Baptist Press Archive

Monday, October 29, 2012

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  • Hurricane Sandy could impact 60M people on eastern seaboard
    by Staff, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    NEW YORK CITY (BP) -- Hurricane Sandy threatened to impact 60 million Americans Oct. 29 as it churned toward the Eastern Seaboard with winds exceeding 90 mph, causing President Obama to declare a state of emergency in the nation's capital and in states from North Carolina to Connecticut.

    "People will die in this storm," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley bluntly warned as he urged residents to evacuate or hunker down ahead of the potentially historic storm, which was forecast to make landfall Monday night or early Tuesday along the New Jersey coast.

    As of Monday afternoon, 116,000 customers were without power in seven states, CNN.com reported. Service on mass transit systems was halted in New York City, Washington and Philadelphia ahead of the storm, thousands of airline flights were canceled, classes were called off for more than 2 million public school students, and government offices were closed.

    The New York Stock Exchange closed Monday and announced it would remain closed Tuesday, marking the first time it was closed for a weather event since Hurricane Gloria in 1985, CNN reported.

    Obama, along with Mitt Romney, canceled campaign events because of the approaching natural disaster.

    "At this stage, everybody is confident that the staging process, the prepositioning of resources, commodities, equipment that are going to be needed to respond to this storm are in place," the president said after meeting with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    Southern Baptists were among those assembling resources for a prompt response to the hurricane.

    Baptist disaster relief directors and volunteers in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey were on alert, officials said, expecting help from Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and other states. Officials expected the hurricane to bring flooding, power outages and fallen trees.

    In the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey, where officials were expecting a direct hit from Sandy, volunteers were expected to emerge after the storm, disaster relief director Karlene Campbell said.

    "Because Pennsylvania/South Jersey is getting a direct hit from this, a lot of our volunteers are looking to their own welfare until the storm passes, of course with their property, home and family ..." Read More

  • Hurricane Sandy in focus for Baptist DR
    by Joe Conway, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    Photo by John Swain/NAMB
    ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- As cities up and down the East Coast shut down and prepare for the worst from Hurricane Sandy, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders are preparing for a large-scale SBDR response once the storm clears. Read More

  • Caribbean hurricane assessment launched
    by Mark Kelly, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    BGR photo
    SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (BP) -- Baptists in the Caribbean spent the weekend assessing damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, which left at least 62 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless before it moved on toward eastern coast of the United States. Read More

  • 5th ad continues Obama spotlight on abortion
    by Michael Foust, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- President Obama's campaign has launched its fifth television ad targeting Mitt Romney's pro-life views, the latest spotlight on abortion in an election year that most political observers thought would be light on social issues. Read More

  • Planned Parenthood rescued by Texas court
    by Staff, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    "We will keep fighting for life, and we will ultimately prevail."

    -- Gov. Rick Perry

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- Planned Parenthood has gained another reprieve in its ongoing battle against Texas to retain millions of dollars in government funding. Read More

  • Calif. Baptists weigh Focus 21 recommendations
    by Terry Barone, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    CLOVIS, Calif. (BP) -- California Southern Baptists celebrated their diversity and considered Executive Board recommendations regarding the Focus 21 Task Force during the Oct. 23-24 annual meeting at Clovis Hills Community Church.

    Highlighting the California Southern Baptist Convention theme, "United: Every ethné, for Christ," the meeting featured three congregations involved in reaching an ethnic group other than their own:

    -- Chinese Baptist Church of Orange County in Anaheim, which ... Read More

  • Justice system needs 'appropriate adjustments'
    by Tom Strode, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP) -- A reformation of America's criminal justice system should focus on restitution for victims, rehabilitation for offenders and safety for the public, a Southern Baptist ethicist and several other religious leaders said in briefing at the U.S. Capitol.

    [QUOTE@left@180="Punishment should be restorative whenever possible. Rehabilitation should be the goal in most instances, not retribution."

    Barrett Duke]The panelists called for re-examination of a system that has result... Read More

  • How to share Christ with your Hindu friends
    by Jeff Brawner, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    EDITOR'S NOTE: In a third article about how to share Christ with friends of another faith, seminary professor Jeff Brawner focuses on sharing Christ with Hindus. [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39020]Friday's article[/URL] focused on witnessing to Muslims; [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39001]Thursday's article[/URL], on witnessing to Mormons.

    CORDOVA, Tenn. (BP) -- If you've traveled most anywhere in the United States recently, you've likely had contact with a follower of Hi... Read More

  • Refugee family says God has brought them here
    by Grace Thornton/The Alabama Baptist, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    MOBILE, Ala. (BP) -- Abid Hussain was once a Hindu and a millionaire, living in a 19-bedroom house. Then he was a persecuted Christian living with his family in an attic storeroom on a concrete floor.

    Now Hussain is a refugee living in a rough neighborhood in Mobile, Ala., struggling to find work and afraid for his family to go out at night. But he and his family say that God has a plan for them, so they are grateful.

    "They are nervous about their life here, and they are still struggli... Read More

  • Unlikely friendship leads refugee family to Christ
    by David Johnson/The Alabama Baptist, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    BANGKOK, Thailand (BP) -- Abid Hussain walked into my life more than two years ago. He was dejected, fearful and unhealthy. In broken English he described leaving his home country with his family and coming to Bangkok. Their problems began when his wife converted from Islam to his own Hindu religion. The penalty -- not just for her but for the entire family -- was death by beheading.

    "I've gone to many places, but no one will help us," Abid told me. "I used to be rich and owned a factory; n... Read More

  • Sermon on the Mount explored at workshop
    by Keith Collier, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Whether young or old, conservative or liberal, inside or outside the church, everybody loves the Sermon on the Mount, New Testament professor Terry Wilder said at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's annual Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop.

    No section of Scripture has been cited more than the Sermon on the Mount, Wilder said.

    "Conservative scholars love this passage of Scripture. Liberal scholars love this passage of Scripture," the Southwestern p... Read More

  • BP Ledger, Oct. 29 edition
    by Staff, posted Monday, October 29, 2012 (11 years ago)

    EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.

    Today's BP Ledger contains items from:

    Baptist College of Florida

    Palm Beach Atlantic University

    University of the Cumberlands

    Campbellsville University (two items)

    BCF Hosts Embrace Conference

    GRACEVILLE, Fla. (Baptist College of Florida) -- How do you improve u... Read More