WASHINGTON (ABP) — Something of an international diplomatic crisis ensued Aug. 23, after news spread that conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson had called for the assassination of Venezuela's president. Representatives of groups as diverse as the State Department, the Department…
Federal agency defunds ‘faith-based’ charity
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal agency has withdrawn funding from an abstinence program that is part of President Bush's “faith-based initiative,” saying it does not have proper safeguards in place to avoid direct government support of religion. In a letter…
Georgetown, Kentucky Baptist Convention to dialogue about future relationship
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A 14-member joint workgroup is being formed to review the working relationship between Georgetown College and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The request for dialogue, proposed by Georgetown's board of trustees, was approved by the KBC Mission…
Stem-cell discovery may negate controversy over research
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new discovery in embryonic stem-cell research may end up leap-frogging the political and moral debates over the procedure. A team of researchers from Harvard University announced Aug. 21 that they had converted adult human skin cells…
Rick Warren clarifies SBC ties after ‘misstatement’ in interview
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (ABP) — Saddleback Community Church is the largest congregation in the Southern Baptist Convention. But is it really Southern Baptist? Pastor Rick Warren told a group of high-profile journalists in May that the 40,000-member church no longer…
Counselors help tsunami victims deal with emotion damage too
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ABP) — In Matara, Sri Lanka, school teachers have moved all the classes to the upper floor because the children refuse to meet in the school's ground-level rooms. The memory of the Dec. 26 tsunami is still…
Bible finds role in classroom, but is it taught fairly?
Part one: (ABP) — As students load their backpacks for school this fall, a growing number include the Bible among their textbooks. But critics — including Christians eager to see teenagers seriously study the Scriptures — say some public-school Bible…
Popular Bible curriculum lacks academic credibility, critic says
Part two: (ABP) — Not only does a popular Bible curriculum for public schools promote one religious point of view, it lacks academic credibility, says reviewer Mark Chancey. The Bible in History and Literature, a 290-page curriculum resource produced by…
Bible’s role in classroom buttressed by Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABP) — While the cultural debate about religion in schools is nowhere near settled, the Supreme Court has resolved at least this much: Students should know what's in the Bible. In the Supreme Court's 1963 ruling on Abington…
For teachers, faith in classroom requires delicate balance
(ABP) — Many Christian public school teachers see their vocation as more than a job. They view it as a divine calling. But some wrestle with how to follow Christ without stepping out of bounds. Teachers should start by keeping…
N.C. proposed budget keeps CBF, but would limit CBF messengers
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — The executive committee of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention board of directors narrowly approved a budget proposal Aug. 16 that retains direct funding for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, but could also limit representation from churches…
N.C. Baptist Retirement Home seeks to alter relationship
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — Directors of the North Carolina Baptist Retirement Home are seeking to “adjust certain aspects of their relationship” with the North Carolina Baptist State Convention “while reaffirming other traditional ties.” The move comes after a convention nominating…