WASHINGTON (ABP) — Against a background of mounting anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence, Baptist and other religious leaders spoke out Aug. 30 against Islamophobia and urged federal officials to take a more proactive role in safeguarding Muslims’ civil rights. A group…
Englishman brings King’s dream to stage
ATLANTA (ABP) – Douglas Tappin’s dream has taken him from London to Atlanta and from the practice of law to writing an acclaimed new musical about another dreamer — Martin Luther King Jr. -– all via a degree from a…
CBF churches take part in Bible-listening program
ATLANTA (ABP) — More than 500 churches affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship participated in a yearlong Bible-listening project, raising more than $185,000 to support translation and distribution of the Bible around the world. The "You've Got the Time" program,…
N.C. Hispanic pastor facing possible deportation over old crime
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina solicited urgent prayer Aug. 27 for a Hispanic pastor facing possible deportation for a 15-year-old crime he committed before accepting Christ. According to media reports, Hector Villanueva,…
School Daze: Tradition of U.S. Baptist higher education a lengthy one
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Baptist higher education stands on the shoulders of a long tradition in Christianity linking knowledge to faith. The Apostle Paul, many of the early church fathers and important theologians like Augustine were respected for their knowledge,…
School Daze: Christian colleges not spared from recession’s impact
(ABP) — God makes rain fall on the just and the unjust, Jesus said. Similarly, recession makes market prices fall, affecting endowments of Christian and secular colleges and universities alike. United States and Canadian schools suffered an average 23 percent…
School Daze: Baptist higher education in state of flux
(ABP) — As students return to classes at historically Baptist colleges and universities this fall, the institution of Baptist higher education is in a state of flux. Challenges that include finances, changing demographics and fragmentation of Baptist denominations are prompting…
Baptist church sets Guinness record with shoe chain
From left, Carol Shattuck, Mark Chambers and Marv Overman were among 150 volunteers recruited for Saturday's "Sole Chain" celebration. HOUSTON (ABP) — A Baptist church in Texas braved near-100 degree heat Aug. 21 to set the new Guinness world record…
Bobby Bowden says he used coaching to witness to players
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Former Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden recently told a Baptist newspaper that it was his duty as coach to share his Christian faith with all his players, even though it wasn't the "politically correct"…
Baptist campus locks down during robbery chase
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (ABP) — Ouachita Baptist University instituted a campus lockdown Aug. 24 while police sought a fleeing bank-robbery suspect later apprehended near the campus. Police captured a mud-covered Lamar Demond Holms shortly after noon on the banks of the…
Religious leaders say questioning Obama’s faith is out of bounds
WASHINGTON (ABP) — More than 70 Christian leaders signed a letter Aug. 25 calling on "public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question" whether or not…
Interfaith leaders defend ‘mosque’ project; co-leader says move off table
NEW YORK (ABP) – The co-leader of an effort to build an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan said Aug. 25 that, although leaders of the project are working with interfaith “stakeholders” to determine the best course of action, moving…