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Christians must be 'major influencers' in American politics, say activists on opposite sides

Two Christian activists urged fellow believers to remain active in politics, contending that they have an obligation to become “major influencers” in American society by restoring civility to political discourse. 




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Red carpet premiere of ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ celebrates family, spirit of the season

Christmas came early as stars, filmmakers and fans gathered for the red carpet premiere of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” — a family-friendly film creators hope will earn a spot among the holiday classics. 




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‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ filmmaker creates doc on journey of 12 pastors seeking unity amid divisions

In a world fractured by deep ideological divisions, Nicholas Ma’s new documentary, “Leap of Faith,” seeks to answer the question of whether love can bridge seemingly unbridgeable divides. 




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Late night comedy host Jimmy Kimmel cries while scolding Trump voters: 'Terrible night'

Late night comedy talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was reduced to tears Wednesday as he scolded the voters who elected President-elect Donald Trump to a second term.




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Forrest Frank, CeCe Winans among Christian artists nominated for Grammys

The Recording Academy announced nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Thursday, with Christian and gospel artists such as Bethel Music, Brandon Lake, CeCe Winans and newcomer Forest Frank receiving nods.




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John Rhys-Davies narrates 'Scrooge' podcast; talks connection with Tolkien's Gimli: 'We all carry our chains'

Actor John Rhys-Davies narrates a reimagined audio drama of "A Christmas Carol," drawn by the story’s themes of transformation, compassion and redemption, which he likens to the journeys of both Scrooge and his Rings character, Gimli, as they overcome prejudice and open their hearts to others.




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Netflix releases trailer for biblical epic ‘Mary’: ‘An origin story of Christianity’

On Dec. 6th, Netflix invites audiences on a compelling journey back to ancient Judea to witness the story of the Nativity through the eyes of Mary of Nazareth, mother of Jesus Christ, in the film “Mary.” 




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What's Next, Now That N.H. Officials Have Proposed Among The Strictest PFAS Limits In The Country?

New restrictions on PFAS and what that means for Granite State communities. These chemicals have been found in public water supplies around the state. Used for decades in such products as Teflon and Gortex, they've been linked to serious health problems, spurring communities to take action, including lawsuits. Now, after intense pressure from community activists, New Hampshire officials have proposed some of the lowest PFAS limits in the country. We'll find out what's in store now, in terms of testing, following the health effects of these chemicals, and more.




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After 30 Years, Contaminated Wells in Southern N.H. to Get Permanent Fix

This summer, towns in southern New Hampshire are breaking ground on what will become the state’s largest regional water system. It is being built in part with money from massive settlements between New Hampshire and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, that used to produce MtBE, a chemical that polluted local drinking water.




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Something Wild: Smell that Olfactory

We know…we’ve been remiss, and it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. Something Wild, as you know, is a chance to take a closer look at the wildlife, ecosystems and marvelous phenomena you can find in and around New Hampshire. But over the years there is one species in New Hampshire that we haven’t spent much time examining. A species, I think that has been conspicuous in its absence. Humans. So we’re grabbing the bull by the horns and digging in to a complex species that is an important part of the ecosystem. And we thought we’d start with a particular trait that’s been with us almost since the beginning: olfaction. The sense of smell among other sensory systems are relatively unchanged throughout mammalian history. As Nate Dominy, professor of anthropology and biological sciences at Dartmouth, says, “a lot of the traits we see in mammals are retention of those basic traits.” Dominy suggested our olfactory sense was really important to our proto-mammalian ancestors. Picture




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Zoning To Oppose Casella Landfill Plan Divides Small North Country Town

The solid waste company Casella says it's running out of space for Northern New England's trash. So it's taking the rare step of planning a brand-new landfill, in the small Coös County town of Dalton. Lots of locals agree – they don't want the landfill. But they're divided on one potential tool to block it: zoning.




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What's Next for Renewable Energy Projects in N.H.?

The recent defeat of Northern Pass was a major setback for the import of large-scale hydropower into the region. Meanwhile, efforts to build more solar and wind power are still underway… and some towns and cities have set their own renewable goals. We'll look at the reliability of these technologies… and talk about their role in the future of our region’s power grid.




