WASHINGTON (RNS) — Often accused of ignoring religion as they craft foreign policy, the White House and State Department are trying to show that religion is a rising priority for U.S. diplomacy. The most recent case in point: Secretary of…
BWA expresses solidarity with Baptists in Norway
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) – The head of the Baptist World Alliance has sent a letter of solidarity to Baptists in Norway in response to recent mass killings in that country that claimed at least 76 lives. Neville Callam, general…
Some troubled by ‘Christian’ label for Norwegian shooter
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (ABP) – Religious conservatives in the United States went on the defensive after media described the suspect in last week’s shooting rampage in Norway as a Christian fundamentalist. Christian Broadcasting Network veteran Dale Hurd called usage of…
Former British Baptist pastor sentenced for sexual abuse
FAIRFAX, Va. (ABP) – A former British Baptist pastor was sentenced July 22 to eight years in prison for sexually abusing two boys while visiting a family friend in the United States. Robert Dando, former senior minister at Worcester Park…
As political candidates run for office, some run from their church
NEW YORK (RNS) — On a recent Sunday, Rep. Michele Bachmann offered a Pentecostal church in Iowa an intimate account of her pilgrimage from apathetic teenager to devout Christian whose faith has persevered through hardship, including a miscarriage. But when…
BWA expresses solidarity with Baptists in Norway after terror acts
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The head of the Baptist World Alliance has sent a letter of solidarity to Baptists in Norway in response to recent mass killings in that country that claimed at least 76 lives. Neville Callam, general…
ANALYSIS: What’s behind China’s hard line against Catholics?
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — When China’s state-run Catholic Church ordained a new bishop for the Diocese of Shantou July 14 without the Vatican’s approval, it represented the latest step back from years of progress in a complex relationship. Yet the…
Candidates run for office, and some away from their church
NEW YORK (RNS) — On a recent Sunday, Rep. Michele Bachmann offered a Pentecostal church in Iowa an intimate account of her pilgrimage from apathetic teenager to devout Christian whose faith has persevered through hardship, including a miscarriage. But when…
SBC leader criticizes Senate Democrats
WASHINGTON (ABP) – A Southern Baptist policy expert criticized a July 22 Senate vote rejecting a House bill to cut spending and require a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Senators voted 51-46 along party lines against a “cut, cap and…
China Christian Council confirms continued ties with Virginia Baptists
SHANGHAI, China (ABP) — A leader of the China Christian Council — the official organization of Protestant churches in China — affirmed the group’s continuing commitment to strong ties with the Baptist General Association of Virginia during a meeting with…
US Baptists building bridges in China through basketball clinics
XI’AN, China (ABP) — Coordinating their efforts through the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the local YMCA, a group from Virginia and both Carolinas led basketball clinics in July for youth in the central Chinese city of Xi’an (pronounced She-awn)….
Mid-Atlantic Baptists building bridges in China through basketball clinics
XI’AN, China — Coordinating their efforts through the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the local YMCA, a team of athletes from Baptist churches in Virginia and both Carolinas led basketball clinics in July for youth in the central Chinese city…