HARTFORD, Conn. (ABP) — The megachurch phenomenon may be even bigger than the experts thought. New research underway suggests there may be 1,200 or more of the biggie-sized congregations in the U.S. — not 850 as earlier studies showed. The…
As filibuster vote draws near, rhetoric reaches fever pitch
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A week chock-full of dueling press conferences is the latest sign that the Senate's war over the judicial filibuster is escalating — and may end with a “nuclear” detonation. As senators returned from a recess May 9,…
Judge says sex-ed program violates First Amendment
ROCKVILLE, Md. (ABP) — A federal judge has temporarily halted a sex-education program in a suburban Washington, D.C, school district, saying it violates the First Amendment's free-speech and religion clauses by promoting only one view of homosexuality. On May 5,…
Justice Department establishes task force on obscenity
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pleasing conservative Christian leaders by focusing attention on pornography. Gonzales' deputy, Christopher Wray, announced May 5 that the Department of Justice is establishing a special task force that will try to curb…
N.C. church removes members for political views, deacon says
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — A Baptist deacon says he and eight other members of a North Carolina church were removed from membership because they disagreed with the pastor's political views. Frank Lowe said he had been a member of the…
Georgia campus ministers pushed to change churches
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — At the conclusion of morning worship Sunday, April 17, pastor Jim Dant asked the congregation of Highland Hills Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., to pray for two long-time members who were considering leaving the church. Neither…
Baptists in Nazareth upset by IMB plan to sell building now used by churches
NAZARETH, Israel (ABP) — Baptists in Nazareth, Israel, are upset with plans of the International Mission Board to sell a 50-year-old stone building which a local Baptist church uses for worship and other churches use for various ministries. The two-story…
Younger marriages struggle with children, studies say
DALLAS (ABP) Having a child is called the most joyous event in one's life. But that joy may be fading. According to studies, the latest generation of parents is less able than past generations to cope with raising children while…
Churches that support marriages become healthier, advocate says
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Churches can help strengthen marriages if they are willing to become relationship-oriented rather than remaining event focused, according to a former president of the Association of Couples in Marriage Enrichment. Britton Wood, a member of…