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Weekly N.H. News Roundup: August 23, 2019

We focus on environmental news on this edition of the Weekly New Hampshire News Roundup. We talk about climate issues on the 2020 campaign trail after the departure of Jay Inslee, and compare the climate plans offered by other Democratic candidates. Following protests at the statehouse over the Merrimack Station coal plant, we discuss the future of fossil fuel generators in the state. Plus, the latest environmental vetoes and bill signings from Governor Chris Sununu. Annie Ropeik, NHPR's environment and energy reporter, is guest host. GUESTS: Sam Evans-Brown - host of NHPR's, Outside/In, our show about the natural world and how we use it. We discuss the 2020 candidates and their climate plans with Leah Stokes , Assistant Professor of Climate Politics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lila Kohrman-Glaser , co-director of 350 NH Action, joins us to talk about protesting the 440-megawatt Merrimack Station at the statehouse. Bay Road in Newmarket is currently closed for




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Introducing 'By Degrees,' NHPR's Climate Change Reporting Initiative

By Degrees is a multi-year reporting project from NHPR that will tell stories about climate change in New Hampshire - its challenges, solutions and connections to other forces shaping our lives today. The project begins today. Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley spoke with lead reporter Annie Ropeik, who covers energy, the environment and the Seacoast for NHPR, to learn more about the project's goals, what to expect this week and how listeners can contribute. We want to know your questions and the kinds of stories you'd like to hear about climate change. You can share those ideas by filling out our quick survey . Rick Ganley: On the website for the project, you describe it as beginning in kind of a historic moment. What do you mean by that? Annie Ropeik: Well, I mean that we are in the middle of many more than one crisis right now. We are in the middle of a global pandemic, a generational reckoning on racial justice. It's a presidential election year, which can be hard to remember




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COVID And Black Lives Matter Have Spurred Real Change; Why Can’t Climate Change Do The Same?

Our new climate change reporting initiative, By Degrees , begins in an unprecedented time – one where people are making seismic shifts in their lifestyles and attitudes in response to COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of our listeners have wondered: why haven’t people reacted the same way to the climate emergency, and could that be about to change?




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By Degrees: How Air Pollution and Climate Change Connect

By Degrees is a new reporting project by NHPR shedding new light on climate change in New Hampshire. That project launches this week. Air pollution is known to cause health problems like premature deaths, hospitalizations, heart attacks, and childhood asthma. It's also closely connected to climate change. Syracuse University Professor Charles Driscoll joined NHPR’s All Things Considered host Peter Biello to talk about what air quality in New Hampshire can tell us about the extent of the problem. So walk us through the basics, if you could. What are the main sources of air pollution in New Hampshire? There are different air pollutants that come from primarily fossil fuel combustion. So that could be through electric utilities, could be industrial processes, could be transportation. And there are a number of air pollutants, but the ones that are most prominent are very fine particulate matter released directly from these processes. But it also can be produced in the atmosphere from




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Lebanon Landfill's 11-Family Compost Pilot Diverts One Ton Of Food Scraps

Earlier this year, the city of Lebanon gave a small group of residents the chance to bring not their trash and recyclables to the local landfill, but their compost too. It makes Lebanon one of a few cities in the state helping residents reduce food waste, which is a major contributor to climate change.




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N.H.'s Clean Energy Sector Hopes For Post-Covid Stimulus Support To Restore Jobs, Lower Emissions

COVID-19 has been hard on just about every industry in New Hampshire, and renewable energy is no exception. People worried about money are putting off investing in solar panels, and health concerns have made home energy efficiency visits more complicated. But scientists say investments like these can lower energy costs, and remain a critical way to combat the other big crisis we’re facing – climate change. As part of NHPR’s new climate change reporting project, By Degrees , NHPR’s Annie Ropeik has been trying to find out what might be ahead for the renewable energy industry in the state. Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley spoke with her about what’s next.




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Ask Sam: What Are All These Ladybugs Doing In My House?

