his record as an Illinois state senator in opposing a bill commonly known as the Born...

Fla. Baptists wait for Fay to pass - Added 1 day ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--As Florida Baptists braced for an onslaught of rain, Tropical Storm Fay made its second landfall in Florida, south of Naples, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.Fay crossed the Keys Monday,...

Running the race - Added 1 day ago

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--The high level of athletic skill at the Olympics has been amazing to watch. The divers from China were phenomenal. The American swimmers were beyond compare. The Jamaican runners were unbelievable....

Calif. court: Fertility doctor must treat gays - Added 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--The California Supreme Court dealt a blow to religious freedom Aug. 18, critics said, by ruling a fertility doctor cannot refuse to provide a treatment based on a patient's homosexuality.The unanimous...

Faith healer Todd Bentley separates from wife, draws criticism from charismatics - Added 1 day ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--With controversial faith healer Todd Bentley announcing that he is separating from his wife, charismatic leaders J. Lee Grady and Stephen Strang have reacted by saying someone should have raised...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Missionary E.Z. Simmons tells about baptisms, summer heat - Added 1 day ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

Bronze winner thanks God through running - Added 1 day ago

BEIJING (BP)--When New Zealand track star Nicholas Willis was 4, his mother died of cancer, sending him into a tailspin of searching for significance. Now he has won a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics.Willis placed...

Olympian once was a rebellious teen - Added 1 day ago

BEIJING (BP)--Bryan Clay, a decathlete whose competition starts Aug. 20 in Beijing, began his walk with Christ in college when he realized his life was heading in the wrong direction."I decided I needed to make a change...

Olympian ready to showcase his sport - Added 1 day ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Donny Robinson is looking forward to showing the world what BMX cycling is all about.The California native makes his Olympic debut Tuesday night in Beijing, as BMX cycling is an Olympic event for...

American diver set to begin her final Olympic event - Added 1 day ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, who was in Beijing Aug. 6-16, is continuing his coverage of the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, has been assisted with...

How much church is enough? - Added 2 days ago

MELISSA, Texas (BP)--"No, there's no time to have fun as a family, we have to go to church.""Sorry, can't talk right now. I am busy listening to Christian music on my Christian iPod while I use my Christian phonebook to...

Pastor pay raises edge out inflation - Added 2 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Inflation didn't eat away all of the average Southern Baptist pastor's pay increase over the past two years, but it came close.That's one finding of the SBC Church Compensation Study, a survey of...

Fla. Baptists prepare for Fay's wind & rain - Added 2 days ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Florida Baptists are readying for Tropical Storm Fay as she continues to shift course in the Florida straits.Southern Haiti was soaked by Fay before the storm crossed Cuba early Aug. 18. With...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Lottie Moon addresses hard question, makes an earnest appeal - Added 2 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

Sprinter seeks platform for faith - Added 2 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Allyson Felix, a 22-year-old sprinter who won a silver medal in the women's 200 meter in Athens four years ago, will compete in the event Aug. 19 in Beijing, aiming for gold as well as a platform for...

Triathlete relying on God's strength - Added 2 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, who was in Beijing Aug. 6-16, is continuing his coverage of the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, has been assisted with...

Bronze medalist devotes her talent to God - Added 2 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Hyleas Fountain, before winning the bronze medal in the women's heptathlon in Beijing, was thinking it might be her time to glorify God in the Olympics.In the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials, Fountain finished...

FROM THE OLYMPICS: Gold medals by 2 Christian athletes come by faith - Added 2 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--U.S. discus thrower Stephanie Brown Trafton and U.S. rower Anna Cummins were strengthened by their faith in God as they both captured gold medals in the Beijing Olympics. Trafton, who has been leading a...

Saddleback members enjoy unique chance - Added 2 days ago

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Many attending the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency Aug. 16 said they were there for a variety of reasons, but all agreed it was a big event because it was the first of its kind -- both...

At forum, McCain & Obama differ on abortion, judiciary - Added 2 days ago

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Evangelical leaders say presumptive Republican nominee John McCain made significant strides toward attracting the votes of social conservatives Aug. 16 during a presidential forum in which he...

Heroism - Added 5 days ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP)--I have met a few heroes. Selflessness sets them apart. Most of them, when explaining their heroic action say something to the effect of "I did not think about it, I just did it." And all of us...

We need more men like these - Added 5 days ago

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--What do college football players Tim Tebow and Andrew Gardner have in common? Besides achieving a high level of success on the gridiron, the pair let it be known they weren't interested in being a...

