January 20, 2022
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Afghanistan leads world in persecution of Christians, Open Doors reports

SANTA ANA, Calif. (BP) – Afghanistan tops Open Doors' 2022 Watch List of top countries for Christian persecution, sending to second place North Korea which had held the top spot for 20 years.
Trending stories
 Russia, Ukraine tensions should be a matter of prayer for Southern Baptists, former missionary says
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia maintained a tough posture Wednesday amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” U.S. guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine.
Church looks to future after having building destroyed by tornado
MAYFIELD, Ky. (BP) – Members of one of the oldest churches and the only African American Southern Baptist church in Mayfield are finding ways to look ahead despite the sorrow of the Dec. 10 storms that brought significant damage to their small town.
Black church influence gauged decades after King’s death
WASHINGTON (BP) – The late Martin Luther King Jr. called the church the “conscience of the state” during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Kemp's $30B budget proposal includes raises for teachers, state employees
ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing almost $3 billion more in spending from state revenue in the 2023 budget year that begins July 1, led by more than $1 billion in pay and retirement increases for Georgia's state, K-12 and university employees.
Russia won't rule out military deployment to Cuba, Venezuela
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday sharply raised the stakes in a showdown with the West over Ukraine, with a top diplomat saying he wouldn't exclude a Russian military deployment to Cuba and …
Baptist Life

Georgia students do short-term stint as NAMB missionaries in Los Angeles

KENNESAW – Some college students spend the winter break going to NCAA football bowl games. Others veg out in front of the television and catch up on Netflix. Others party hardy into the wee hours of the morning. And yet others are very content to spend a couple of weeks at home with their families.

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Bobby Garcia stood out the first time he walked into our sanctuary. He entered with a very sweet looking, white-haired little lady who turned out to be his aunt. And he only had one arm. His left arm was amputated just below his elbow.
First published in February 1822, in Washington, D.C., The Christian Index is celebrating its 200th Anniversary in 2022. As the oldest continually published religious newspaper in America, it has played a vital role in Baptist life.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell set aside part of a staff-wide meeting this week to celebrate long-time NAMB leader Carlos Ferrer who is semi-retiring after 30 years of service at the mission board.
NASHVILLE (BP)—Lifeway Christian Resources has announced plans to take up residence at Maryland Farms in Brentwood by the end of 2022.
Georgia
Georgia unemployment rate again falls to new all-time low

ATLANTA (AP) — Another month brought another all-time low for Georgia's unemployment rate in December, as it dipped to 2.6%.

Snow, ice blast through South with powerful winter storm ATLANTA (AP) — A dangerous winter storm combining high winds and ice swept through parts of the U.S. Southeast on Sunday, knocking out power, felling trees and fences and coating roads with a treacherous, frigid glaze.
South prepares for weekend threat of debilitating snow, ice ATLANTA (AP) — Weather forecasters' predictions of debilitating snow and ice as far south as Georgia sent parts of the region into a tizzy Friday with shoppers scouring store shelves for storm supplies and road crews trying to prevent a repeat of past wintertime debacles.
Judge weighs pausing Georgia spaceport land deal for voters WOODBINE, Ga. (AP) — Opponents of a planned commercial spaceport on the Georgia coast asked a judge Tuesday to stop local officials from buying land for the commercial launchpad as they seek a special election that would let voters decide whether the deal should happen.

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Nation
Alabama researchers test pig-to-human transplant in donated body

Researchers on Thursday reported the latest in a surprising string of experiments in the quest to save human lives with organs from genetically modified pigs.

Biden approval hits new low at one year mark: AP-NORC poll WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ends his first year in the White House with a clear majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the presidency in the face of an …
Pilot of crashed medical helicopter: 'I had God as my co-pilot that day' PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The pilot of a medical helicopter that crash-landed without loss of life next to a church in a residential area of suburban Philadelphia last week expressed gratitude to his crew and first responders as he was released from a hospital Sunday.
Fund to preserve, assist Black churches gets $20M donation BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A new effort to preserve historic Black churches in the United States has received a $20 million donation that will go to help congregations including one that was slammed …

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World
Impoverished Lebanese, Syrians struggle to survive cold

BEIRUT (AP) — A snowstorm in the Middle East has left many Lebanese and Syrians scrambling to find ways to survive, burning old clothes, plastic and in some cases even sheep manure to keep warm as temperatures plummet and poverty soars.

Stampede at Christian ceremony in Liberia kills 29 people MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — At least 29 people in Liberia, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, have died in a stampede of worshippers at a Christian ceremony in a densely populated area of the capital, Monrovia, officials said Thursday.
Pakistan court sentences woman to death for blasphemy MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court sentenced a Muslim woman to death after finding her guilty of blasphemy for insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in text messages she sent to a friend, an official said Thursday.
Nursing home fire kills 6 in eastern Spain MADRID (AP) — Six residents of a nursing home in eastern Spain perished after a fire broke out in the night, authorities said Wednesday. Valencia’s regional head, Ximo Puig, said that 17 more …

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Perspectives
It’s amazing to me that people from 187 countries have read stories in The Christian Index over the past month.
For more than seven years the Georgia General Assembly has been dealing with the issue of expanding gambling in Georgia. Every year the proposed legislation has failed to pass out of the House and the Senate.
A couple of weeks ago The Augusta Press ran an article of mine concerning Faith and Choice.  There was a lot of good response to that article which took the common sense approach to one of the most discussed subjects of our day: abortion. 
I suppose that there has never been an issue which divided our nation like the issue of abortion. 
As we approach the legislative session getting underway in Atlanta, we are beginning the second year of a two-year legislative cycle. This means bills that did not pass last year are still available for consideration this year.

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Business
Ford recalls 200K cars because brake lights can stay on

DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling about 200,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a problem that can stop the brake lights from turning off.

China's Xi rejects 'Cold War mentality,' pushes cooperation GENEVA (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping called Monday for greater world cooperation against COVID-19 and pledged to send an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine to other countries, while urging …
Fire at Kuwait refinery kills 2 and critically injures 5 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fire erupted in Kuwait during maintenance work at a major oil refinery on Friday, killing two workers and critically injuring five others, the Kuwait National …
Fed's Powell: High inflation poses a threat to job market WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning that high inflation could make it harder to restore the job market to full health, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the Fed will raise interest rates faster than it now plans if needed to stem surging prices.
Reports: Protesters in Kazakhstan storm city mayor's office MOSCOW (AP) — Demonstrators protesting rising fuel prices broke into the mayor’s office in Kazakhstan’s largest city Wednesday and flames were seen coming from inside, according to local news …

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Sports
Fresh off UGA title, Lanning hits ground running at Oregon

Dan Lanning was all-in as Oregon's new head coach the moment he stepped off the field from celebrating Georgia's national championship. Lanning was hired by the Ducks last month, but first he …

Column: Georgia wipes away 41 years of frustration INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — After 41 agonizing years, the Georgia Bulldogs were not about to let another championship slip through their fingers.
Georgia No. 1 in AP poll for second time, with Alabama No. 2 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, earning their second national title by beating Alabama on Monday night. The Bulldogs received all 61 …
National champs: Georgia snaps 41-year title drought with 33-18 win over Bama INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Confetti rained down on Georgia. The Bulldogs fans chanted “Kir-by, Kir-by!”

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