Biblical Recorder

Photo via Unsplash. Bring to mind someone you’ve known most of your life — a parent, sibling, friend or spouse. No matter how well you know that person, there’s always more to learn, right? As you share meals, spend time on long walks or just hang out on the couch together, you learn more and more things about that person. The longer you love them, the more of their true self you know. That is also how it is with God, our King of glory.

Submitted photo. Southside Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tenn., needed $80,000 to repair its air conditioning system. Nearby Farmington Baptist Church was ready to help. SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — Southside Baptist Church started the year staring down a hot summer with no air conditioning and an $80,000 repair bill it couldn’t afford. “The church has never had the funds, honestly, to be able to accomplish that goal,” said Pastor Joshua Johnson, who has led Southside for two years.

Photo via Unsplash. PHILADELPHIA (BP) — Only a quarter of Americans attend church weekly, the same percentage as a year ago, the American Bible Society (ABS) said Aug. 13 in its latest release. But the number of those who attend at least once every six months has grown by 8 million, representing a 4% drop in those who very rarely or never attend, the ABS said in releasing the fifth chapter of the State of the Bible.

Serving in Ministry International photo. Kevin Rideout, kidnapped by militants in Niger in October 2025, has been released. Serving in Ministry International photo NIAMEY, Niger (BP) — Kevin Rideout, a U.S. missionary to Niger kidnapped by militants in October 2025, has been released in good health, Serving in Mission International (SIM) publicly confirmed Aug. 14.

Photo via Unsplash. The Russia-Ukraine war continues to target critical infrastructure and, increasingly, the lives of civilians across Ukraine, with Russia carrying out large-scale missile and drone attacks. Despite devastation, the Ukrainian church has stepped up to meet humanitarian needs, said Igor Bandura, the Ukrainian Baptist Union’s vice president for international affairs. “In August, Russia expanded its use of FPV (first-person view) drones against civilian vehicles and civilians.

Submitted photo. GenSend student missionaries serving this summer at Steel City Church in Pittsburgh started a pop-up coffee shop that gave missionaries opportunities to start conversations with customers. Here, GenSend missionary Gabriella Campbell, prays with a woman who stopped by for coffee. GenSend student missionaries in Pittsburgh this summer started a coffee shop. Others, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, focused on college campuses.

Photo via Unsplash. Sometimes the easiest way to expose a bad idea is simply to take it seriously. For years, the transgender movement has promoted a false distinction between biological sex and gender identity that has become commonplace in society. Consequently, the intrusion of men into female spaces, whether it be bathrooms, athletic competitions or beauty contests, is left to the whims of individuals and their chosen identities. All of this is perfectly normal, or so we are told.

Facebook photo. The Stone family. Sarah is second from right. BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — Mike Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Ga., said his 18-year-old daughter, Sarah, has entered hospice care at home after nearly a decade of serious health struggles, but her family says the hope of Christ and the promise of the resurrection are sustaining them in the days ahead.

Photo via Unsplash. 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.

Submitted photo. Pastor Ben Palka of King's Church in Washington, D.C., baptizes a new believer. A growing share of those baptized in Southern Baptist churches are adults, research shows. BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — As baptisms in Southern Baptist congregations increase, a growing percentage of those entering the baptismal pools are adults. In the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Church Profile (ACP), baptisms grew for the fifth straight year to reach 263,075, the highest total since 2016.