WASHINGTON, D.C. (BWA)–Baptist World Alliance (BWA) President David Coffey and General Secretary Neville Callam are appealing for prayer for those affected by the conflict between Georgian and Russian forces over the Georgian breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Estimates…
Homeschooling a constitutional right, say some
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Until recently, more than 8 in 10 Americans were at odds with a California appeals court that ruled in February that “parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children,” according to just-released data from…
The first 75 days
WOODSTOCK, Ga. (BP) — In his first 75 days as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Johnny Hunt has met with more than 500 Southern Baptist leaders, discussing ways to tackle challenges facing the SBC — issues such as baptism-less…
OUT LOUD
“The fact is that megachurches aren't — and never have been — solely grandiose political pens in which only Republican elephants lumber about.” Scott Thumma The co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths was writing in a commentary in USA Today following…
Warning signs identified
The University of Missouri's Keeping the Score website — gambling.missouri.edu — lists some of the problem gambling signs to look for in family member or friend: • Frequent unexplained absences from classes or work • Sudden drop in grades •…
Several dead in India after Hindu-Christian clashes
FALLS CHURCH (ABP) — At least six people have died in clashes between Christians and Hindus in the Indian state of Orissa, Reuters reported Aug. 27. However, accounts coming into the Baptist World Alliance claim the death toll in ongoing…
BWA births divisions for justice; scholars spotlight ecology, diversity
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Concern for freedom and justice were on the minds of participants at two recent international Baptist meetings in Prague, Czech Republic. Participants at meetings related to the Baptist World Alliance's annual gathering created a new office for…
Americans act as Georgian Baptists call for aid
FALLS CHURCH (ABP) — Baptists in the United States and elsewhere in the world are responding with aid and prayers for their counterparts in the embattled former Soviet republic of Georgia. The conflict between it and Russia has cost hundreds…
Russian Baptists meet nationally, despite opposition
MOSCOW — Despite local government's opposition and harassment, the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) completed its third biannual, national congress on schedule on Aug. 4, at a camp near the village of Rumyantsevo west of Moscow. “It was a…
Virginia Baptists on alert
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board's disaster relief ministries are on alert for potential tropical storms, says Terry Raines, the board's disaster relief coordinator. Tropical Storm Gustav is expected to return to hurricane status and make landfall somewhere on the Gulf…
Baptist youth from Virginia, Hungary travel together to Leipzig conference
What began as a cost-saving effort — a shared 15-hour, two-day bus trip — for two groups trying to get to Leipzig, Germany, for the Baptist World Alliance youth conference resulted in a unique time of fellowship for youth from…
Soaring motorcycle sales spark faith opportunities
RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) — Motorcycle sales, like gas prices, are soaring — and in the process churches and believers are discovering opportunities for witness and ministry. While gasoline prices have dropped from the $4 per gallon this summer, motorcycle dealers…