Every other Friday on Morning Edition, Outside/In host Sam Evans-Brown tackles a question from a listener. Suzanne from Concord asks: “I’m trying to find out why ladybugs are in my house in the spring, and did they all live together in my house over the winter? And if they did that, what did they eat? Or do they eat? Do they hibernate? And now they’re dropping dead, I mean out of six ladybugs, there are two alive.” Note: This eidition of Ask Sam originally aired in March of 2020. What you are most likely seeing is called (among many other things) the Harlequin Ladybeetle . It gets that name (as well as all its others) because it has a lot of different presentations — many different numbers and arrangements of spots — and it's an invasive species from Asia. “It’s basically been released as a biological control agent, in multiple places,” says William Fincham, who researches ladybugs with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, “In the U.S, in multiple places in Europe as well.” Even




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Weekly N.H. News Roundup: June 11, 2021

We explore how data errors might have inflated New Hampshire's progress on distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. We also get an update on the latest environmental news in the Granite State and hear from NHPR's CEO about the decision to cease production of The Exchange at the end of the month. And we chat with long-time Berlin Sun editor Barbara Tetreault about her upcoming retirement. Air date: Friday, June 11, 2021.




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Christian attorney warns 'tearing down' religious freedom in US is 'spirit of the age'

An attorney dedicated to upholding religious freedom stated that he is “greatly disturbed” to see what Michigan has become, warning of a “growing hostility” in the state toward the exercise of religion in the public square. 




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'Justice for Peanut': 5 reactions to killing of celebrity squirrel seized by New York authorities

Peanut the squirrel’s seizure and euthanization by New York officials has sparked blowback from President Donald Trump’s running mate and various public figures, with the deceased pet now serving as the inspiration for a new law intended to improve animal rights. 




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Jack Graham says pastors urging congregations not to vote 'have lost all credibility'

A social media post from a well-known Evangelical pastor has sparked debate about Christians' engagement in politics and what pastors should advise their congregations. 




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2 poll workers among 5 dead in Missouri Election Day floods

The bodies of two poll workers, who were among the five people killed in Missouri after flash floods swept through the state, were discovered early Wednesday.




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Woman exonerated after spending over 15 years in prison worried God wasn't with her

An Ohio woman who was wrongfully charged and convicted in 1994 of physical and sexual abuse against children in a Head Start program and then spent more than 15 years in prison before she was exonerated said she sometimes felt God wasn't with her as she waited for her redemption.




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Jason Yates, former CEO of My Faith Votes, charged with child porn possession

Former My Faith Votes CEO Jason C. Yates, whose organization is known for getting conservative Christians involved in politics, has been charged with possessing child pornography.




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Jackson Gatlin, former Vineyard Church pastor, takes plea deal for criminal sexual conduct

Jackson Gatlin, a former young adult and online community pastor at The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, who was charged last year with sexually abusing five teenage girls, will likely spend at least 13 years in prison and have to register as a sex offender when his sentence is complete after he accepted a plea deal for one of the five charges Wednesday.




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'Disaster for our country': Evangelical Trump critics lament election outcome

One of the creators of a Christian nonprofit effort aimed at “better Christian politics” claims President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election is a “disaster” for the United States.




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Focus on the Family president 'encouraged' by election outcome despite mixed results on abortion laws

The president of Focus on the Family says he’s “encouraged” by Tuesday’s election results even as he acknowledged both victories and setbacks for the pro-life movement.




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Pastor who led double life, murdered girlfriend on wedding day, sees life conviction upheld

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the life sentence of a pastor who led a double life and murdered his fiancée on their wedding day.




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Before leaving for Angola, missionary and wife charged with his murder shared troubled paths to Jesus

Barely a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2021, and shortly before they would jet off to Angola in southern Africa with their five children to do missionary work, Beau Shroyer and his wife Jackie Shroyer who was recently charged in connection with his Oct. 25 murder, shared their troubled paths to Jesus and what made them so willing to dive into the mission field no matter the cost.




