HONOLULU (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance’s first global congress since its 2005 centennial and last year’s 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Baptist movement revealed an ever-more-diverse global fellowship poised to tackle injustice and poverty in some of…
Preacher’s alter ego a superhero wrestler in ‘The Masked Saint’
WINTER PARK, Fla. (ABP) — It isn't unusual for young ministers to work a second job to supplement their income, but few do it in a wrestling ring. Chris Whaley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Longwood, Fla., wrestled…
ANALYSIS: BWA leaders see future of increasing diversity, emphases on justice and development
HONOLULU (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance’s first global congress since its 2005 centennial and last year’s 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Baptist movement revealed an ever-more-diverse global fellowship poised to tackle injustice and poverty in some of…
Baptist leaders react to Calif. ruling, but religious freedom not impacted
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal judge’s Aug. 4 ruling declaring unconstitutional a California ban on same-sex marriage is either disastrous or a monumental step forward, depending on which Baptist leader you ask. But, according to church-state experts, it doesn’t directly…
Baptist colleges among most religious in annual ranking
NEW YORK (ABP) — Baptist-affiliated Samford University ranked No. 6 in the list of the most religious campuses in the Princeton Review's annual ranking of "The Best 373 Colleges in the United States." Samford's campus is home to the Beeson…
Kenya adopts Constitution despite opposition from Christian groups
NAIROBI, Kenya (ABP) — Kenyans voted overwhelmingly Aug. 4 to approve a new, reform-minded Constitution even though some conservative Christian groups in the African nation and the United States have opposed it because of concerns related to Islamic law and…
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: What’s this thing all about?
For several years, Virginia Baptist mission teams have ministered on the Standing Rock Reservation, the fourth largest Native American reservation in the U.S, straddling the border of North and South Dakota. Michael Clingenpeel, pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, in…
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: The hopelessness of those who help
For several years, Virginia Baptist mission teams have ministered on the Standing Rock Reservation, the fourth largest Native American reservation in the U.S, straddling the border of North and South Dakota. Michael Clingenpeel, pastor of River Road Church, Baptist, in…
Baptists react to marriage ruling, but religious freedom not impacted
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal judge’s Aug. 4 ruling declaring unconstitutional a California ban on same-sex marriage is either disastrous or a monumental step forward, depending on which Baptist leader you ask. But, according to church-state experts, it doesn’t directly…
Alliance of Baptists urges easing of Cuba travel restrictions
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (ABP) — The Alliance of Baptists has applauded recent changes in relations between the United States and Cuba and urged Congress to end travel restrictions to the island nation for all Americans. Meeting July 29-Aug. 1 in…
Ground Zero controversy part of rise in anti-Islamic sentiment, experts say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The most recent prominent spat in the United States over building a new Islamic facility — the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” in New York — is indicative of a broader movement that is becoming increasingly suspicious of…
Supreme Court to hear Westboro Baptist Church case Oct. 6
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court has set a court date to hear arguments that a controversial Baptist church's street protests at military funerals are protected by the Constitution. Westboro protesters at a demonstration in Charleston, S.C., from a picture…