OAKLAND, Calif. (ABP) — A Baptist church internationally acclaimed for its HIV/AIDS ministry is taking a festive approach to a somber occasion — World AIDS Day, observed annually on Dec. 1. Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., planned a…
Christians join last-ditch effort to pass immigration reform for youngsters
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Christian leaders were among those joining a coordinated, last-ditch effort Nov. 30 to get Congress to pass a bill providing a path to legal status for the undocumented children of illegal immigrants. “Each year approximately 65,000 undocumented…
Christian charity warns about danger of holiday debt
BRADFORD, England (ABP) — A Christian debt-counseling charity in the United Kingdom is calling on people to avoid using credit cards and loans to pay for their Christmas shopping this year. Christians Against Poverty, a ministry that advocates poverty relief…
N.H. Baptist minister, elders found guilty of failing to report abuse
CONWAY, N.H. (ABP) — A minister and two elders of a Southern Baptist church in New Hampshire have been convicted on misdemeanor charges of failing to report suspected sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. Tim Dillmuth, 34, a pastor at…
Choose Wisely: Dave Ramsey on moral decision-making
(ABP) — Dave Ramsey is founder of the Lampo Group and one of the most widely recognized experts on the intersection of Christian principles and personal finance. He agreed to an e-mail interview about ethical financial decision-making for Christians. Dave…
Choose Wisely: Experts say financial decisions have moral implications
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Even a financial decision as seemingly mundane as where to buy your morning coffee can have profound moral implications. Does the company that produces or sells the coffee collude with corrupt government institutions to exploit the farmers…
Choose Wisely: Fair-trade movement has Christian roots
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In 1946, a faithful Mennonite from the United States named Edna Ruth Byler took a trip to Puerto Rico and was shocked by both the poverty she encountered and the seeming hopelessness of the artisans who produced…
Apostolic movements called key to church’s future, church planter says
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Western Christianity’s future depends on its capacity to recover apostolic movements in the present day rather than simply fuel institutions, author and church planter Alan Hirsch recently told a group of church leaders in Texas. Alan…
Faith leaders support including contraception in health reform
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Religious leaders on both sides of the abortion debate called on Congress to include free birth control as a component in health-care reform. Responding to an Institute of Medicine panel considering whether contraception should be classified in…