DIDCOT, England (ABP) — A delegation of British Baptists is set to apologize, in person, to Jamaican Baptists for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. During a May 22-29 stay, the delegation plans to meet with Jamaican Baptists and worship in their…
Baptists continue to respond as tolls rise in China, Myanmar
(ABP) — Baptists continue to mobilize supplies and prayer in an effort to minister to victims of natural disasters in China and Myanmar. Latest news reports May 19 indicated the death toll in China had risen to 34,000, with 220,000…
Wiley Drake cleared in IRS probe, but vows further endorsement
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Southern Baptist pastor-personality Wiley Drake did not violate tax law by using his church's letterhead or his radio show to endorse Mike Huckabee, he announced May 18. Drake, pastor of the 75-member First Southern Baptist Church in…
Baptists, other Christians already in China beat limits on foreign help
WASHINGTON (ABP)—While China has accepted a very limited number of foreign-aid workers in the wake of the disastrous earthquake that devastated much of Sichuan province, Baptists and other Christians from the United States already were situated to help. According to…
Iraq status reportedly divides panel on religious freedom
WASHINGTON (ABP)—An independent, nonpartisan federal panel’s failure to issue a recommendation to the State Department about Iraq reportedly is due to political division. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report and recommendations in early May….
Baylor President John Lilley’s future in doubt after meeting
WACO, Texas (ABP) — John Lilley may be the latest endangered leader at the world's largest Baptist school, according to reports in the local newspaper. The Waco Tribune-Herald reported May 17 that Baylor University leaders declined to discuss whether the…
Abundant field of SBC candidates may signal relaxed political reins
INDIANAPOLIS (ABP) — Candidates are lining up two-by-two for this year's Southern Baptist Convention presidency, like animals filing into Noah's Ark – two big-church pastors, two small-church pastors, two former missionaries. For the first time in almost three decades, six…
Baptists, other Christians already in China beat limits on foreign help
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While China has accepted a very limited number of foreign-aid workers in the wake of the disastrous earthquake that devastated much of Sichuan province May 12, several Baptists and other Christians from the United States were already…
Pastor-deacon retreat draws hundreds eager to make churches missional
A desire to make their congregations more missional drew almost 640 pastors, deacons and other church leaders to the annual Pastor/Deacon/ Church Leader Conference at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center last week. The event, sponsored by the Virginia Baptist Mission…
Bush envisions International Day of Prayer
WASHINGTON (BP) — In adversity, Americans can find comfort through prayer, President Bush said May 1 in a White House observance of the 57th National Day of Prayer. “Over the last seven years, our country has faced many trials. And…
Three Virginia Baptist churches investigate multi-site options
Your bank has several locations. So does your cleaners. And your grocery store. Why not your church? Three Virginia Baptist churches sent representatives to a multi-site conference in Dallas to discover whether this model might hold potential for them. In…
Lawyers to challenge IRS
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A conservative Christian legal group has launched an initiative for pastors to challenge IRS rules that prevent them from discussing political candidates from the pulpit. The Alliance Defense Fund said May 9 that its “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,”…