WASHINGTON (ABP) — Although the case of a lonely cross on federal land in California’s Mojave Desert ultimately could have wide-ranging implications for the separation of church and state, justices on the Supreme Court spent much of the Oct. 7…
Victims of church beating expected to recover
ANNA, Ill. (ABP) — An Illinois man faces charges of attempted murder in a brutal beating attack Sept. 28 on two senior-adult women in a small-town Southern Baptist church. Willis Bates, 45, of Anna, Ill., is accused of attacking 69-year-old…
Victims of brutal beating in Illinois church expected to recover
ANNA, Ill. (ABP) — An Illinois man faces charges of attempted murder in a brutal beating attack Sept. 28 on two senior-adult women in a small-town Southern Baptist church. Willis Bates, 45, was arrested Oct. 5, a week after the…
Judge delays ruling on dismissal of ‘birther’ case
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…
Judge delays ruling on dismissal of Wiley Drake’s ‘birther’ case
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: 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…
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…