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Fundraiser launched to help 5 children of murdered missionary Beau Shroyer

A GoFundMe campaign seeking to help the family of murdered missionary Beau Shroyer is hoping to raise at least $15,000 to repatriate his body to the U.S. and help his five children navigate “unimaginable loss and uncertainty” as his wife, Jackie Shroyer, faces charges in Angola for allegedly masterminding a murder plot. 




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Microsoft Word flags 'maternity leave,' suggests other 'inclusive' phrases

Microsoft's Word program now recommends replacing the term "maternity leave" with more “inclusive” language.




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Doctor Gasp Has Halloween Tracks That Might Take Your Breath Away

It’s a gloomy, rainy Sunday in downtown Portsmouth. I’m hanging out in a dark basement beneath a bookstore waiting to see a creepy Halloween music show for kids. Dozens of children dressed in their Halloween finest crowd the room. There are princesses and superheroes. An elephant finds a seat next to a dinosaur as the show is about to begin. (Editor's note: we highly recommend listening to this story.) Doctor Gasp is dressed in a long black cape with a white skeleton mask covering his face. Jack-o-lanterns cast orange light across a makeshift stage. He gives a lively performance, jumping and dancing while playing his guitar. The kids get up to dance along with him. Monster Mash is a crowd favorite of course. I sat down with Doctor Gasp after the show to find out who he is behind the mask. Dan Blakeslee is actually a folk singer for most of the year. When he first started writing Halloween music, he would play under his own name at his regular shows. “But then it got to be at the point




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'A Comedy About Death, Devised in Grief': The Living Room Comes to Portsmouth

After winning the “Best Comedy” award at last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival in Australia, New Hampshire native Gemma Soldati and comedy partner Amrita Dhaliwal are now taking their two-woman clown show, The Living Room , on the road. The show, which they describe as “a comedy about death, devised in grief,” will be touring major cities across the United States, Canada, and Australia.




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Documentary Explores Beginnings Of Popular New England Radio Station

A recent documentary centers on Boston’s WBCN radio, a 40-plus year fixture on the New England airwaves. Rock radio is fading out in many cities around the country. Last month, WAAF, a rock radio station in Massachusetts, was sold and abruptly changed its format after 50 years. It’s been more than a decade since WBCN left the air. Both stations were widely heard in New Hampshire. We could focus on the demise, but Bill Lichtenstein, a filmmaker and one-time ‘Rock of Boston’ staffer, decided to tell the story of the beginning of WBCN. He started back in 1968, as a 14-year-old kid answering the station’s listener line. This transcript of Rick Ganley's conversation with Bill Lichtenstein has been lightly edited. Lichtenstein: People were told call with anything – questions, your roommate's having a bad acid trip, whatever, and we'll be happy to try to help you. And so I started answering the listener line. I was one of a number of young people that were recruited to do that. Ganley: And I




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N.H. Musician: It's Actually A Nice Time To Enjoy Local Music

With bars, restaurants and venues closed down indefinitely, it's harder than ever to be a working musician. But that doesn't mean New Hampshire artists aren't performing. NHPR's Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley spoke with Campton musician Jim Tyrrell to ask what he's doing while he can't play on stage. You can watch Jim Tyrrell and other local New Hampshire musicians play live shows here . Jim Tyrrell: This is pretty unprecedented for me, certainly, and for a lot of people. You know, we're all just kind of adjusting on the fly, but that's true of any industry, I suppose. Rick Ganley: Yeah, you're part of a group of, I think, pretty tight musicians in central New Hampshire that play a lot of the same venues different nights of the week. What are you hearing from your friends and your fellow musicians? Jim Tyrrell: Oh, I think we're all -- it is a pretty tight community, as you mentioned, and we're all connected on social media. So we're very supportive of one another. And we're just




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In Newmarket, Calls To Put Up Statue Of Black Revolutionary War Hero

With statues coming down around the country in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, NHPR’s Sean Hurley recently heard about one town in New Hampshire that is considering putting one up.




