SANTA ANA, Calif. (ABP) — A federal judge heard arguments for three hours Oct. 5 about whether or not he should dismiss a lawsuit questioning Barack Obama's birthplace and the legitimacy of his presidency. In the end, U.S. District Court…
Probe of Georgia pastor’s shooting expected to take another month
LAVONIA, Ga. (ABP) — An investigation into the Sept. 1 police shooting of a Southern Baptist pastor in northeast Georgia is expected to last another month. Brian Rickman, district attorney of Mountain Judicial Circuit, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation…
Charles Wellborn, ‘Baptist Hour’ preacher, writer, ethicist, dies
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (ABP) — Retired Florida State University professor and former "Baptist Hour" radio preacher Charles Wellborn died Oct. 1 at his home in Georgetown, Ky. Contemporaries described Charles Wellborn, who died Oct. 1 at age 86 as one of…
Ban on religious signs at football games roils Georgia community
FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. (ABP) — The woman who sparked a controversy over signs bearing Bible verses at a north Georgia high school's football games says she was not offended by the signs and was surprised when the district superintendent banned…
Court turns away attempt to force ‘Choose Life’ plates on Illinois
WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the opening day of their 2009-2010 term Oct. 5, the justices of the Supreme Court turned away an anti-abortion group’s attempt to force Illinois to offer special license plates that support the pro-life cause. A mockup…
Faithful Stewards: ‘Generosity’ as a concept over ‘stewardship?’
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (ABP) — A 2,000-year-old incident continues to set the standard for what it means to be a generous church. The sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Galveston, Texas, served as a staging area for collecting clothing and…
Faithful Stewards: Debt keeps Christians from reaching potential
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — If Americans had followed biblical financial principles, they could have lessened — or completely avoided — the worst recession in decades, two prominent Christian money-management specialists said. “Debt may not be a sin, but it is…
Faithful Stewards: Can we reclaim the corporate virtue of thrift?
AUSTIN, Texas (ABP) — Some social analysts observe the United States in the past half-century has shifted from a Bedford Falls-like culture of small businesses and community-friendly financial institutions to a Pottersville-style nightmare of predatory lenders and seedy businesses that…
Global Baptists responding to Pacific Rim disasters
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptist relief agencies worked on several fronts to respond to humanitarian needs created by a series of tsunamis, earthquakes and tropical storms in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Paul Montacute, director of Baptist World…
Study says SBC funding plan inadequate to achieve stated goals
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention has identified a missionary-sending goal big enough to accomplish the nearly 2,000-year-old task of the Great Commission — but lacks a clear fund-raising plan for meeting it, according to an upcoming annual…
Ragan Courtney to lead workshop on integrating worship and the arts
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Integrating worship and the arts will be the focus of a one-day workshop led by Christian composer Ragan Courtney in November. The event, sponsored by the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Falls Church, Va.,…
Baptist group announces slate of BGAV candidates — with a twist
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists Committed, a moderate advocacy group which for almost 25 years has successfully nominated officers for the Baptist General Association of Virginia, announced its slate of candidates Oct. 2 — but this time with a twist….