News For Wednesday Aug 20, 2008 News For Wednesday Aug 20, 2008

Religion Religion

'Prejudicial' language to stay on Calif. ballot - Added 1 week ago

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--If a proposed California marriage amendment passes this fall, it will have to overcome what supporters call a "prejudicial" ballot title and summary.After losing at a lower court and then at an...

Democratic National Committee gave $25,000 to defeat Calif. marriage amendment - Added 1 week ago

!P>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--The Democratic National Committee has given $25,000 to help defeat a proposed constitutional marriage amendment in California, despite the fact that a significant percentage of Democrats in...

Out-of-state donations critical to the success of Calif. marriage amendment - Added 1 week ago

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--People living outside of California can't vote on the much-publicized constitutional marriage amendment known as Proposition 8, but they can donate financially, and thus far both sides of the...

2008 Baptist Hymnal makes official debut - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The new 2008 Baptist Hymnal made its official debut during a morning worship Aug. 8 at LifeWay Christian Resources' home office in Nashville, Tenn., and again that evening at the city's renowned...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Ignorance about Chinese is inexcusable, Lottie Moon said - Added 1 week 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...

Olympian to teach at Baptist school - Added 1 week ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP)--Jeremy Knowles, a member of the Bahamas Olympic swim team, will start a new job as a fourth grade teacher at Hickory Grove Baptist Christian School in Charlotte, N.C., when he returns to the United...

Archer ties Olympic mark, then loses - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--U.S. archer Jenny Nichols tied an Olympic record in her opening-round win Aug. 12 over Indonesia's Ika Yuliana Rochmawati, but she couldn't build on that success.Nichols fell to Japan's Nami Hayakawa in...

Outfielder credits prayer for helping him make Olympics - Added 1 week 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. He is assisted with photography by David McIntyre, a...

Beijing Olympics Photo Gallery 1 - Added 1 week ago

The Beijing Olympics include moment after moment of effort, suspense, victory and defeat. On assignment for Baptist Press, photographer David McIntyre captures the heart and soul of the competitions in a pictorial of...

Universalism at funerals - Added 1 week ago

DULUTH, Ga. (BP)--As a pastor for many years I discovered there were certain things that were extremely difficult to do. It was difficult when I had to tell young women (or men) in the churches I served that I could not...

Sturgis outreach leads to 1,300 decisions - Added 1 week ago

STURGIS, S.D. (BP)--Tears told this tale.One couple past the first flush of youth came to Sturgis, S.D., to escape the ordinary. Winning a new Harley would have been the ultimate Sturgis souvenir, so they agreed to...

Proposed Dem. platform sides with 'gay marriage' supporters, calls for DOMA repeal - Added 1 week ago

!P>PITTSBURGH (BP)--In a major victory for homosexual activists, the 2008 proposed Democratic Platform goes on record as opposing the Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed in 1996 that gives states protections from...

Hamas leader's son, now a Christian, says only Gospel can transform Mideast - Added 1 week ago

!P>LA JOLLA, Calif. (BP)--When a volunteer from the United Kingdom met a young Middle Eastern man in Jerusalem's old city and invited him to a Bible study, he had no idea he was talking to the son of a key figure in the...

Poll: Homeschooling a constitutional right - Added 1 week ago

!P>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--More than eight in 10 Americans were at odds with a California appeals court that ruled in February that parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children, according to...

LETTER FROM CHINA, Lottie Moon: 'Opportunities' for mission work 'boundless' - Added 1 week 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...

Bush attends church in China - Added 1 week ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--President Bush attended the worship service of a church registered with China's communist regime Aug. 10 and afterward promoted freedom of religion in a brief public statement.The president's visit to...

At Beijing church, 'all nations' worship - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--Ever since she was 9 years old, Barb Sturges wanted to live in China.The Portland, Ore., native got her wish in 1986, when she moved to China for the first time. She's now been a China resident for 13...

Cyclist disappointed but still thankful - Added 1 week ago

!P>BEIJING (BP)--U.S. cyclist Amber Neben was in sixth place with one lap to go in the women's road race Aug 10, but trouble with her chain led to a disappointing 33rd-place finish in the event."I dropped my chain about...

Family's love carries U.S. swimmer to Beijing Olympics - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--Elaine Breeden's swimming career almost didn't get started. Her uncle signed her up for swim lessons when she was 4, but Breeden was too afraid to get into the water."I refused to get in, and I remember...

Emir Caner to lead Truett-McConnell - Added 1 week ago

CLEVELAND, Ga. (BP)--Emir Caner, founding dean of The College at Southwestern in Fort Worth, Texas, was elected as the eighth president of Truett-McConnell College on Aug. 8.Caner, 37, who was raised in a Sunni Muslim...

Calif. marr. amend. backers lose in court - Added 1 week ago

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--A California judge handed opponents of a proposed constitutional marriage amendment a victory Aug. 8, refusing to change what conservatives call "prejudicial" ballot language.Amendment...

Nature know-nothings - Added 1 week ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--A recent conversation brought a troubling development into focus. A man told me that he had bought a home with some measure of reluctance, fearing that the location of the house so near to a...

Opening ceremony reflections - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--As I watched the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, I sat in wonder. The performance was by far the most incredible production I've ever seen.The costumes were exotic and colorful. The choreography was...

Union honors Wilkey, Hall for coverage - Added 1 week ago

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist & Reflector, and Will Hall, executive editor of Baptist Press, became the first two fellows inducted to Union University's Center for Media, Faith and Culture...