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Ken Burns Documentary Goes Beyond The Mythic Man of Hemingway

A new documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick is coming to PBS this month , and it's all about Ernest Hemingway. NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley sat down with both Burns and Novick to talk about the new film, their process and what makes a good documentary. [Editor's note: this is a transcript of one small part of the full interview.] Rick Ganley: But why Hemingway? Ken Burns: He's a hugely important writer and he's got a very complicated life, and we like to try to wrestled to the ground these complicated stories. And boy, this is about as wonderfully difficult as any project we've undertaken. Rick Ganley: What strikes me the most is how it goes way beyond that mythic Hemingway. This is the man's man writer image that kind of, you know, gets thrown around a lot. What surprised you most about him as you dug into the project? Lynn Novick: Kind of everything in a way, you know, in that we had some understanding of his work. We could give it like the Cliff's Notes version of his




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The Show Goes On: 'Every Stitch Is A Prayer, Every Bead Put Down Is A Prayer'

Many artists have had a difficult time during the pandemic, while they've also brought joy to other people who are struggling. For NHPR's series, The Show Goes On , we're talking with artists across New Hampshire about how they're making it through the pandemic. NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Rhonda Besaw , a beadworker from Whitefield, about her work and what's she's learned this past year.




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The Show Goes On: N.H. Musician Returns To Playing Live Shows

For NHPR's series, The Show Goes On , we've been talking with artists across New Hampshire about what inspiration they've found and how they've been making it through the pandemic. Jim Tyrrell is a musician based here in New Hampshire. NHPR first reached out to him about a year ago to ask how he was doing when everything was first shutting down. Morning Edition host Rick Ganley checked in with him recently to find out what he's been up to since then.




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Ceramicist Shares His Joy With New Collection At The Currier

The Currier Museum of Art 's latest exhibition features the work of Philadelphia-based potter Roberto Lugo. Lugo finds inspiration for his work in his upbringing and his cultural heritage. His new collection, Te traigo mi le lo lai -- I bring you my joy , will be on display at the Currier Museum through September. Lugo will also be in Manchester this summer for a residency with the museum, where he'll be teaching pottery classes. Below are some excerpts from Robert Lugo's conversation with NHPR's Rick Ganley. On Lugo’s inspiration: “ I've always found that it's important for me as a person to not forget where I'm from. I'm from Philadelphia in a really impoverished neighborhood, mostly made up of Black and Latinx people. And so I identify and associate that as a culture and as almost its own society. And so in the tradition that people have represented their cultures in pottery, I do that.” On his new exhibition, Te traigo mi le lo lai -- I bring you my joy : “ One of the reasons why I




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Travel: In the middle of nowhere on Lake Superior, a city defined by industry

“Nobody really comes here,” the waiter at my hotel said. “People only stop when they’re driving through.” I heard that a lot during my recent three-night visit to Thunder Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada.




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Christian social media influencer's prayer with satanist goes viral

A Christian social media influencer recently shared a video of his encounter with a satanist and his prayer for the man that has since gone viral. 




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Ryan Bomberger says prostate cancer is in remission: 'Miracles are worth waiting for'

Christian author and pro-life activist Ryan Bomberger has announced that his cancer is in remission three months after surgery.




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Travel: Postcard from Plymouth, England

As I learned during a return visit this summer, the real draw in Plymouth is the centuries of maritime history. It goes well beyond the Mayflower, whose sailing from here 424 years ago on Sept. 16 was a historical fluke.




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Former OnlyFans recruiter recalls horrors that made her quit website, seek Jesus

Victoria Sinis used to recruit women to sell their bodies on OnlyFans, but the strange fetish requests and pornographic content led her to question her career, an inner conviction that ultimately led her to Christ.




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Abducted in 1951 at age 6, man found alive by niece 7 decades later

Luis Armando Albino was 6 when a woman abducted him in 1951 while he was playing at a park in California with his older brother, only reuniting with his family seven decades later thanks to the determination of his 63-year-old niece. 




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Christian Alliance for Orphans celebrates 20 years in ministry

Christian Alliance for Orphans celebrated 20 years of ministry at its annual summit where 2,400 supporters from 46 countries came together at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.




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Majority of practicing Christians admit to viewing porn, many comfortable with habit: study

A majority of practicing Christians, including pastors, admit to viewing pornography and a large share say they are comfortable with the habit, a new study has found.