SBC

‘EVANGELICAL’ DEFINED AFTER NEW RESEARCH

Baptist Press NASHVILLE — The National Association of Evangelicals and LifeWay Research released an evangelical beliefs research definition Nov. 19 for accurate and consistent use among researchers. NAE initiated development of the research definition more than two years ago. In partnership with LifeWay Research, the definition was crafted, reviewed, and tested for validity. Numerous surveys seek to capture the opinions and practices of evangelicals in the United States. From tithing

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WOMEN DISTRUST CHURCH ON ABORTION ISSUE

LifeWay news office NASHVILLE — Many women with unplanned pregnancies go silently from the church pew to the abortion clinic, convinced the church would gossip rather than help, a new study by LifeWay Research shows. More than four in 10 women who have had an abortion were churchgoers when they ended a pregnancy, researchers found in a survey sponsored by Care Net, a nonprofit organization supporting more than 1,100 pregnancy

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IMB NOTES WAYS TO SUPPORT RETURNING MISSIONARIES

Baptist Press RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — With the International Mission Board expecting hundreds of missionaries to leave their positions in the coming months, the board has published a list of ways individuals and churches can support field personnel returning to the U.S. According to a Q&A posted on the IMB website and updated Nov. 18, at least 600 field personnel and stateside staff members are expected to resign as a

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AMERICAN GIRL, STARBUCKS PROMPT ‘BOYCOTT’ TALK

Baptist Press NASHVILLE — As retailers open the Christmas shopping season, One Million Moms is calling for a boycott of American Girl products and the parent company Mattel, because American Girl Magazine’s November/December cover features a gay couple and its four adoptive children. The morality watchdog group’s call comes even as various media outlets report that some Christians are opposed to the new Starbucks holiday cup, although no Christian group

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KY. BAPTISTS ELECT FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT

By Todd Deaton Baptist Press ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (BP) — Messengers to the 178th annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention elected an African American as convention president, called for an end to federal funding of Planned Parenthood and launched a strategy to boost their voice at the state capitol. Messengers also approved a $21.5 million Cooperative Program budget goal for the coming year, raising the bar by a quarter million

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IN PARIS, ‘DEATH, PAIN & TERROR’ MET BY PRAYER, HOPE

by Charles Braddix Baptist Press PARIS (BP) — Friday the 13th became a day of infamy in Paris after a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris left at least 129 people dead and 350 wounded. “This has been the worst attack in Paris since World War II,” said Tara Chaney*, an International Mission Board worker in France. “People are in a state of shock and mourning; however, there is

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STUDY: THANKFULNESS STILL PRIORITY AT THANKSGIVING

Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) — For Americans, Thanksgiving is about faith and family, and not much else, a new study shows.   More than half (56 percent) tell LifeWay Research the most important part of the annual holiday is “being thankful to God for my blessings.” Nearly 4 in 10 (39 percent) say “time with family and friends” tops their Thanksgiving priorities. Times of prayer and thanking God for the

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RACISM SATAN’S TOOL, FLOYD TELLS BAPTISTS

By Diana Chandler Baptist Press JACKSON, Miss. (BP) — Racism is from Satan and his demonic forces, and the only hope for its defeat is the church of Jesus Christ united across societal divisions, Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd told a culturally diverse group of Baptists in Mississippi Nov. 4. “I believe that the issue of racism is from Satan and the demonic forces of hell,” Floyd told hundreds

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CP STARTS FISCAL YEAR 3.26% OVER BUDGET PROJECTION

Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) — Contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee in October were 0.18 percent above last year’s opening month of the convention’s fiscal year and 3.26 percent above the projected budget for the first month, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Page. As of Oct. 31, gifts received by

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FALL FESTIVAL SAFETY TIPS FOR CHURCHES

Baptist Press JASPER, Ala. (BP) — Fall festivals can be fun but broken bones, food poisoning and burns are not. That’s why churches should take steps to protect themselves and their guests from unnecessary risks during special outreach events, experts say. Before hosting any special event, a church should first make sure its insurance policy covers activities that are outside the normal ministry schedule. “From a risk management standpoint, what

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