WASHINGTON (ABP) — Treasury Department officials have dropped the threat of a $34,000 fine against the Alliance of Baptists, according to a letter the group's attorney received May 17. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, threatened the…
3 prominent Republicans join Carter, Clinton, Gore on New Covenant roster
ATLANTA (ABP) — Organizers for next January's New Baptist Covenant gathering announced the speakers for the historic three-day meeting — with former President Jimmy Carter making good on a pledge to enlist prominent Republican Baptists to complement the mostly Democratic…
Maciel named seventh president of Baptist University of the Americas
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ABP) — René Maciel will become the seventh president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio, Texas. Maciel, 48, currently serves as assistant dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. He joined…
European conservatives say acceptance of gay marriage renders it meaningless
Analysis: For polarizing figure, Falwell leaves complex legacy
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Few other figures in the second half of the 20th century have proved as polarizing in American popular and political culture as Jerry Falwell, who died May 15 at the age of 73. But the outspoken preacher…
CBF, ABC to co-sponsor two couples in unique commission
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and American Baptist Churches USA have agreed to co-sponsor two missions couples in mission fields in the United States and Haiti. The missionaries are Marcia and Duane Binkley, who will be commissioned in…
Baptist chaplain works in Iraq, ministers to those of all faiths
ATLANTA (ABP) — Alan Rogers has baptized soldiers in an Iraqi river under armed Marine protection. Needless to say, it was a quick job. “He courageously made a public proclamation of his faith in front of his squad as they…
Yolanda King, oldest child of Martin Luther King Jr., dies
NEW YORK (ABP) — Yolanda King, the oldest child of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., died in Santa Monica, Calif., May 15. She was 51. Spokesmen have said the family thinks the cause of death was a heart…
Opinion: The best way to a full Baptist remembrance
The 400th anniversary of the Jamestown colony is big news, at least here in Virginia. The visit of Queen Elizabeth II excited a flurry of comments on proper protocol, and at least one TV reporter wondered aloud why Governor Kaine…
Networks: New label or new way for Baptist churches to relate?
DALLAS (ABP) — Some associations of churches now call themselves “networks.” And their directors of missions insist it's more than just a trendy change in terminology. As missions director for a West Texas area that included both the Midland and…
Competing state conventions challenge associations, Baptists say
DALLAS (ABP) — Dual — and sometimes dueling — state conventions often present a challenge for associations of churches. So when Baptists in a state form a second convention, associations find themselves walking a fine line, especially if significant numbers…
Falwell, symbol of Religious Right’s influence and excesses, dead at 73
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Jerry Falwell, the pastor, university founder and media impresario who received both credit and blame for making the Religious Right a political force in American politics, is dead at age 73. According to multiple news reports, Falwell…