Resources from 2015

LAS VEGAS (BP) -- La propuesta de Donald Trump de temporalmente prohibirles la entrada a Estados Unidos a los musulmanes atrajo la crítica del primer debate presidencial republicano desde los ataques terroristas en Paris y San Bernardino, California. A continuación de las declaraciones de apertura de los nueve mejores candidatos republicanos, el moderador Wolf Blitzer de CNN le preguntó a Trump acerca de su propuesta.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley pointed to Christ's birth and the meaning of Emmanuel during the seminary's Dec. 19 graduation ceremony. "'God with us' changes everything," he told graduates. Speaking to a class of 224 candidates, Kelley began his charge by noting that some members would soon be going into places too dangerous to name publicly. "This is a day of great joy but also a day of sobering reality," Kelley said. He noted ...

TEHRAN, Iran (BP) -- Iranian pastor Farshid Fathi has been freed after five years imprisonment in Tehran because of charges linked to his Christian faith, Middle East Concern announced Dec. 22, estimating nearly 100 Christians remain imprisoned there. "We are so thankful to the Lord for his protection over Farshid while in prison," Middle East Concern said in a press release. "It is our hope that the Gospel will continue to spread throughout Iran."

BETHLEHEM, Israel (BP) -- Music pulses through Manger Square as Muslims and Christians chant in Arabic, counting down to the annual lighting of the Christmas tree. They reach wahad (one), and the lights flash to life. The crowd cheers and whistles as green, gold and red fireworks explode above the tree. It’s Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. The night is filled with choral performances and speeches. Dec. 24 is a festive occasion in Bethlehem for Christians and Muslims who celebrate a shared cultural heritage.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- For LifeWay Christian Resources, 2015 was a year of innovative ministry products and services for churches and their members, punctuated by ongoing developments in the sale of its 15-acre campus in downtown Nashville. In November, LifeWay completed the sale of the property where it has been located for more than 100 years and announced it was close to deciding on a new piece of ...

NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum. Bible Passages: 2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:1, 3

Dorothy Patterson offers this Christmastime counsel: Embrace the blessing of receiving gifts, not just giving them. "If you spurn the gifts of your loved ones here on earth," she writes, "how can you gratefully receive the gifts of the heavenly Father?"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- At the upcoming "Christmas Eve Eve" service at the Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville, church planter Boyd Bettis plans to ask the audience to consider "what could be." Each time he has prayerfully asked that question, Bettis said he has been amazed by the answers he has received over the last three years. From launching a new church in his living room to preaching before more than ...

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Sam and Stephanie Patterson's long and emotional quest to become parents was finally realized last December when they adopted four young siblings through foster care. "It feels like the greatest Christmas present we could have ever received," Stephanie said of her and her husband's journey. Dec. 18 marks the first anniversary of the adoption of Carrie, now 12, Carissa, 8, ...

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Everyone knows the biblical Christmas story, with Mary riding on a donkey, an innkeeper turning away Mary and Joseph, animals surrounding the Christ child and three wise men visiting Jesus on the night of His birth. Or do they? It may come as a surprise to some that none of these elements are included in the two scriptural accounts of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke -- though they commonly ...