McCALLA, Ala. (ABP) — In many ways, Grant Frederick is just as ordinary as the next 13-year-old boy. He loves hanging out with his friends and watching television. But the fact that he is also his church's pianist and shuns…
Rainer, nominee for LifeWay post, anticipates ‘steep learning curve’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Thom Rainer, nominated to lead Southern Baptists' $400-million-a-year publishing venture, said he anticipates “my learning curve's going to be very steep.” If elected president of LifeWay Christian Resources, Rainer will bring both business and ministry experience…
Study: Teens plan to stay married but accept those who don’t marry
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (ABP) — High-school seniors might be developing more pro-marriage attitudes for themselves, but they are increasingly more accepting of non-marriage arrangements for others, according to a recent report. “The State of Our Unions 2005” is the seventh in…
Presbyterian businessman tapped to lead Habitat for Humanity
ATLANTA (ABP) — Habitat for Humanity, the international Christian organization that builds inexpensive homes for low-income people, has named a Presbyterian businessman as its next leader. The Americus, Ga.-based group announced Aug. 4 that Jonathan Reckford would become Habitat's chief…
Louisiana CBF hires first full-time coordinator
ALEXANDRIA, La. (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana has hired its first full-time coordinator. John Daugherty, pastor of Maple Springs Baptist Church in Louisburg, N.C., will begin Oct. 1 in the coordinator's position, which combines the part-time coordinator…
LifeWay to name seminary prof Rainer as new president, sources tell ABP
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources are reportedly poised to name a new president. Sources tell Associated Baptist Press that, Thom Rainer, founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern…
Soft-spoken BWA president David Coffey preaches tolerance of Baptist differences
BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — Having served as general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain since 1991, David Coffey is facing a new challenge — the presidency of the Baptist World Alliance. Listening to Coffey, it's clear he has…
Bush court nominee did work for landmark gay-rights case
WASHINGTON (ABP) — John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court, donated legal work on behalf of gay-rights groups that helped them win a landmark 1996 case before that panel, according to the Los Angeles Times. While he was…
Richmond church not afraid to give itself away
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Weatherford Memorial Baptist Church's facilities sit on a prominent corner on the south side of Richmond, Va. Patterned after Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the main sanctuary has a circular vestibule with white columns, a marble floor and…
Five Missouri Baptist institutions denied rehearing of appeal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (ABP) — In a single sentence, the Missouri Court of Appeals turned down a motion for a rehearing in the continuing legal struggle between the Missouri Baptist Convention and five related institutions. The order, issued on Aug….
Bush endorses ‘intelligent design’ being taught in public schools
WASHINGTON (ABP) — President Bush endorsed the teaching of “intelligent design” on an equal level with natural selection in a roundtable interview with reporters from Texas newspapers Aug. 1. Bush said students should be exposed to the theory, which posits…
Sudanese vice president’s death threatens peace agreement
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Observers of the bloody Sudanese civil war are concerned that the apparently accidental death of a central figure in the nation's new power-sharing government could derail a months-old peace agreement. Sudanese officials confirmed Aug. 1 that Vice…