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…
Novelist Anne Rice: Committed to Christ but leaving Christianity
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity again because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Anne Rice Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left…
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…
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: A ride-along
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…
Evangelical group still waiting for apology
CONROE, Texas (ABP) — An organizer of a recent women's-rights convention for evangelical Christians said the group is still awaiting a response more than a week after demanding a public apology from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood for…
NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Getting there and getting started
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…
Religious persecution around the world crosses faith lines, say advocates for freedom
HONOLULU – Persecution of religious groups around the world isn’t restricted to Christians, two advocates for religious liberty told a focus group meeting during the Baptist World Congress. Christer Daelander, religious freedom representative for the European Baptist Federation, reported that…
Jamaican Baptist: Faithful preaching proclaims God’s Word fearlessly
HONOLULU (ABP) — Preaching should be dangerous business, because faithful preachers dare to deliver a message from God — regardless of the consequences, Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, told the Baptist World Congress. Preaching is a…
World’s Baptist women discuss plight of trafficked, abused women
HONOLULU (ABP) — The festive and colorful native dress featured by many of the attendants at the Baptist World Alliance Women's Leadership Conference just prior to the recent Baptist World Congress in Honolulu contrasted with the harsh reality they discussed…