WASHINGTON (ABP) — In the latest presidential primary contests, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama improved his position among Catholics on the Democratic side while most white evangelicals chose not to vote for Arizona Sen. John McCain, even though he is now…
Polls, authors say white evangelicals embracing political independence
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A raft of recent polls and books suggest that the evangelical vote may be turning — or returning — to a more even distribution between the Republican and Democratic parties. A Zogby International poll released Feb. 11…
Texas’ Church Under the Tree reaches disenfranchised youth
ROCKWALL, Texas (ABP) — Commitment is the key to a fruitful ministry, Ron Evans says. He should know. He is the pastor of a church that literally meets under a tree. On any given Sunday afternoon, people of all ages…
CBF council approves budget, reports revenue shortfalls at February meeting
ATLANTA (ABP) -– Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship approved a $16.5 million budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year and heard of budget shortfalls during the CBF Coordinating Council's Feb. 7-8 meeting in Decatur, Ga. The council's finance committee reported…
Dobson backs Huckabee after Romney bows out
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — In a move unprecedented for him, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has endorsed a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. In a statement released Feb. 7, Dobson backed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee…
Victims, Baptists focus on relief after deadly storms
JACKSON, Tenn. (ABP) — Baptist churches and organizations are both suffering and helping in the wake of deadly tornadoes that devastated the Mid-South Feb. 5-6. According to initial National Weather Service reports, more than 60 tornadoes struck Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky…
Huckabee, McCain, Dems left as Romney drops out of race
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Mike Huckabee's Feb. 5 assertion that he is now in a “two-man race” was ratified Feb. 7 when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican contest for the presidency. With an announcement to Washington…
Deadly Super Tuesday storms devastate Union University
JACKSON, Tenn. (ABP) — Baptist-affiliated Union University was one of the hardest-hit spots as deadly tornadoes raked the Mid-South Feb. 5 — the same day as Mardi Gras celebrations and the “Super Tuesday” primary elections. Among those killed was Fountaine…
After Super Tuesday, parties, religious voters still divided
WASHINGTON (ABP) — About the only thing the Feb. 5 “Super Tuesday” primaries made clear is that religious voters are as conflicted as the general electorate over who the next president should be. By the afternoon of Feb. 6, with…
Church security: What to do when under attack at church
NEW YORK (ABP) — Last December, worshipers at a Colorado church lost two members to a murderous gunman. In 2006, a man entered an Oregon church and threw fuel during a Sunday service, intending to set the building ablaze. And…
The security of the believer: Protecting churches from attack
NEW YORK (ABP) — One day after a shooter killed two sisters at Colorado's New Life Church, Pastor Brady Boyd told reporters the church had become a target because of its size and its notoriety. But the toll to the…
Church security demands all hands on deck — with firearms included?
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, has long employed personnel to patrol its campus, escort women to cars after dark and ensure buildings are locked. But after a security guard stopped a gunman…