Jerry Pierce

BALTIMORE (BP) -- It begins with a man, and pastors must be that man who will "get in the field" and evangelize by example among hurting people who need the Gospel, Texas pastor John Meador urged in the convention sermon during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting.

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 5-4 that a Texas law regulating abortion may stay in effect pending a ruling by a federal appeals court early next year.

AUSTIN, Texas (BP) -- The Texas House approved its version of a bill on Wednesday (July 10) that would forbid most abortions beyond 20 weeks, require ambulatory clinic standards for abortion facilities and require abortion doctors to have hospital privileges within 30 miles of their practices.

DALLAS (BP) -- Members of the storied First Baptist Church of Dallas were reminded to turn outward in their mission by two very different messengers on Sunday morning (April 7) during dedication services for the church's new $130 million expanded campus that aims to be a "spiritual oasis" downtown.       Billed as "the largest church building campaign in modern history," the project aesthetically complements its surroundings in an area of downtown where new multi-million dollar theaters, museums and parks dot the landscape.

PLANO, Texas (BP) -- For the past seven years, Jay Hellwig would accompany Zig Ziglar to business meetings and speaking engagements worldwide -- often sharing platforms with world leaders in business, politics and entertainment. Sometimes, he would sit across from Ziglar at his kitchen table as he finished up his Bible reading or his daily newspaper.

SAN ANTONIO (BP) — Messengers to the 15th annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention re-elected President Terry M. Turner of Mesquite, Texas, by acclamation and passed a $26.3 million budget and eight resolutions on topics ranging from “a clear and complete” Gospel message to religious liberty violations in the federal health care […]

SOUTHLAKE, Texas (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's national strategist for gender issues has released a statement condemning the harsh language of two independent Baptist pastors from North Carolina whose remarks on homosexuals and gender identity have gone viral on the Internet.

ATHENS, Texas (BP) -- The estimated 5,000 people who attended a rally in support of an embattled nativity scene in Henderson County, Texas, heard more than just sentiment bemoaning the efforts of secularists to remove religious symbols from public spaces. They also heard the Gospel. [QUOTE@left@180=The East Texas display is one of a dozen nativity scenes that the [atheist group] is working to eliminate.]The Saturday (Dec. 17) rally in Athens, Texas, took place more than two weeks after the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), at the behest of an anonymous Henderson County resident, sent a letter to county officials stating that the religious display on the courthouse lawn was in violation of a United States Supreme Court decision and should be removed from county property. County Judge Richard Sanders and a majority of Henderson County commissioners have opposed moving the nativity scene, which is owned by a civic group called Light Up Athens. "We stand here today because we believe in the One whom the nativity scene represents," proclaimed Robert Welch, pastor of Rock Hill Baptist Church in nearby Brownsboro, who went on to explain the Christian meaning of the incarnation. The babe in the manger, Welch said, was "fully God, fully man." He was also "the Lamb of God" who took on the world's sins, Welch proclaimed as the crowd erupted in applause. "And 2,000 years later he is still the Lamb of God." "This baby was called not just to be the Jewish Messiah but was called to be the Savior of anyone who would call upon Him to be saved -- whether black or white, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, educated or uneducated.... The nativity is the greatest gift ever given." The nativity is joined on the courthouse grounds by other Christmas-related displays, mostly non-religious. Sanders said the county's attorney had reviewed pertinent cases and found Henderson County to be in compliance with federal law. After asking area pastors in the crowd to raise their hands, Welch invited the crowd to "grab one of these men by the hand" to learn how they might begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. On Dec. 16, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote a letter to Sanders expressing his support for the county and offering to write a brief on behalf of the county should FFRF follow through on its threat to sue for the nativity scene's removal.

AUSTIN, Texas (BP)--Disaster relief volunteers with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, finishing up deployment following fires west of Fort Worth, were deployed Sept. 6 for more ministry after wildfires scorched more than 25,000 acres and 600 homes east of Austin. SBTC feeding units will be working in Bastrop and Montgomery counties. Calmer winds and cooler temperatures should aid firefighters in subduing the central-Texas blazes, officials said Sept. 6. But according to the Texas Forest Service, the Bastrop County fire is the largest and most destructive wildfire in state history. About 30 miles southeast of Austin, nearly 30,000 Bastrop County acres that burned covered 40 square miles, and firefighters were still battling to contain it, the Austin American-Statesman reported. In Montgomery County 30-plus miles north of Houston, an estimated 1,600 acres were burning, with 4,000 homes evacuated. "The wildfire situation in Texas is severe," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a news release, "and all necessary state resources are being made available to protect lives and property." Perry broke from his presidential campaigning on Sept. 6 to tour some of the burned areas by helicopter. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the first-responders who are working around the clock to keep Texans out of harm's way, and with the families across our state who are threatened by these wildfires," Perry said.

AUSTIN, Texas (BP) -- A federal district judge has blocked enforcement of a Texas law passed in May requiring women seeking abortions to undergo a sonogram at least 24 hours prior to the procedure and to hear the baby's heartbeat and a description from the abortion provider of the baby's physical features.