Repeated exposure to video violence—particularly interactive games —influences aggressive behavior more than drug use, poverty or domestic abuse, a University of Michigan researcher has asserted. In fact, the correlation between media violence and aggression is at least as strong as…
Mo. Baptists restrict church start funding
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)—A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. MBC Executive Board…
Set example, students urged at HIV/AIDS conference
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)—Today's young Christians are the church, not the church's future, and it's time they take seriously the Bible's call to care for “the least of these,” including those with HIV/AIDS, Francis Chan told students at a youth…
SECOND OPINION: Silent night: Not easy for most of us
RICHMOND (BP) — Message spotted on a church sign: “Christmas: expectant hush, not last-minute rush.” Rush we can do. Hush, not so much. Given a choice between a day of silence and stillness or of noise and distraction, the average…
Red Letter Days: Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP) — What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last Christmas? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? A toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that…
Happy New Year? For some Christians, it has already begun
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) — When does the new year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, it began with the start of Advent on Dec. 2. The traditional Christian season of Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas, is to…
With Corzine’s signature, N.J. officially bans death penalty
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — Stating his firm opposition to what he called “state-endorsed killing,” New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has signed into law a legislative ban on capital punishment — the nation's first in decades. Shortly before he signed…
Faith leaders reject ‘hateful speech’ while Hispanics leave GOP
NEW YORK (ABP) — Republican presidential candidates appeal to fears over immigration in the primary campaigns at the risk of alienating an important constituency – conservative Hispanics – religious leaders in several early primary states said Dec. 17. In a…
Opinion: Does Christmas matter to the world?
(ABP) — On a recent trip to my hometown, I was surprised to hear some beautiful Russian Orthodox music performed by the “Singing Christmas Tree” in my childhood Southern Baptist church in North Carolina. Perhaps I should clarify this. I…
Mo. Baptist leaders restrict funding for church starts, angering some
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. The…
Study links video violence to aggressive behavior
DALLAS (ABP) — Repeated exposure to video violence — particularly interactive games — influences aggressive behavior more than drug use, poverty or domestic abuse, a University of Michigan researcher has asserted. In fact, the correlation between media violence and aggression…
Iraqi refugee children get scholarships to attend school in Jordan
ATLANTA (ABP) — Forty Iraqi children will receive funding this year from Christian organizations trying to ensure they receive an education. Millions of Iraqis have fled to Jordan and Syria to escape ongoing violence in Iraq. Most arrive with only…