News Articles by Charles Braddix

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (BP)--As violence escalates between opposing political factions in Ivory Coast, this once-thriving nation is being pushed to the brink not only of a civil war but a humanitarian disaster.

JOS, Nigeria (BP)--Tensions mounted in two Nigerian cities in late December as sectarian bloodshed left 80 dead, including a Baptist pastor and two church members. Dozens of others have been seriously injured. [QUOTE@left@180="It's obvious that Islamists are bent on giving us a black Christmas."
-- Timothy Olonade, Nigeria Evangelical Missions Assoc.]      Violence erupted on Christmas Eve when militants of the outlawed Islamic sect Boko Haram attacked two churches in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. Jihadists belonging to another Muslim sect set off a series of bombs in the city of Jos.       Bulus Marwa, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Maiduguri, was dragged from his residence, shot and killed after two choir members rehearsing for a late-night carol service were hacked to death inside the church. Two passersby also were killed and the church building was set ablaze. At a nearby Church of Christ, a security guard was killed and 25 people injured by bomb blasts when Boko Haram members stormed the church in two vehicles and detonated bombs.       In Jos, bombs exploded simultaneously on Christmas Eve in two Christian neighborhoods, hitting shopping centers, restaurants and a Catholic church. The death toll there stands at 80, with 120 hospitalized. A previously unknown Islamic group claimed responsibility. Since the Christmas Eve violence, 20 homes have been burned and two mosques and a church vandalized.       Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state and is predominantly Muslim. Jos is the capital of Plateau state. Borno's state governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, visited Victory Baptist Church on Christmas Day. He told those attending that the attacks on the Christian communities there and in Jos were an attempt to create conflict between Christians and Muslims. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also condemned the attacks.

SWEETWATERS, South Africa (BP)--Hlengiwe is but 14 years old, yet she is the head of her household, taking care of her seven younger brothers, sisters and cousins. Her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all dead from AIDS.       Weekly food parcels provided by Southern Baptists through their World Hunger Fund (WHF) help feed Hlengiwe and her family.       Nearby, Sibosisal refuses to admit he has AIDS, even though his body is rapidly wasting away. He can barely care for himself and will soon die. Weekly WHF food parcels also are helping to keep Sibosisal alive.       The devastating effects of HIV/AIDS hit well over 50 percent of the population of Sweetwaters, South Africa, where Hlengiwe and Sibosisal live. Sweetwaters is located in KwaZulu-Natal province, which has the country's highest HIV infection rate, according to the South African Department of Health.       The powerful forces of famine, earthquake and flooding leave hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of people hungry, said Mark Hatfield, who with his wife Susan directs work in Sub-Saharan Africa for Baptist Global Response (BGR), an international relief and development organization that helps administer the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund throughout the globe.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)–“The World Cup is over, but South Africa is still here.” The words of a missionary with the International Mission Board in Johannesburg reflect the challenge ahead for urban missionaries serving in South Africa. IMB workers are praying that God will use their evangelistic initiatives during the World Cup soccer tournament to […]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)–A British Airways agent prayerfully sits listening to Christian music. Before her, a wooden cross hangs on the wall. As she gets up to leave, an employee of South African Airways walks in, quietly bows his head as he stands there for a few minutes, then exits. Soon, a police officer walks […]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--Ten stadiums, 32 nations, 64 matches, four weeks and one winner. They all add up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.       It was an intense time, full of victories and defeat. The fans cheered or wept. The rich and famous gathered to see and be seen. The teams gave it their all. And Christian ministries took advantage of opportunities that may never come again.       Dignitaries and heads of state from at least 20 nations arrived to celebrate the festivities and were joined by royalty and celebrities. The list includes Princes William and Harry of England, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, rock star Mick Jagger and soccer legend David Beckham.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--A team that prays together plays well together, or so it seems for Ghana's national soccer team, the Black Stars, who have advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals.       Of six African nations that qualified for the World Cup, Ghana is the only one still in the tournament. The Black Stars get their name from the country's flag, which features a black star in its center amid three horizontal stripes -- red, yellow and green.       "What I've noticed, more than anything, about the Black Stars is they are a team in every sense of the word," writer Jeff Bradley noted in an article for ESPN The Magazine.       "From their pregame -- and postgame, and halftime, and pre-training and post-training -- songs and prayers, to their disciplined adherence to [coach] Rajevac's rigid system that features a single striker, they are true believers that the whole can be greater than the sum of its individual pieces," Bradley wrote.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--While the world's focus has been on 32 national teams competing for the prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy, activities of high significance are taking place behind the scenes.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--"The atmosphere was incredible," said U.S. soccer fan Michael Williams from San Diego, "and that made it worth coming over, even with the loss."

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (BP)--The 2010 FIFA World Cup may well be a turning point for U.S. soccer.       American fans purchased more tickets to the matches than those of any other country -- between 130,000 and 160,000. The U.S. television audience for the national team's World Cup appearances is the highest in history ...