Julie Pennington Russell preached a sermon at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration earlier this year in Atlanta. JONESBORO, Ga. (ABP) — The Georgia Baptist Convention has decided to refuse gifts from a historic member church that last year called a…
Georgia Baptists reject church with woman pastor
Julie Pennington Russell preached a sermon at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration earlier this year in Atlanta. JONESBORO, Ga. (ABP) — The Georgia Baptist Convention has decided to refuse gifts from a historic member church that last year called…
West Virginia Southern Baptists
support marriage amendment
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (ABP) — The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists passed a resolution Nov. 7 calling on church members to support an amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage.The resolution called on members to “avail ourselves of…
Religious leaders ask Obama
to ban torture through order
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A multi-faith coalition of more than 200 religious organizations is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to, as one of his first acts in office, sign an executive order banning torture.“This is an opportunity where one individual could…
Continued investigation sheds light
on Baylor Election Day incidents
WACO, Texas (ABP) — According to Baylor University officials, continuing investigations into three Election Day incidents on campus revealed two apparently were not racially motivated as originally suspected.In a Nov. 13 letter to students, faculty and staff, Baylor Interim President…
Baptist state conventions
cope with budget woes
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Southern Baptist state conventions meeting around the country this fall are adjusting their finances to cope with a weakening economy.In the opening session of the Nov. 11-12 Tennessee Baptist Convention annual meeting, Executive Director James Porch…
North Carolina Baptists nix plan
that forwarded gifts to CBF
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — North Carolina Baptist churches soon won’t be able to support the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship through the state convention, messengers decided at their annual meeting Nov. 12.The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina voted to kill that…
Baylor officials continue investigation
of election-related campus incidents
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Baylor University officials said they are continuing investigations into two Nov. 4 election-related campus incidents with racial overtones, but that they found no evidence supporting a third. President David Garland wrote a Nov. 7 letter updating…
CBF provides $10,000 in relief
for escalating crisis in Congo
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has given $10,000 to ease the growing humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where increased violence from rebel fighters is killing thousands of civilians and forcing even more to flee to…
Not all belief in paranormal phenomena is created equal
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For some Americans, ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs aren't the stuff of tabloid teasers or X-Files reruns. They believe paranormal phenomena are real — as real as a resurrected Jesus and a devious Satan are to millions. In…
OPINION: An open letter to President-elect Barack Obama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Dear President-elect Obama, First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th president of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as…
Publishers seek to give the Bible a thoroughly modern makeover
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Bible is getting a makeover as publishers try to catch every type of customer's attention and draw in new readers who would be unlikely to pick it up in its traditional form. With different packaging, The…