Rob Phillips

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Southern Baptists reported a 2.2 percent increase in baptisms in 2009, stemming a four-year decline, but membership in the denomination fell and the sagging economy led to a drop in missions giving, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in conjunction with Baptist state conventions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Each spring Christians around the world gather to celebrate Easter, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death. The Bible provides convincing evidence of Jesus' resurrection, yet even Scripture records that some people in Jesus' day doubted His return from the grave. [QUOTE@left@150="One thing everyone agrees on is that Jesus' tomb was empty on the Sunday morning after His crucifixion."
-- Jeremy Howard, B&H Publishing Group]      Today, skeptics echo these sentiments. Some even provide alternative explanations for Jesus' 40 days on earth following His crucifixion.       So the question remains: Did Jesus really rise from the dead?       Yes, says Jeremy Howard, managing acquisitions editor of Bibles, reference books and commentaries for B&H Publishing Group and author of such books as "The Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding Jesus."       During a recent "Inside LifeWay" podcast, Howard said there are many good reasons to believe that Jesus died, was buried and rose on the third day.       "One thing everyone agrees on is that Jesus' tomb was empty on the Sunday morning after His crucifixion," Howard said, noting that the best explanation is that Jesus in fact rose from the dead. Even though doubters raise alternative theories -- someone stole Jesus' body, for example, or the disciples went to the wrong tomb -- Howard said the evidence for Christ's resurrection is solid.       "The resurrection matters," Howard said. "If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is untrue, the Bible bears false witness and humanity is left searching for answers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--He was known as "The Great Impostor" and inspired a 1960 film by the same name.

Billy Graham has preached the gospel to more than 200 million people in 185 lands and, at 91, still maintains that his one purpose in life is "to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Coming out of a restaurant one frosty autumn day, I pulled my jacket collar tightly up under my chin and walked briskly toward my car -- only to find it wasn't there.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--With the Nov. 20 release of the Manhattan Declaration -- a 4,700-word statement declaring the commitment of 148 Christian signatories to the sanctity of human life, biblical marriage and religious liberty -- newly released data from LifeWay Research provides some hard numbers to compare the beliefs of Protestant pastors on these issues -- and how often they discuss them in church.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--One of the more humbling experiences from my days in the corporate world was being told that my reserved seat on the company jet was revoked at the last minute to make room for a late-arriving executive. Not to worry. I was offered the one remaining seat, located in the plane's lavatory, where the toilet came equipped with a safety belt.

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--2009 can be an uncommonly good year in ministry for LifeWay Christian Resources, but the economic downturn will continue to challenge the organization in 2010, according to executives of the Southern Baptist entity in their reports at the Sept. 14-15 semiannual trustee meeting.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The term "kingdom" has in many respects become archaic in 21st-century lingo.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When Illinois pastor Fred Winters was gunned down while preaching to his congregation March 8, church leaders across the country rightly began asking tough questions about security.