PHILADELPHIA (ABP) — A trial for three Baptist officials in Uzbekistan charged with tax evasion and illegally teaching children religion was scheduled to enter its third week Oct 12. If convicted, Pavel Peychev, president of the Baptist Union of Uzbekistan;…
SBC leader says Obama Nobel selection political
IRVING, Texas (ABP) — The head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public-policy arm says awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama was a political move intended to influence the United States' foreign policy. "Something more than the power of…
European Baptists ponder future of international seminary
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (ABP) — European Baptist leaders gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, Oct. 1-2 to discuss the future of the cash-strapped International Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary is owned and operated by 51 Baptist unions and conventions that make…
European Baptists ponder future of international seminary
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (ABP) — European Baptist leaders gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, Oct. 1-2 to discuss the future of the cash-strapped International Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary is owned and operated by 51 Baptist unions and conventions that make…
BJC directors hear update on property search, honor Walker
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will probably need to raise a little more toward its capital campaign before it can start building a proposed “Center for Religious Liberty” on Capitol Hill, the group’s directors heard…
Faith leaders urge ‘adaptation’ funding in climate-change bill
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Climate-change legislation pending in the Senate should include robust funding for impoverished people most vulnerable to the affects of global warming, according to a new faith-based effort launched Oct. 8. The DaySix campaign, sponsored by Faith in…
Father of dead Marine to appeal decision favoring Phelps protesters
BALTIMORE (ABP) — The father of a Marine killed in Iraq says he will appeal a voided $5 million judgment against protesters at his son's funeral all the way to the Supreme Court. "I'm just kind of laying low right…
Supreme Court gets technical in arguments on Mojave cross
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Although the case of a lonely cross on federal land in California’s Mojave Desert ultimately could have wide-ranging implications for the separation of church and state, justices on the Supreme Court spent much of the Oct. 7…
Victims of church beating expected to recover
ANNA, Ill. (ABP) — An Illinois man faces charges of attempted murder in a brutal beating attack Sept. 28 on two senior-adult women in a small-town Southern Baptist church. Willis Bates, 45, of Anna, Ill., is accused of attacking 69-year-old…
Victims of brutal beating in Illinois church expected to recover
ANNA, Ill. (ABP) — An Illinois man faces charges of attempted murder in a brutal beating attack Sept. 28 on two senior-adult women in a small-town Southern Baptist church. Willis Bates, 45, was arrested Oct. 5, a week after the…
Judge delays ruling on dismissal of ‘birther’ case
SANTA ANA, Calif. (ABP) — A federal judge heard arguments for three hours Oct. 5 about whether or not he should dismiss a lawsuit questioning Barack Obama's birthplace and the legitimacy of his presidency. In the end, U.S. District Court…
Judge delays ruling on dismissal of Wiley Drake’s ‘birther’ case
SANTA ANA, Calif. (ABP) — A federal judge heard arguments for three hours Oct. 5 about whether or not he should dismiss a lawsuit questioning Barack Obama's birthplace and the legitimacy of his presidency. In the end, U.S. District Court…