The souvenir booklet from the dedication of the building was fittingly lavish for a church edifice which rivaled any house of worship in America. Exactly a century ago, in 1908, the Second Baptist Church of St. Louis, Mo., then the…
CP survey sent to SBC churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — On Friday, Nov. 9, Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman mailed a letter to every church pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention asking him or her to participate in a Cooperative Program/ Stewardship survey. Chapman said…
New Hampshire exit-poll statistics muddy picture of religious voters
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary, each party's newly minted front-runner didn't score as well among voters — religious or otherwise — as they did in the previous week's Iowa caucuses, according to exit-poll data. Hillary…
Vietnamese Baptists to hold first general conference
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (ABP) — Baptists in Vietnam will reach a milestone when they hold their first legal national conference Jan. 10-12. An expected 400 people from 13 southern provinces and cities are expected for the meeting in…
Attempt at dialogue with Muslims inspires further criticism of NAE
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The National Association of Evangelicals is under attack again from some prominent Christian conservatives, this time for its involvement in an attempt at Muslim-Christian dialogue. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler, former presidential candidate Gary Bauer…
Christians in Kenya analyze violence, administer aid, as unrest continues
NAIROBI, Kenya (ABP) — Still-simmering violence sparked by disputed elections in Kenya continues to affect Baptist organizations and missionaries in the previously stable nation. Gunfire erupted Jan. 7 in Limuru, a small town less than half a mile from Kenya…
Investigators say arson unlikely in Jacksonville church fire
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — There is no evidence of arson in the Dec. 23 fire that consumed the sanctuary of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., but the destruction was so complete that the exact cause will likely never…
Opinion: Care about politics? Begin with the church
Politics is intoxicating, especially in election season, and especially in a time of such high drama in this particular presidential campaign. In future weeks, I will undoubtedly be writing about the elections of 2008. But in this first offering of…
Trial set for June as dismissed prof Klouda makes a life in Indiana
UPLAND, Ind. (ABP) — Sheri Klouda sparked denominational — and national — debate when she cried foul last year over her dismissal from teaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, allegedly because of her gender. Ten months later and anticipating a…
Time to revamp discipleship methods? Some experts say, ‘Absolutely, yes’
(ABP) — More than two decades after he helped many Baptist churches breathe new life into discipleship training, Roy Edgemon believes it's time to take a new look at how churches make disciples. In the early 1980s, the Southern Baptist…
In death-penalty arguments, justices focus on lethal-injection procedure
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court, which is poised to decide if the nation's most widely used form of capital punishment is unconstitutional, seemed preoccupied with the mechanics of lethal injection during arguments in the case Jan. 7. The justices…
Wallace Daniel named provost of Mercer University
ATLANTA (ABP) — Wallace Daniel, a history professor and former dean at Baylor University, has been named provost of Mercer University. The position will become effective July 1. Daniel, a prominent historian, succeeds Horace Fleming in his post as second-highest-ranking…