SBC

SAN FRANCISCO (BP) – Thousands of lawsuits claiming that social media platforms knowingly designed their products to be addictive to young users will go forward, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on Aug. 10. Meta, which includes Instagram and Facebook, and TikTok joined in an appeal on the basis of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. The companies argued that the statute shielded them from

NASHVILLE (BP) – Church membership has fallen on hard times, and Jonathan Leeman has watched the decline. “We tend to have a me-and-Jesus view,” in which “the church is a nice option” and a “pragmatic help” but “not, strictly speaking, necessary,” said Leeman, president of 9Marks, a ministry that helps build healthy churches. An “internet culture” that replaces church attendance with watching preachers online also “chips away” at church membership,

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. — The Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee have been named as defendants in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit against a South Carolina church and academy where authorities say a convicted sex offender was allowed to volunteer near children. In addition to the SBC and SBC EC, the Aug. 4 filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina names Pawleys Island Community

DALLAS – GuideStone Financial Resources is encouraging individuals to be alert to a rapidly growing fraud scheme known as the “Phantom Hacker” scam, which the FBI says has resulted in billions of dollars in losses nationwide, particularly among older Americans. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), more than 47,000 tech support scam complaints were reported in 2025, with losses exceeding $2.1 billion. Individuals aged 60 and older

NASHVILLE (BP) – As students head back to the classroom this month, they’re expected to be met by Ten Commandment posters in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas as legal challenges against the mandated displays persist. As recently as July 30, three mothers in Houston challenged Texas’ mandated displays, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has vowed to contest a federal judge’s ruling blocking displays in classrooms there. Mandated displays have either

SPOKANE, Wash. (BP) – More than 65,000 people have been evacuated, and more than 700 structures have burned in wildfires in eastern Washington that began last week. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the fires the “worst natural disaster” in the region’s history. Churches are stepping up to provide food and shelter to evacuees, said Gary Floyd, Disaster Relief leader for the Northwest Baptist Convention. “We’ve had for the last month,

NASHVILLE (BP) – In early July, Americans lit up the night sky with fireworks and festivities as they marked the 250th anniversary of the United States. As the celebrations fade like the summer sun, how should American Christians exercise their freedoms as they move toward the next milestone? Perhaps the best way to look ahead is to look behind. In a sermon preached July 5 at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, just blocks from

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Odelle Cadwell of Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Detroit, is the recipient of the 2026 Dellanna West O’Brien Leadership Award, national WMU’s most prestigious leadership honor. “With over 40 years of involvement in WMU, Odelle has demonstrated exceptional personal integrity and a profound dedication to missions education,” said Marilyn Hopkins, emerita executive director of WMU of Michigan (1985-2008), who nominated her for the award. Cadwell began