NEW YORK (ABP)—In what is shaping up to be a faith-filled race for the presidency, Republican and Democratic candidates have pulled out all the stops—hiring religion gurus, conscientiously attending church, discussing the intimate details of their prayer lives on national…
Southern Baptists grapple with global warming, doubt causes
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention rejected scientific claims that humans are to blame for global warming and dismissed the governmental efforts to reverse it. Messengers to the annual SBC meeting also stood by their resolution committee's decision…
The legacy of Miss Lu
Lucretia O. Litchfield of Petersburg died a wealthy woman on June 14. She was rich beyond measure in the values that make life sparkle, in the relationships that make life worthwhile, and in the years which made her life long…
EDITORIAL: SBC reflections
As I returned home from the Southern Baptist Convention, I brought with me three overriding perceptions. First, I was shocked that only 8,618 messengers gathered for the Southern Baptist Convention—and that only 331 Virginians from both the BGAV and the…
Do the math on abstinence education
Just in time for a Capitol Hill battle over abstinence education funding, a curious report was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in April. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., a Washington D.C. think tank, conducted the study…
Pastors challenged to link faith, society in their sermons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Prophecy is not about gazing into the future. It's about passion for a better world right now, speakers at a celebration of preaching stressed. While many think of the prophets of the Bible primarily as predictors of the…
USCIRF decries Pakistan’s abuse of blasphemy laws
WASHINGTON (BP)—Incessant persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan is generating increased concern from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. A recent news release from the USCIRF expressed outrage over the Islamic country's abuse of its blasphemy…
The great task
There is no doubt that parenting is a big deal. It can be the most rewarding of tasks and also the most frustrating. Being a parent brings a mix of pure joy, overwhelming love, and sheer exhaustion. What's amazing is…
Weary pastors stave off stress by scheduling ‘personal Sabbaths’
DALLAS (ABP)—Consummate counselor, powerful preacher, lasting leader—these are descriptions often used to characterize a respected pastor. Avid fisherman and beach bum are not. But Bruce Prindle, pastor of First Baptist Church in Midlothian, Texas, values fishing and lying in a…
Atheists view ‘radical Christianity’ as threat
WASHINGTON (RNS)—More than half of atheists and agnostics think “radical Christianity” is just as threatening in the United States as “radical Islam,” a new study reveals. The Barna Group, a Ventura, Calif.-based research firm, found 56 percent of atheists and…
WMU focuses on missions, ministry
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Prayer took center stage as Woman's Missionary Union leaders, missionaries, and Southern Baptist agency leaders spoke at the union's annual meeting June 11, held prior to the Southern Baptist Convention gathering. In her address, union president…
Ruth Graham buried in private ceremony
MONTREAT, N.C. (BP) — Hundreds of friends and family members packed the Montreat Conference Center June 16 to remember Ruth Graham and hear all five of her children — as well as her husband in an unscheduled moment — recount…