LIMURU, Kenya (ABP) — Several students attending Wayland Baptist University's Kenya campus have lost family members in the recent violence that has plagued the nation. School administrators are monitoring the situation to determine whether to postpone the start of a…
Buckner postpones Kenya trips due to political unrest
DALLAS (ABP) — Buckner International, a Baptist family-service agency based in Texas, has postponed two mission trips to Kenya in light of political unrest there, officials said. Ethnic violence Jan. 1 followed a disputed presidential election. Thousands of Kenyans have…
BWA officials condemn violence against Christians in Indian state
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Baptists and other Christians in an overwhelmingly Hindu state in India fell victim to significant violence during the Christmas holiday, according to Baptist World Alliance officials. Attacks began Dec. 23 in the state of Orissa,…
SBC presidency showdown brewing after Mohler announces intention
(ABP) — Evangelical scholar and seminary president Al Mohler will be nominated for the Southern Baptist Convention presidency next June, but he likely will face opposition for the prominent post. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.,…
Election-spurred ethnic strife leads to arson massacre in Kenya church
WASHINGTON (ABP) — At least 30 people burned to death in a church in Kenya Jan. 1 after an election dispute touched off ethnic strife, according to multiple news reports. No reports have indicated religious overtones to the unrest in…
Queen Elizabeth II honors BWA president Coffey
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The president of the Baptist World Alliance became an officer of the Order of the British Empire Jan. 2. David Coffey, a Briton who has served as BWA's president since 2005, received the honor from Queen Elizabeth…
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Hendricks Ave. Baptist sanctuary gutted by early-morning fire in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — The 50-year-old sanctuary of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, a leading moderate Baptist congregation in Jacksonville, was totally destroyed by fire Dec. 23. When the first of 70 firefighters arrived on the scene about 5 a.m. Sunday…
Rob Bell: Christians shouldn’t fear controversy over doctrine
LOUISVILLE, Ky (ABP) — Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., has become a controversial figure among evangelical Christians. On a recent stop for his lecture tour, “The Gods Aren't Angry,” in Louisville, Bell sat…
Burleson lauded for helping professor fired by Southwestern for being female
MINNEAPOLIS (ABP) — One of Southern Baptists' most outspoken pastors has been recognized for his defense of women — although he does not personally feel women should serve as pastors. Wade Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, Okla.,…
Author John Grisham joins lineup of New Baptist Covenant speakers
ATLANTA (ABP) — Mega-author John Grisham, whose recent novels have revealed his deeply rooted Christian faith, will deliver a rare public speech at the New Baptist Covenant meeting in late January. Grisham, a member of University Baptist Church in Charlottesville,…
New Baptist Covenant, Huckabee rank as top stories in ‘07, journalists say
WASHINGTON (ABP) – The biggest news story among Baptists in 2007 was about an event that has not even happened yet — the announcement of an unprecedented meeting of Baptists from across North America — according to an informal survey…