WASHINGTON (ABP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court did April 18 exactly what many pro-lifers hoped and what many abortion-rights advocates feared it would: It upheld, for the first time, a nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure. In a…
In sweeping decision, divided court upholds ‘partial-birth’ abortion ban
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court did April 18 exactly what many pro-lifers hoped — and what many abortion-rights advocates feared. For the first time, the majority upheld a nationwide ban on a specific abortion procedure. In a…
In court’s abortion decision, both sides see risk for Roe
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In upholding a federal ban April 18 on a rare kind of late-term abortion procedure, the Supreme Court may have begun undermining its key abortion precedent. Activists on both sides of the abortion issue greeted the court's…
In days following shootings, Hokies search for bright spots amid tragedy
BLACKSBURG, Va. (ABP) — Two days after Cho Seung-Hui shot and killed at least 32 students and professors on the campus of Virginia Tech, students are searching for something good to come of the massacre. “There are people out there…
Churches in parenthesis: Churches benefit from intentional interims
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Churches that go through an intentional interim pastor process show lasting benefits, according to recent research. The North Carolina-based Center for Congregational Health examined churches 24 to 36 months after they completed an intentional interim, paying…
Churches in parenthesis: Intentional interims serve specific purposes
PLAINVIEW, Texas (ABP) — According to Michael Summers, a director of church services at Wayland Baptist University in Texas, every church needs to step back periodically and reevaluate its purpose. It's a time for members to determine who they are,…
Baptist workers in China minister through jobs as English teachers
ATLANTA (ABP) — Don and Karen Barnes teach English in China, but they call themselves “tentmakers.” The term harkens to the Apostle Paul's vocation that allowed him to minister to new Christians as he worked. As professors at Guangxi University,…
Opinion: Practice resurrection throughout entire Easter season
Happy Easter! My greeting might seem misplaced, especially in light of the recent horrifying Virginia Tech shooting. On a much smaller scale, many of us are weighed down with other worries and anxieties. But isn't Easter already over? Like many…
Devastated Va. Tech students gather for prayer at Baptist campus center
BLACKSBURG, Va. (ABP) — As the sun began to set and the wind continued to howl over a wounded campus and city April 16, Virginia Tech students gathered for prayer, comfort and counseling at the school's Baptist student center. Blacksburg,…
Churches in parenthesis: Baptists cope in a ‘punctuation crisis’
When pastors leave congregations, their former churches often face what could be termed a punctuation crisis. Some mark the departure with a period at the end of a sentence — either for the minister or the congregation. Others approach it…
Corporate setting offers chaplains unique opportunities for ministry
ATLANTA (ABP) — Baptist agencies like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorse hundreds of chaplains, most of which serve with the armed services or in healthcare facilities, but Alan Tyson is part of a select few: he works in corporate America….
Va. Baptist groups rush to counsel students after Va. Tech massacre
BLACKSBURG, Va. (ABP) — Virginia Baptists were well positioned to respond to the unprecedented massacre at Virginia Tech April 16. Ministers from Blacksburg Baptist Church and officials from the Baptist General Association of Virginia's campus ministry at Virginia Tech and…