The data is in: Global warming is becoming the ultimate moral-values issue. Both religious and political leaders must mobilize immediately to address it. No society is more reluctant to accept these two claims than the United States. No religious community…
Did Romney speech do enough to keep evangelicals from bolting to Huckabee?
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Mitt Romney's Dec. 6 speech on faith and public affairs elicited both praise and criticism from a broad spectrum of observers, but it may not have sealed the much-coveted support of evangelical Christians. The highly anticipated speech…
New Jersey legislators vote to repeal death penalty
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) – In what could become the biggest legislative victory for opponents of capital punishment, the New Jersey Senate voted Dec. 10 to repeal that state's death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment. The chamber voted 21-16…
Huckabee’s surge in polls brings new media attention, scrutiny
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Mike Huckabee has gone from long-shot candidate to serious GOP presidential contender in only a few weeks — and his media coverage has gone from curious bemusement to serious analysis of his past record. The result is…
Church leaders seek clarity about split between CBF, ABC benefits plans
ATLANTA (ABP) — A seven-year partnership between American Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which has allowed CBF-related churches to buy retirement and medical benefits, will end Dec. 31. The end of the partnership is leaving some church leaders confused…
Romney claims no candidate should be faith’s spokesman
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (ABP) — People of faith who value religious liberty “have a friend and an ally in me,” but promoters of the “religion of secularism” who want to strip religious references from the public square do not, said…
Samford names business school after banker, supporter Brock
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) – One of the nation's largest Baptist universities has named its business school after a local banker who is a longtime supporter. Samford University has named its business school after Harry Brock, the retired chairman and chief…
Ugandan Baptist pastor counsels people with AIDS
BARARA, Uganda (BP)—Dressed in a suit coat and tie, Nabath Atusasire looks a little out of place as he picks his way through an overgrown banana grove. The humid heat of southern Uganda presses on him. Slick-soled dress shoes provide…
Practical tips on helping the homeless
Steve Burger, former executive director of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, urges Americans not to give money to the homeless on the streets. “If you give a dollar to a panhandler, often you are really funding the local tavern…
Words of Hope ministry changes outlook for people with AIDS
AKOPE STATION, Uganda (BP)—Saidat Makop is sick. To look at her, a casual observer would never know. She looks as healthy as the next person. Her cheeks are rosy. She works in the garden for hours. Her eyes might look…
Lectionary helps some Baptist preachers feed their flocks a ‘balanced diet’
RICHMOND—It's Saturday night. Do you know where your pastor is? A pretty safe guess might be “in a study, frantically developing the next day's sermon.” But how does a preacher decide on the Scripture text? Some free-church Baptist pastors find…
British Baptists apologize for slavery, acknowledge ‘appalling consequences’
SWANWICK, England (BWA) — Baptists in Britain have apologized for the slave trade. The Council of the Baptist Union of Great Britain — widely known as BUGB— which met in Swanwick, England, on Nov. 12-14, passed a resolution saying, “We…