Protect your church’s children against sexual abuse nightmare

He looked like the ideal youth minister – recommended by a friend of the pastor, personable, and leading a thriving ministry to teens at Wayside Baptist Church in Miami. But looks were deceiving.

Background checks are on the rise, LifeWay reports

More than 25,000 background checks conducted by churches or organizations on prospective workers in the past three years have turned up more than 1,600 felony offenses, with the number of organizations conducting background checks having risen 27 percent in the past year, according to LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Page: Meeting Billy Graham was ‘gift from God’

Billy Graham remains passionate for the Kingdom, Frank Page observed during a May 12 visit with the 93-year-old evangelist.

Online poker gambling could be legalized

Predictably, the news cycles these days have been largely consumed with the unpredictable – the outcome of the 2012 presidential election and the future of the institution of marriage. This follows days of media showcasing the sensational – Secret Service prostitution scandals in Colombia and General Services Administration spending scandals in Las Vegas.

AZ defunding of P. Parenthood continues trend

Arizona has become the latest state to bar funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law May 4 legislation that prohibits state family planning money from going to organizations that perform abortions.

Vanderbilt BCM to decline registered status

Even though Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) was approved as a recognized student organization on the campus of Vanderbilt University, the BCM will decline that status. Randy C. Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC), informed members of the TBC Executive Board of the decision to not accept the recognized status in a letter e-mailed to them May 7.

Anti-religion campus policies targeted by ADF

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has launched a nationwide campaign to convince state universities and colleges to change policies that restrict students’ First Amendment rights. Its strategy starts with persuasion but could culminate in lawsuits.

U.S. split on homosexual behavior as sin

Americans are split on whether homosexual behavior is a sin, and many do not appreciate if a church teaches it is sinful, according to a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research.

Franklin Graham responds to Obama’s same-sex marriage support

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s statement in support of same-sex marriage: “On Tuesday my state of North Carolina became the 31st state to approve a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman....”

Obama first president to support gay ‘marriage’

President Obama Wednesday became the first sitting U.S. president to support gay “marriage” publicly, an announcement that was surprising perhaps only in its timing and one that could impact the general election.