Ag classes break ground in Venezuela - Added 1 week ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a series of articles to be released in advance of this year's Week of Prayer for International Missions, Nov. 30-Dec. 7. Missionaries who serve in South America as well as churches...

INTERNATIONAL DIGEST: Venezuela's Chavez pushes through 26 decrees - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has used special legislative powers granted him by lawmakers to push through a package of laws similar to his "21st-century socialism" proposals voters rejected in...

Calif. court reverses homeschool ruling - Added 1 week ago

LOS ANGELES (BP)--In a huge win for thousands of Christian families in California and nationwide, a California appeals court Aug. 8 reversed itself and ruled that parents do in fact have a right to homeschool their...

LETTER FROM CHINA, Bertha Smith: 'Unworthy of the privilege' - Added 1 week 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...

Steven Curtis Chapman talks of tragedy - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Two months after the tragic accident that claimed the life of his 5-year-old daughter Maria Sue, Steven Curtis Chapman appeared with his wife and three oldest children on CNN's "Larry King Live"...

China tightened adoptions in '07 - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--China tightened its restrictions on foreign adoptions in 2007, prohibiting those who are single and those who are obese, among other changes.Following are China's revised restrictions on foreign adoptions,...

China adoptions: Families tell their stories - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Tiny as she was, she might not have realized just how loudly she was wailing, lying in that box.But Kevin and Lynette Ezell heard her, even though she was in China and they were in Louisville,...

By rowing, Olympian intends to worship - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--Jane Rumball may look like she's only rowing when she steps into the boat with her Canadian teammates to compete in the Beijing Olympics.Rumball sits in the stroke seat of the women's eight event, which...

Cyclist's perseverance lifts her to Olympics - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--Sacrifice is a way of life for most Olympic athletes. They endure grueling training regimens and spend countless hours practicing to become the best in their sport.U.S. cyclist Amber Neben is no exception....

Hamas leader's son declares faith in Christ - Added 1 week ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The son of a prominent leader in the Hamas terrorist organization has publicly declared his faith in Jesus Christ and warned that Israel can never be at peace with the "wicked and cruel" men who...

'Buzz' in China yields to elaborate opening ceremony - Added 1 week 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. He is assisted with photography by David McIntyre, a...

Worrying about finances - Added 1 week ago

DORA, Ala. (BP)--Bob Dylan sang it many years ago, and it's still true today: "The times, they are a-changin." In barely two years, gas prices have more than doubled. Costs for diesel fuel have surpassed gasoline, and...

Iranian couple dies from police attack - Added 1 week ago

ISTANBUL (BP)--An Iranian Christian couple in their 60s have died from injuries sustained when secret police raided a house church service at their house and severely beat them, a source told Compass.Less than a week...

Suit filed over 'Harry Potter' discrimination - Added 1 week ago

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (BP)--A Missouri Baptist is suing after she says she was discriminated against and suspended from her job for refusing to promote a "Harry Potter" book she believes promotes "worship of the...

LETTER FROM CHINA: Love of gold - Added 1 week 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...

Temple encounter leads to salvation - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--The team of six women and one child did not know what to expect when they entered the Buddhist temple. They just knew that God had led them to come and pray. Arriving from the subway at one of countless...

'Survivor' contestant shares insights - Added 1 week ago

TEGA CAY, S.C. (BP)--Just five minutes into Survivor China, Leslie Nease discovered there was one thing that meant more to her than realizing her dream of being on the popular television show.Nease, a member of Tega Cay...

In China speech on eve of Olympics, Bush declares opposition to country's repression - Added 1 week ago

WASHINGTON (BP)--President Bush declared the United States' "firm opposition" to China's repression of religious liberty and other human rights on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in...

Archery became Olympian's family sport - Added 1 week ago

BEIJING (BP)--Archery is more than a sport for U.S. Olympic archer Jennifer Nichols. It's a family activity.When Jennifer, the oldest of five children, was 12, her father Brent bought bows for her and two of her...

Olympic archer: Faith is most important - Added 1 week ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tim Ellsworth, director of news and media relations at Union University, is covering the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing for Baptist Press.BEIJING (BP)--As much as she hates to admit it, Jennifer Nichols...

At Olympics, believers carry hope onto Beijing streets - Added 1 week 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. He is assisted with photography by David McIntyre, a...

Religion news in brief - Added 1 week ago

The Riverside Church in Manhattan, a bastion of liberal social justice causes, is a step closer to filling its vacant pulpit, one of the nation's most prominent. A search committee has unanimously selected the Rev....

Religion today - Added 1 week ago

Early last Saturday, senior members of the Saudi royal family and religious establishment took up brooms and cloths perfumed with rosewater to wash the interior of the Kaaba, the sacred stone structure that Muslims face...

Criswell president Jerry Johnson resigns - Added 1 week ago

DALLAS (BP)--Jerry Johnson, president of Criswell College in Dallas, resigned Aug. 5 after a controversy went public about the direction of the College and its relationship with the First Baptist Church of Dallas, which...

A message to teens about profanity - Added 1 week ago

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP)--Name me a PG-13 film that doesn't employ profanity (that is, language misusing God's name). Shoot, even most PG films nowadays contain such language. And when you hear "Jesus" in a movie...

WORLDVIEW: Solzhenitsyn: prophet of truth - Added 1 week ago

EDITOR'S NOTE: An audio version of this column is available at http://media1.imbresources.org/files/55/5543/5543-29939.mp3RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--The beginning of the end of communism as a global force dates not to the...