DALLAS — A seemingly unlikely alliance between conservative Christian evangelicals and Mormons recasts American history as the founding of a distinctively Christian republic, Stephen Stookey told a gathering of Baptist church historians. Self-styled historian David Barton and conservative provocateur Glenn…
Three die at Joplin, Mo., church hit by tornado that tears across Midwest
JOPLIN, Mo. (ABP) — At least two Missouri Baptist churches are among the scores of institutions, businesses and homes destroyed when one of 68 reported tornadoes that swept across the Midwest on Sunday struck Joplin. (See related story here.) News…
Historical Society celebrates Baptists’ ‘singing faith’ with hymn festival
RICHMOND, Va. — It’s said that the Reformer Martin Luther once stood in his pulpit on a Sunday morning, held aloft a Bible and told his congregation, “This is the gospel.” Then raising a hymnal in his other hand, he…
TRENDING: Froth or prophecy?
My wife, Mary, has a Yahoo home page. At the top is a “Trending Now” column. It lists the top 10 most frequently accessed internet stories. Today’s top four trends are: 1. Zsa Zsa Gabor John Chandler 2. Katie Couric…
Two Intermont graduates bound for international riding competitions
BRISTOL, Va. — Fresh from this May’s graduation, Virginia Intermont College’s Kate McManis and Jordan Shelburne are bound for international riding competition. Both were members of the Baptist-affiliated school’s national champion competitive riding teams and now will represent the United…
Virginia Baptist working to secure passage of bill to prohibit trafficking
ARLINGTON, Va. — Selling people is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and the third largest criminal industry after drugs and weapons, according to information distributed by the United Nations. UNICEF statistics indicate that nearly two million children…
VA Briefs
Leland developing 'virtual campus.' The John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Falls Church, Va., is in the process of developing a new “virtual campus,” thanks to $267,000 in donations — including an anonymous gift of $200,000, the second largest…
Baptists in Central Virginia focus on ways to end global human trafficking
RICHMOND, Va. — An April 30 awareness event sponsored by International Justice Ministries, the Richmond Justice Initiative and First Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., drew dozens of people from Central Virginia to focus on human trafficking. The day’s activities included…
US / World Briefs
Religious freedom ambassador sworn in. Suzan Johnson Cook, an American Baptist pastor, author and motivational speaker, was sworn in May 16 as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom by Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero. Johnson Cook…
NC Briefs
Causey to retire. Jack Causey will retire at the end of May as director of services to ministers at the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., a position he has held since 1996. Causey, who will continue as ministerial…
EDITORIAL: The awful truth of an awful place
From the soaring heights of the Bavarian alps, we visited Neuschwanstein castle’s classical beauty. Our travels then took us to the Concentration Camp Memorial at Dachau on Sunday, May 22. Since the International Baptist Church’s English service was scheduled to…
Scholar finds Gardner-Webb open to diversity
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) – A predominantly white Baptist college in rural North Carolina might seem an unlikely place to find an urban African-American pastor from California known for an agenda of prophetic justice, but Gardner-Webb University just said goodbye…