By David Gushee Last week the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships issued its report to the president, culminating a year of efforts in rethinking the relationship between faith groups and the federal government. Their report is…
BWA leaders hear thanks for quake relief, requests for more aid, prayers
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Chilean Baptists’ top leader tearfully thanked Baptist World Alliance officials March 10 for the aid and support shown to her country since its Feb. 27 earthquake — and said that the needs and opportunities remain…
Faith-based panel submits proposals; some issues remain unsolved
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A White House advisory council March 9 submitted 164 pages of recommendations on ways the federal government can partner better with faith-based groups in tackling a host of social problems, from poverty to improving interfaith relations. Still,…
Legal expert says remaining Baptist jailed in Haiti likely to be set free
BOISE, Idaho (ABP) — Unless new charges are filed against her, the last of 10 Southern Baptist mission volunteers jailed in Haiti on suspicion of child kidnapping will have to be released, according to an expert on Haiti's legal system….
Supreme Court accepts Baptist church case testing limits of free speech
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to wade into what is expected to be one of the most-watched cases in the court's 2010-2011 term — whether the privacy rights of grieving families trump the free-speech rights of…
Hymnal aims to introduce old favorites, latest compositions to new generation
ATLANTA (ABP) — Bucking a trend in many churches to eschew four-part harmonies for praise choruses projected on a screen, a new hymnal released March 8 seeks to introduce both old favorites and lesser-known new compositions to a new generation…
Dallas church publicly acknowledges welcoming stance toward gays
DALLAS — A North Dallas church has changed its website to identify itself as inclusive of varied sexual orientations — a move that potentially could put the church at odds with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. A March 6…
New Baptist hymnal unveiled in Atlanta
ATLANTA (ABP) — A new hymnal for Baptist churches in the works for four years premiered in Atlanta March 7. Choirs from five churches gathered for a Sunday afternoon service unveiling the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, a joint initiative of Townsend-McAfee…
Rankin welcomes ‘token commitment’ to increased IMB funding by task force
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABP) — The head of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board welcomed a recent progress report by a Great Commission Task Force as a "token" step toward redistributing more resources to the denomination's primary task of reaching…
Baylor University slated to receive $200 million, the largest gift in its history
WACO, Texas — Baylor University has announced the largest gift in the school’s history — an estate provision estimated at $200 million from an anonymous donor. The announcement came less than three weeks after Baylor University regents selected Kenneth Starr…
Study says blogs a growing but largely untapped influence on religion
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (ABP) — Blogs are a growing but still relatively underutilized influence on today's religious discourse, according to a study of the religious blogosphere by the Social Science Research Council. "Blogs have given occasion to a whole new set…
African-American Baptist organizations pledge $50 million for Haiti relief
CHICAGO (ABP) — America's five largest historically African-American Baptist organizations are cooperating to raise $50 million to help rebuild Haiti and provide aid to victims of a Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the area surrounding the capital of Port-au-Prince. Called…