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JUPITER, Fla. — Albert Pujols, a two-time National League MVP, is the only baseball player in history to hit 30-plus home runs in each of his first eight seasons. He goes to church, repeatedly mentions his devotion to God and raises money for children with Down syndrome in the USA and mission trips to help the poor in his native Dominican Republic.Read more of this story.
OMAHA — As they enter the church, they yip, they lick and they sniff the tail ends of their fellow parishioners. An occasional woof interrupts the piano notes wafting through the sanctuary. But this is a forgiving audience.It is full of dog lovers, mostly, who gather every Thursday to worship at Underwood Hills Presbyterian Church.Read more of this story.
Same-sex marriage has been legalized in Iowa. In a unanimous ruling Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court decided that the 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which limited marriage to a man and a woman, was unconstitutional. Read more of this story.Additional coverage from Baptist Press
WASHINGTON — A diverse coalition of religious groups is launching an effort to maintain attention on America’s poor as Congress takes up the 2010 budget and the White House tries to reignite a sputtering economy.Read more of this story.
PORTLAND, OREGON (ANS) — In many parts of the world, April 1 is known as April Fools’ Day. It always reminds me of Jesus talking about the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21). In contrast to what some claim, Scripture is quite clear that the Lord has nothing against those who are wealthy. Still, wealth can go to our heads, cloud what’s true, and make us bumbling fools if we’re not careful.If we’ve learned anything the past six months, it’s that temporal wealth is just that–temporal. It can be here today, gone tomorrow. Again, Scripture is clear: Let’s hold wealth lightly, as…
LONDON, UK (ANS) — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for banks and financial markets to adopt “family values” as world leaders gather in London for Thursday’s G20 summit. “Addressing religious leaders at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Mr. Brown said markets must abide by common values such as fairness,” said the BBC in a story. Read more of this story.
Christian churches, ministries and individuals from around the nation are praying for one of the many churches in and around the flooded Fargo, North Dakota area. Will you join them?The Fargo area churches are sheltering their displaced families, providing food, sandbagging, conducting 24-hour dike and pump watches, assisting neighbors, sharing the gospel, caring for children out of school now for 2 weeks…all while anticipating massive clean-up efforts in the days and weeks ahead. Though many response and recovery groups are headed to help Fargo, the Christian citizens themselves are doing a mighty work with God’s help, many as part of their church’s…
As a human-rights advocate and researcher, I travel to people who are persecuted for their religion or ethnicity. I love traveling to distant lands, but I also dread the visits—there is a significant difference between going as a tourist and going as a researcher. I feel drained, as I do every time I come here.Read more of this story.
Darren Wilson has spent the last few years documenting miracles around the world, some of them pretty weird. But to him, it’s all evidence of God’s ‘furious’ love.When 32-year-old Darren Wilson began taking his camera to Pentecost-flavored conferences and worship services in 2006, he was driven less by blockbuster aspirations or hard-hitting journalism than wanting answers to personal questions, like, "Should I believe my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Bob?"Read more of this story.
Among some conservative Christians, a movement is giving new meaning to the biblical mandate to "be fruitful and multiply." The movement, called Quiverfull, is based on Psalm 127, which says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Those in the Quiverfull movement shun birth control, believing that God will give them the right number of children. It turns out, that’s a lot of kids.Read more of this story.