LOUISVILLE, Ky (ABP) — Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., has become a controversial figure among evangelical Christians. On a recent stop for his lecture tour, “The Gods Aren't Angry,” in Louisville, Bell sat…
Southeastern Seminary student charged with child sex abuse
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Police have charged a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student with sexually abusing a 10-year-old child at an after-hours YMCA program, re-emphasizing the growing problem of sex abuse among Southern Baptist clergy. It's not the first time…
New Baptist Covenant, Huckabee rank as top stories in ‘07, journalists say
WASHINGTON (ABP) – The biggest news story among Baptists in 2007 was about an event that has not even happened yet — the announcement of an unprecedented meeting of Baptists from across North America — according to an informal survey…
Former atheist shapes youth program through Baptist agency in Moldova
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Five weeks in North Carolina undid a lifetime of atheism for Tatiana Ceban. Nearly 14 years later, she is helping a Baptist agency craft a transitional living program for youth who have aged out of government-run…
Faith leaders reject ‘hateful speech’ while Hispanics leave GOP
NEW YORK (ABP) — Republican presidential candidates appeal to fears over immigration in the primary campaigns at the risk of alienating an important constituency – conservative Hispanics – religious leaders in several early primary states said Dec. 17. In a…
Happy New Year? For some Christians, it has already begun
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) — When does the new year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, it began with the start of Advent on Dec. 2. The traditional Christian season of Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas, is to…
Red Letter Days: Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP) — What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last Christmas? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? A toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that…
With Corzine’s signature, N.J. officially bans death penalty
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — Stating his firm opposition to what he called “state-endorsed killing,” New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has signed into law a legislative ban on capital punishment — the nation's first in decades. Shortly before he signed…
Opinion: Does Christmas matter to the world?
(ABP) — On a recent trip to my hometown, I was surprised to hear some beautiful Russian Orthodox music performed by the “Singing Christmas Tree” in my childhood Southern Baptist church in North Carolina. Perhaps I should clarify this. I…
Mo. Baptist leaders restrict funding for church starts, angering some
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. The…
Missouri Baptist executive board approves moving headquarters
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Missouri Baptist Convention leaders voted Dec. 10 to move the group's headquarters building to a small town west of the state capital — but the effort may run into trouble due to complications over a…
Volleyball coach at Baptist-affiliated university dies unexpectedly
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Doris Wefwafwa, a student-assistant volleyball coach at Campbellsville University and former volleyball All-American, died unexpectedly Dec. 10. Wefwafwa, a resident of Kenya, was 34. Wefwafwa died at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, Ky., after a brief…