2007 Archives
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Ministers want Ohio to become ‘Political Sleaze-Free Zone’
Posted: 11/16/07
Ministers want Ohio to become
‘Political Sleaze-Free Zone’By David Briggs
Religion News Service
CLEVELAND (RNS)—A coalition of Ohio religious leaders is asking for the battleground swing state to be a “Political Sleaze-Free Zone” for the 2008 election.
We Believe Ohio kicked off the campaign at rallies in Columbus and Cleveland, asking candidates and political parties to promote what they stand for and refrain from attack ads.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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New book probes poetry’s power to stir the soul
Posted: 11/16/07
New book probes poetry’s power to stir the soul
By Cecile S. Holmes
Religion News Service
CHICAGO (RNS)—Poetry is that unusual combination of words with the power to move, delight, nurture and transport readers beyond the here-and-now. It also can nourish our souls, according to the authors of a new book celebrating how poetry can kindle the spiritual in attentive readers.
“Poetry slows us down. It asks us to look—and look again. Poems have a way of reminding us we are part of something larger than ourselves,” said Judith Valente, co-author/editor of the new volume, Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Neurotheology opens doors for scientific study of belief
Posted: 11/16/07
(Art by Andrew Garcia Philips/The Star-Ledger)Neurotheology opens doors
for scientific study of beliefHannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press
NEW YORK (ABP)—Some scientists say neurotheology—an emerging discipline that addresses the correlation between neurological and spiritual activity—proves God created the brain. Others claim “the brain created the god.”
At the root of the debate, some say, is the threat that faith could be reduced to nothing more than chemical reactions in the brain.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Hospital chaplains minister in the workplace
Posted: 11/16/07
Hospital chaplains minister in the workplace
By Jessica Dooley
Communications Intern
HARLINGEN—The workplace can be tough for someone going through a crisis. To help employees cope with difficulties at work and at home, some South Texas employers have opened their doors to spirituality in the workplace, and hospital chaplains have new avenues of service.
Joe Perez Chaplains from Valley Baptist Health Systems in Harlingen minister to several businesses in the area. They make rounds twice a month to banks, insurance companies, auto dealers and medical-related businesses.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Consensus lacking on end-of-life issues
Posted: 11/16/07
Consensus lacking on end-of-life issues
By George Henson
Staff Writer
BROWNWOOD—When it comes to some of life’s hard questions, answers aren’t any easier for Christians than they are for other people—including questions concerning end-of-life issues.
See Related Articles:
• Have we gone too far in the race for parenthood?
• Neurotheology opens doors for scientific study of belief
• Consesus lacking on end-of-life issues
• Ethicists in quandary over surrogacy
• Hospital chaplains minister in the workplaceA universal consensus on topics such as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide does not exist, said John Ferguson Jr., assistant professor of political science at Howard Payne University’s Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom and author of Point/Counterpoint: The Right to Die.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Have we gone too far in the race for parenthood?
Posted: 11/16/07
Have we gone too far
in the race for parenthood?By Hannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press
NEW YORK (ABP)—In Brazil, a 51-year-old woman gave birth to her own twin grandchildren. She used embryos from her 27-year-old daughter, who had tried for four years to conceive.
In January, a Texas-based “human embryo bank” announced prospective parents could choose pre-created embryos based on photos, family histories and medical reports of the people who donated the sperm and eggs.
Many conservative evangelicals say fertility clinics have crossed the line and started “playing God” in the race for parenthood. 11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Ethicists in quandary over surrogacy
Posted: 11/16/07
Ethicists in quandary over surrogacy
By Hannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press
NEW YORK (ABP)—The Church of England recently issued a statement identifying organ donation—even by living donors—as a Christian duty motivated by compassion and a mandate to heal. But what about donating a womb for nine months?
Surrogacy—when a woman agrees to gestate and give birth to a child for others to raise—has ethicists, religious scholars, scientists and even feminists pondering the ramifications of such an arrangement.
See Related Articles:
• Have we gone too far in the race for parenthood?
• Neurotheology opens doors for scientific study of belief
• Consesus lacking on end-of-life issues
• Ethicists in quandary over surrogacy
• Hospital chaplains minister in the workplace11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Senate probes finances of six TV ministries
Posted: 11/16/07
Senate probes finances of six TV ministries
By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS)—A prominent U.S. senator is seeking financial information from some of the biggest names among evangelical TV ministries following complaints from the public and news reports of possible money mismanagement.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, gave the six ministries until Dec. 6 to turn over the records.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Texas Tidbits
Posted: 11/16/07
Texas Tidbits
WMU Foundation names Texans to leadership roles. Patsy Meier, a former medical missionary to Nigeria and member of First Baptist Church in El Paso, was elected to the Woman’s Missionary Union Foundation board of trustees. Trustees elected James Westbrook, a layman from First Baptist Church of Richardson, as vice chairman. Other Texas Baptists on the board are Sylvia DeLoach and Joy Fenner, both from Garland.
Baylor ER expansion campaign raises $11 million. The Baylor Health Care System Foundation announced it has raised more than $11 million to help fund the expansion of the Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas emergency department. The building project will expand the emergency department to 78,000 square-feet and increase the hospital’s capacity to treat patients requiring trauma care.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
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TOGETHER: Reflection rightly leads to thanksgiving
Posted: 11/16/07
TOGETHER:
Reflection rightly leads to thanksgivingThe celebration of Thanksgiving Day is not, strictly speaking, a religious holiday, such as Christmas and Easter. But this holiday taps into some of the deepest spiritual emotions a human being can feel.
There is no emotion more powerful in convincing the heart and mind of the reality of God than the sense of gratitude that wells up in the heart when we feel warmly blessed and embraced by goodness.
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
More than one father has stood in speechless wonder as his new baby has been placed in his arms and suddenly been overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude. And after you express joyful thanks to your dear wife and appreciation to others, there are still emotions of amazement and gratitude that can only be directed to God.
When one looks into the night sky or marvels at the beauty of a breathtaking view, we are drawn into a contemplation of the mystery of creation, and we breathe a prayer of thanksgiving, almost involuntarily, to the God who brought such beauty into being.
11/16/2007 - By John Rutledge
