WASHINGTON (ABP) — In the latest presidential primary contests, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama improved his position among Catholics on the Democratic side while most white evangelicals chose not to vote for Arizona Sen. John McCain, even though he is now…
Polls, authors say white evangelicals embracing political independence
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A raft of recent polls and books suggest that the evangelical vote may be turning — or returning — to a more even distribution between the Republican and Democratic parties. A Zogby International poll released Feb. 11…
Texas’ Church Under the Tree reaches disenfranchised youth
ROCKWALL, Texas (ABP) — Commitment is the key to a fruitful ministry, Ron Evans says. He should know. He is the pastor of a church that literally meets under a tree. On any given Sunday afternoon, people of all ages…
CBF council approves budget, reports revenue shortfalls at February meeting
ATLANTA (ABP) -– Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship approved a $16.5 million budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year and heard of budget shortfalls during the CBF Coordinating Council's Feb. 7-8 meeting in Decatur, Ga. The council's finance committee reported…
Dobson backs Huckabee after Romney bows out
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — In a move unprecedented for him, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has endorsed a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. In a statement released Feb. 7, Dobson backed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee…
What should worshippers do if their church is attacked?
NEW YORK (ABP) — Last December, worshippers at a Colorado church lost two members to a murderous shooter. In 2006, a man entered an Oregon church and threw fuel during a Sunday service, intending to set the building ablaze. And…
Church security demands all hands on deck — but maybe not with arms
FORT WORTH — Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth has employed personnel to patrol its campus, escort women to their cars after dark and ensure buildings are locked since before Russ Hibner became the church's facilities manager seven years…
What’s next for New Baptist Covenant?
ATLANTA (ABP) — Fifteen thousand participants in the New Baptist Covenant convocation arrived in Atlanta Jan. 30 seeking unity in Christ and departed Feb. 1 wondering where their quest will lead. In the meantime, they demonstrated racial, theological and geographic…
No politics in celebration
Making good on his promise that the New Baptist Covenant celebration would not be political in nature, former president Jimmy Carter set the tone for the meeting in a news conference before the opening session. Asked by a reporter from…
EDITORIAL: Was the celebration a success?
I was asked by a friend at breakfast the morning after the New Baptist Covenant Celebration what three things stood out as having made the greatest impact. I thought back over the three-day meeting, and what follows are the three…
SECOND OPINION: Disciple methods need to change
I have known Roy Edgemon for many years and I can testify that nobody has a bigger heart for discipleship than he. Recently Dr. Edgemon sounded a clarion call for Baptists to change their methods of discipleship [“Time to revamp…
Axioms of religion
Exactly a century ago this year, in 1908, Edgar Young Mullins, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, published his landmark interpretation of Baptist faith and principles which he entitled The Axioms of Religion. Baptists in the pews and Baptists…