(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…
Birmingham medical missions team manages despite seizure of supplies
CIUDAD BOLIVAR, Venezuela (ABP) — It sounds like a logistical nightmare. A 33-person medical team touches down in Venezuela, ready to run a five-day clinic with 41 trunks of medicine, eyeglasses and other supplies — 41 trunks that never arrived…
‘Justice Sunday II’ speakers rail against court rulings
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Speakers at a second rally designed to support socially conservative nominees to federal courts Aug. 14 decried several decades' worth of Supreme Court precedent on social issues, but made little direct mention of the current battle over…
Historically white Baptist college, black Baptist leaders to partner
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (ABP) — Officials from four leading African-American Baptist conventions gathered at a Kentucky Baptist college Aug. 8 to launch a new partnership. Meeting at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky., the leaders agreed upon an arrangement that will include…
Lutherans vote narrowly to retain policies discouraging gay clergy
ORLANDO, Fla. (ABP) — The nation's largest Lutheran body has maintained its status quo on homosexuality, narrowly turning down a proposal that would have allowed gay ministers to live openly. Delegates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national assembly,…
Leaders predict SBC-backed network won’t find acceptance in Europe
(ABP) — Baptist leaders in Europe predict the Southern Baptist Convention will have a hard time drawing Baptists from the continent into a new international network that, some say, will compete with the Baptist World Alliance. When the SBC withdrew…
BWA leaders hope new identity statement will help world to understand Baptists
BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance marked its 100th anniversary by unveiling a new identity statement that BWA leaders hope will be used to clarify Baptist beliefs for other Christians, as well as non-believers. The “Message from the…
Seminarian, dismissed by Baylor, loses lawsuit over ‘lewd’ e-mails
WACO, Texas (ABP) — A Baylor University seminary student who lost his scholarship in 2003 for being gay has also lost a lawsuit the school filed against him for alleged lewd conduct. McLennan County, Texas, District Court Judge Alan Mayfield…
Poll shows rebound in support for same-sex unions in U.S.
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new poll suggests that, after steep declines in the recent past, Americans' support for legal recognition of same-sex couples is rebounding. The statistics came from a survey released Aug. 3 by the Pew Forum on Religion…
Church member gives $1 million to start Dallas community center
DALLAS (ABP) — A Baptist woman in Dallas has given $1 million to start a community center in Oak Cliff, an inner-city neighborhood just south of the city's downtown. Officials of Buckner Children and Family Services and Cliff Temple Baptist…