JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) has caused a major stir with comments, published in the Florida Baptist Convention's newspaper, suggesting that the separation of church and state is “a lie” and that failing to elect Christians to…
West Palm megachurch pastor resigns amid debt, résumé exposé
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (ABP) — Embattled pastor Steven Flockhart resigned from First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Fla. — less than three months after he was hired to lead the 10,000-member church — reportedly because he lied about…
Clarification
In the Aug. 22 article titled “Pastoral perks can be unethical, even illegal, Texas church finds,” please note the following clarification and replace the 8th paragraph with the following two paragraphs: ”According to the Star-Telegram, John Fegan, a member of…
Despite controversy, FDA finally OKs ‘morning-after’ pill without prescription
WASHINGTON (ABP) — After a three-year-long debate, the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved wider distribution of a “morning-after” contraceptive, angering some religious conservatives and anti-abortion groups. FDA officials announced Aug. 24 that they had approved non-prescription sales of…
New stem-cell extraction technique may help quiet raging debate
WORCESTER, Mass. (ABP) — New scientific research may defuse the culture war over embryonic stem-cell research, but it also may raise new ethical questions. In a study publicized Aug. 23 on the website of the journal Nature, members of a…
Mother of Baptist students fears return to African homeland
PLAINVIEW, Texas (ABP) — Fedha Mohamed Elyas has visited her children in Texas before and returned home to Africa with no problems. But this time, she's afraid to go home. Elyas is a resident of the Comoros Islands, off the…
Judge upholds 10 Commandments display at Oklahoma courthouse
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (ABP) — A federal judge in Oklahoma has upheld a Ten Commandments display outside a county courthouse, saying county officials did not advance any religious viewpoint by allowing the monument to be built two years ago. United States…
Church pays staff member to work full time in N.O.
METAIRIE, La. (ABP) — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of churches nationwide sent work groups to the region to help gut houses, build new ones and reach people with the gospel. Most of those workers left after a…
Pastoral perks can be unethical, even illegal, Texas church finds
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (ABP) — Frank Harber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Colleyville, Texas, resigned Aug. 18 amid allegations he benefited from an improper real estate deal. But his is only the latest case illustrating the fine line between ethical…
Relationships key to revitalizing poor, rural Kentucky county
WHITLEY CITY, Ky. (ABP) — Wilma Prater has lived in McCreary County, Ky., for 20 years. She likes the peace and quiet, the mountain scenery she can see from her porch, and the friendliness of her neighbors. She said she…
Series: Katrina, one year later
Churches transformed by Katrina help rebuild New Orleans — house by house NEW ORLEANS (ABP) — Hurricane Katrina is changing New Orleans’ churches as surely as it changed the face of the flooded city itself — and some…
Texas Christian Life Commission picks Paynter for director post
DALLAS (ABP) — Suzii Paynter has been named director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission — the first woman to hold the influential position. The directorship of the ethics and public-policy organization is historically one of the most high-profile…