DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) – About one in five Protestant churches in America is now independent of any denomination, and about one in five Protestants attends those independent churches, Duke sociologist Mark Chaves says in his new book American Religion: Contemporary…
Shorter University adds new faith statements
ROME, Ga. (ABP) – Shorter University has adopted a new faith statement that affirms biblical inerrancy and is requiring faculty and staff to sign a pledge rejecting homosexuality. A new mandatory “personal lifestyle statement” asks employees to agree to “be…
Mississippi Baptists back ‘Personhood Amendment’
JACKSON, Miss. (ABP) – The Mississippi Baptist Convention is backing a constitutional amendment facing voters Nov. 8 that would declare a fertilized human egg to be a person, effectively branding abortion as murder. The state convention’s Christian Action Commission endorsed…
CBF finishes fiscal year 15 percent behind budget
ATLANTA (ABP) – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ended its fiscal year $2.1 million short of its 2010-2011 budget goal of $14.5 million in total revenues, controller Larry Hurst reported to the CBF Coordinating Council Oct. 21. Anticipating a shortfall, Hurst…
Texas pastors weigh in on Rob Bell controversy
AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — Two Texas Baptist pastors weighed in on controversy over Rob Bell’s recent book questioning the traditional view of hell in a training session during the Oct. 24-26 annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas….
Church-state expert said minorities face biggest threats to religious liberty
WASHINGTON (ABP) – An advocate for the separation of church and state told a House panel Oct. 26 that what some Americans regard as imminent threats to religious liberty are in fact attempts to maintain a favored status for the…
Church deemed too Calvinist for Kentucky Baptist association
OWENSBORO, Ky. (ABP) – A Kentucky Baptist association denied membership to a church after a credentials committee found its confessional statement too Calvinistic, according to a report in the Western Recorder. Daviess-McLean Baptist Association voted 104-9 to deny membership to…
BWA officials to join global religious leaders for day of prayer for peace
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP — Two top officials of the Baptist World Alliance will join about 300 other religious leaders from around the world in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 27 for a Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice…
BGCT approves budget, rejects attempt to restore Baylor to full level
AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — The Baptist General Convention of Texas approved a flat $33.85 million budget for 2012, while rejecting an attempt to restore more than $890,000 Baylor University loses next year. Meanwhile, messengers to the Oct. 24-26 annual meeting in…
Pair charged with theft from Baptist church
MARIETTA, Ga. (ABP) – A Georgia couple is accused of stealing more than $88,000 from an Atlanta-area Southern Baptist church. Cobb County police arrested Susan Summers, 50, and James Street, 51, who share an address in Adairsville, Ga., Oct. 22,…
BGCT approves renegotiated agreement with Baylor University
AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting approved a renegotiated agreement with Baylor University, replacing a 20-year old agreement that sets the terms for the relationship between the university and the state convention….
Mayor proclaims day of service in memory of Baptist crash victim
SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) – The mayor of Shreveport, La., has proclaimed Saturday, Oct. 29, “Maggie Lee for Good Day,” honoring the memory of a 12-year-old girl who died three years ago from injuries in a bus accident while traveling to…