Baptist Press Archive

Monday, September 11, 2017

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  • Irma response to begin; Harvey relief work continues
    by Josie Bingham, posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

    ABC News screen capture
    FLORIDA (BP) -- Mark MacDonald walked around his Jacksonville home Monday morning (Sept. 11) assessing the damage done by Hurricane Irma.

    "Our roof is leaking and a few trees are down," MacDonald said. "I was curious as to how our neighbors were doing …. Their garden was completely torn to shreds. It's not ideal, but it really could have been worse for us. We're all thankful to God for that."

    Monday, Sept. 11, MacDonald will be working on his own home and aiding his ... Read More

  • In Irma-shattered Caribbean, Baptists arrive to help
    by Diana Chandler, posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

    CNN.com screen capture
    SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (BP) -- Days after Hurricane Irma killed at least 34 people and destroyed entire communities in the Caribbean and West Indies, Southern Baptist partners are on site assessing the most urgent needs for assistance.

    A Baptist Global Response disaster assessment and response team arrived Sunday night (Sept. 10) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, BGR CEO Jeff Palmer told Baptist Press today, and is working in cooperation with the North American Mission Board to meet the immediate life-preserving needs of ... Read More

  • Court urged to protect cake artist's religious freedom
    by Tom Strode, posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

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    WASHINGTON (BP) -- Forcing an artist to create a cake for a same-sex wedding in contradiction to his beliefs is a "de facto religious test" that violates the First Amendment, the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has told the U.S. Supreme Court.

    The ERLC -- joined by seven other organizations and an individual -- urged the high court to reverse a lower-court ruling against Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips and his Masterpiece Cakeshop in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Sept. 7. The justices agreed in June to accept the appeal and are expected to hear oral arguments ... Read More

  • Western wildfires have Baptists poised for action
    by David Roach, posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

    UPI screen capture
    SEELEY LAKE, Mont. (BP) -- With wildfires in the western United States having consumed a cumulative area larger than the state of Maryland, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units are preparing for ministry.

    Nine western states -- California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming -- have experienced fires this year that have consumed more than 8 million total acres, 3 million above the annual national average for the past decade, according to The Washington Post. Read More

  • NY's highest court rules against physician-assisted suicide
    by Emily Belz/WORLD News Service, posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

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    ALBANY, N.Y. (BP) -- The New York State Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, on Sept. 7 unanimously refused to legalize assisted suicide, a huge moment in the state's fight over the practice. Read More

  • FIRST-PERSON: Letter to pastors in the hurricane zones

    by Joe McKeever , posted Monday, September 11, 2017 (5 years ago)

    Reflecting on his experiences with Hurricane Katrina, Joe McKeever offers encouragement and counsel to pastors of churches impacted by Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida. Read More