National News

SAN DIEGO (BP) – God had to change Dan Bender’s heart when He called him to minister to Muslims more than a decade ago, Bender told Baptist Press after the murderous May 18th attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD).

WASHINGTON (BP) – Against a stained glass backdrop of a cross, the U.S. flag and the nation’s Founding Fathers, Southern Baptist pastors joined others Sunday (May 17) at Rededicate 250 in calling the nation to repentance, while U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected in prayer what he called a “sinister ideology” in the land.

Counselors across the United States are breathing a collective sigh of relief following the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar last month.

WASHINGTON (BP) – Telehealth and mail-order abortion pill prescriptions remain accessible as a case challenging the medication works its way through lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled May 14th.

WASHINGTON (BP) – A growing number of U.S. adults think Christianity should be the nation’s official religion, Pew Research Center said May 14, but most Americans still disagree with the notion.

WASHINGTON (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley is urging pastors to lead their congregations in prayer for the nation May 17 in concert with a religious outreach in Washington celebrating the semiquincentennial.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP) – Southern Baptists are among many who will pray in churches, businesses and the public square May 7 on the 75th anniversary of the National Day of Prayer (NDP), months ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial.

CHATHAM, Ill. – Signs in the village still declare “Chatham Strong” one year after the tragic deaths of four children and a teenage camp counselor at an afterschool program. Red ribbons that faded in the sunlight have been replaced by sign versions of the ribbon logo as the central Illinois community vows never to forget. Now a 10-foot cross is a permanent marker.

WASHINGTON (BP) – A Christian pro-life pregnancy resource center can fight in federal court the state of New Jersey’s order to submit a broad spectrum of documents including the identity of financial donors, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously April 29th.

DALLAS – GuideStone Financial Resources and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Monday (April 27) welcomed passage of the Clergy Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Clergy Act is a bipartisan measure that would provide a temporary, voluntary opportunity for ministers who previously opted out of Social Security to opt back in.