NORMAN, Okla. (ABP) — Veteran missionary Charles “T” Thomas was hired by the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma as coordinator Dec. 6. Thomas, currently associate coordinator for missions for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, will assume his new position…
Moderate Baptists in North Carolina plan meeting after resounding defeat
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Moderate Baptists in North Carolina are calling for a meeting next month to discuss their future. The open meeting is scheduled for Jan. 23-24 at First Baptist Church in Greensboro, said David Hughes, pastor of First…
Study suggests most teens break abstinence pledges
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (ABP) — Signatures on most sexual-abstinence commitment cards may not be worth the paper they are written on, according to a recent university study. A survey by Northern Kentucky University revealed 61 percent of students who made…
Young adults who wait debate: Is it sex or something else?
DALLAS (ABP) — Young adults appear to be turning to oral sex as a way to remain sexually “pure” as they wait longer for marriage, according to sexual-health experts. Dallas psychologist Dan McGee and Joe McIlhaney, director of the Medical…
CBF church-planting partnerships produce 54 new congregations
ATLANTA (ABP) — Since 1999, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's church-starting ministry has helped begin 54 congregations nationwide that are either holding services or are in the planning stages. Steve Abbe is the pastor of one of those new churches —…
Colorado court overturns new state voucher program
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Colorado judge has halted the nation's newest school-voucher program before it even gets started. Denver District Judge Joseph Meyer ruled Dec. 3 that a new program designed to provide tax-funded scholarships to low-income Colorado students to…
Islamic group files slander lawsuit against Republican congressman
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Rep. Cass Ballenger's mouth has gotten him into trouble before, but his most recent controversial comments have earned him a lawsuit from the nation's largest Islamic civil-rights organization. In federal court in Washington Dec. 2, the Council…
Senators introduce amendment to ban same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The United States Senate has become the latest battlefield in the ongoing culture war over gay marriage. A quintet of conservative Republican senators introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment Nov. 25, shortly before senators adjourned for their holiday…
Supreme Court weighs arguments in crucial voucher case
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court appeared closely divided during Dec. 2 oral arguments in a case that could have enormous ramifications for the future of government funding for religious institutions. All eyes were on Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as…