WASHINGTON (ABP) — President-elect Barack Obama's surprise pick of Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration Jan. 20 isn't the first time the ceremonial prayer has created controversy. Rick Warren's invitation to pray at…
Religion in presidential race tops ranking of ABP stories in 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Baptist journalists and observers ranked religion in the 2008 presidential election the year's biggest story for Baptists. Faith in politics played a major role in the year's news cycle, according to an annual ranking of top…
Christian leaders call for easing travel restrictions to Cuba
NEW YORK (ABP) — Christian leaders on Dec. 18 called on President-elect Barack Obama to ease travel restrictions to Cuba they say hinder religious work. Denominational and ecumenical leaders from a variety of faith groups said restrictions imposed in 2005…
Survey says most Americans believe in multiple paths to salvation
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A majority of American Christians believe that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life, says a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Even among evangelicals, a branch of Protestant…
Southwestern Seminary cuts budget
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has announced plans to cut its budget by about 10 percent — a reduction between $3.5 million and $4 million — in an effort to "protect the institution from future financial…
Virginia Baptists help feed the hungry through variety of worldwide programs
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently estimated that there are now 963 million hungry people worldwide. This number has increased by 40 million this year and is predicted to continue rising as the current global economic crisis plunges…
ERLC’s Richard Land compares President Bush to Harry Truman
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A prominent Southern Baptist leader has compared George W. Bush to Harry Truman, another president whose approval ratings dropped to the 20s in his final months in office but is now considered one of the greatest…
21-C will challenge Va. Baptists to take risks
RICHMOND — 21-C is Virginia Baptists' premier vision-casting, evangelism and leadership-equipping conference that provides a networking and learning opportunity for church staff and lay leaders to explore innovative ways of reaching people for Christ in the 21st century. The 2009…
Religion shaped 2008 in big, dramatic ways
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, and John McCain turned to Sarah Palin, but in the end, the most sought-after running mate in the 2008 campaign never appeared on a single ballot. God, it seems, couldn't be entirely…
EDITORIAL: Unto us a child is born
In some sense, I can relate to Mary the mother of Jesus. Luke records that after the birth of Jesus “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). We can almost imagine the young physician,…
House churches under new threat in China
WASHINGTON (BP) — China's ministry of civil affairs has issued a statement calling for the elimination of the Chinese House Church Alliance, according to reports circulated by China Aid Association and Voice of the Martyrs, a move some say “could…
SECOND OPINION: The public ban on Christmas symbols
No trees adorned with twinkling lights will bless — or aggravate — visitors to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's two main libraries this year, according to a Dec. 5 story in the Raleigh News and Observer. After…