TYLER, Texas (ABP) — The mother of one of two men sentenced Jan. 10 to life in prison for burning down a string of East Texas churches said she believes the punishment does not fit the crime. Jason Bourque "No…
Foundation moves for amendment to or stay of Cole County ruling
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Foundation is asking a judge to delay enforcement of a ruling that returns control of the breakaway entity to the Missouri Baptist Convention. The Missouri Baptist Convention won its legal action against the Missouri…
Westboro Baptist Church to make unwelcome appearance at funerals
TUSCON, Ariz. (ABP) — Arizonans are up in arms over plans by Westboro Baptist Church to picket the funerals of six people gunned down in Tuscon Jan. 8. Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., a small independent congregation notorious for…
Missouri Baptist leaders call special meeting to discuss resignation
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The executive board of the Missouri Baptist Convention will convene Friday, Jan. 14, in a special meeting to hear details of the state executive director's resignation for "immoral behavior." In an internal e-mail dated Jan….
Website highlights Baptists in Civil War
ATLANTA (ABP) — The American Civil War led Baptists in the South to forsake their historic commitment to the separation of church and state and embrace Christian nationalism, the head of a Baptist history organization says on a new website….
Initiative aims to improve housing, employment situations in Haiti
(ABP) — Help Build Hope Haiti organizers envision mobilizing Christians — and other people of good will — in the United States to provide permanent housing for Haitian families, many of whom lost their homes to an earthquake that devastated…
Leaders call for prayer, aid as Sudan votes on future
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) – With southern Sudan likely to vote for independence from the Muslim-dominated north of the country in a Jan. 9 referendum, Baptist and other Christian leaders have repeated calls for prayer and international assistance to ensure…
Filmmaker discusses forgiveness on NBC
NEW YORK (ABP) — A former Oklahoma state senator turned Hollywood filmmaker who plays his father in a new movie said a scene re-enacting his parents' murder 31 years ago was harder than he expected but worth it. Brooks Douglass,…
Mo. convention cites ‘immoral behavior’ in exec’s resignation
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention issued a press release early on the afternoon of Jan. 7 announcing the resignation of MBC Executive Director David Tolliver. “With deep regret we announce Dr. David Tolliver has resigned as…
Baptist leader calls on Nigeria’s president to ensure safety
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The head of the Baptist World Alliance called on Nigeria's president to take action to prevent further violence like an attack that killed the pastor and several members of a Baptist church on Christmas Eve….
Women are told they are God’s masterpiece during WMUV getaway
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Nearly one thousand women gathered at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center for fellowship, worship and learning at the annual WMUV Women’s Get-Away, Nov. 6-8. The theme for this year’s Get-Away, “Masterpiece in the Making,” was centered on…
SECOND OPINION: Will your congregation exist in 10 years?
North America has at least 350,000 religious congregations. Every year about one percent of them die. That means that 10 years from now, 35,000 congregations will no longer exist. Will your church be one of them? What is the “survivability…