Beth Moore simulcast reaches 70,000 - Added 5 days ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Holding up a group photo of about 25 women, Beth Moore told those attending her "Living Proof Live" simulcast that she brought the photo as a crutch."There are 70,000 people meeting in 715 places...

Katrina tragedy still grips missionary's call - Added 5 days ago

HOUSTON (BP)--Ginger Smith couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the news coverage of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had blown through the city, leaving behind massive flooding."I would fall asleep each night...

LIFE DIGEST: Abortion doctor pleads not guilty; Planned Parenthood foe defeated - Added 5 days ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--Massachusetts abortion doctor Rapin Osathanondh, charged with manslaughter in the death of a 22-year-old woman last year, has pleaded not guilty.Laura Smith's death in September became noteworthy not...

Relief workers monitor needs in Georgia - Added 5 days ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Southern Baptists are organizing an overseas assessment team to evaluate relief needs in the Black Sea country of Georgia in the aftermath of fighting between Georgian and Russian troops and...

LETTER FROM CHINA: A visit to Saling - Added 5 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

FROM THE OLYMPICS: With memories of Phelps, teacher heads to the classroom - Added 5 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Jeremy Knowles, a member of the Bahamas swim team, will have plenty to tell his fourth-grade students at Hickory Grove Baptist Christian School in Charlotte, N.C., when he returns to the United States as...

'God is my biggest fan,' Olympics rower says - Added 5 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, is in Beijing Aug. 6-16 covering the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Baptist Press will publish features about Christian athletes...

Heroism - Added 6 days ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP)--I have met a few heroes. Selflessness sets them apart. Most of them, when explaining their heroic action say something to the effect of "I did not think about it, I just did it." And all of us...

Abortion: Is this what you mean? - Added 6 days ago

DALLAS (BP)--A Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Sioux Falls, S.D., the only abortion clinic in the state, temporarily closed last month, pro-lifers in the state reported. It was either that or comply with a law...

Zimbabwean farmer faces death & forgives - Added 6 days ago

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa (BP)--Martin Fick almost died twice while living in Zimbabwe nearly a decade ago. Miraculously, he survived and learned firsthand about the power of grace and forgiveness. Victims of the...

Ostrich ministry is hope for South Africa - Added 6 days ago

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa (BP)--Baby ostriches -- 100 of them -- scamper in all directions, pecking at the dirt, a stray spoon and anything that moves or glitters. In a few months, the Hanise family will sell these...

Gunman enters Baptist bldg. after killing - Added 6 days ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP)--A gunman shot Arkansas Democratic Party chairman Bill Gwatney at the state party's headquarters in Little Rock at about 11:50 a.m. Aug. 13. Fleeing the scene, the suspect drove to the Arkansas...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Lottie Moon gives her thoughts on the breakdown of missionaries - Added 6 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each day during Baptist Press' coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we are publishing a letter from a Southern Baptist missionary who served in China during the years before the People's Republic of China...

Beijing coerces churches to not meet - Added 6 days ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--The Chinese government has forced pastors of unregistered churches to pledge there will be no worship services at their congregations' meeting sites during a three-month period surrounding the Summer...

Olympian finds victory over fear - Added 6 days ago

BEIJING (BP)--Prancing around the house in a Mary Lou Retton leotard, a 4-year-old Stephanie Brown Trafton wanted to be just like the gold medal gymnast from the 1984 Olympics."I think a lot of young girls looked up to...

Nancilea Foster's next challenge: Olympic diving - Added 6 days ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, is in Beijing Aug. 6-16 covering the 2008 Olympics for Baptist Press. Baptist Press will publish features about Christian athletes...

Religion news in brief - Added 6 days ago

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $25.4 million to continue case management work by social service organizations, including some that had worked with the Katrina Aid Today consortium, which...

Religion today - Added 6 days ago

AishCafe's flashy Web presence makes it look more like a gambling site than the religious experience it is. There are interactive animations, clickable icons and even a mock iPhone to lure in Jewish college students....

Low Sunday School expectations - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--My friend Allan Taylor wrote an excellent book about how to have a high-expectation Sunday school. Since 1995, when he was called to First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga., as minister of education,...

Russ Lee makes music for missions - Added 1 week ago

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Following a missions tour with his family and the news that his wife has cancer in remission, singer/songwriter Russ Lee uses his musical platform to talk with urgency about missions and...

Trafficking bills differ in critical ways - Added 1 week ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--A clash between the Department of Justice and foes of human trafficking over how to address the global problem is on display in the conflicting pieces of legislation they support.The Department of...