OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) — “You're out!” “Safe!” Both are frequently heard calls in baseball — and a group of umpires who make those calls wants to be sure their colleagues are not “out” but “safe” in the arms of Jesus….
A man and his vision
Henry Keeling Ellyson became possessed with a vision. It is the mark of any effective leader that a vision is forthcoming and that it is articulated. Ellyson was the executive leader of Virginia Baptists. His actual title was corresponding secretary….
Opponents of Oregon partnerships law fail
SALEM, Ore. (RNS) — Opponents of a new domestic partnership law for same-sex couples failed to gather enough signatures to put a referendum on the November 2008 ballot. The secretary of state's office said volunteers who spent the summer collecting…
Prominent S.C. pastor endorses Mitt Romney, then regrets it
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (ABP) — Don Wilton, a prominent megachurch pastor in the key early-primary state of South Carolina, withdrew his endorsement of Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney Oct. 23. Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg and former president…
Churches use podcasts, RSS as portable outreach tools
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ABP) — Little white headphones that have revolutionized the way Americans listen to music may also revolutionize the way they learn about God. Hundreds of churches and Christian institutions are using podcasts or other easily downloadable audio and…
Opinion: How the Bush administration’s circular reasoning allows torture
Statements by Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, along with comments by Mitt Romney and his new national security adviser, have brought the issue of torture to the surface in troubling new ways. It is quite clear that this issue is…
Southwestern Seminary creates center honoring ethics leader Land
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Officials at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have announced plans to create a Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement, honoring Southern Baptists' public-policy guru. Land joins another well-known conservative Baptist activist, Paul Pressler, in becoming a…
Leland Seminary, Hampton University reach undergrad agreement
ARLINGTON, Va. (ABP) — A moderate Baptist seminary and a historically African-American college in Virginia have reached a unique degree-granting agreement for undergraduate students. The John Leland Center for Theological Studies, based in Arlington, Va., and Hampton University in Hampton,…
Front-runners vie for ‘values’ votes while Huckabee waits in wings
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Rudy Giuliani wants conservative Christians to know they can trust him. “You have absolutely nothing to fear from me,” he told a group of them Oct. 20. “I find it difficult understanding those who try to make…
Values Voters Summit: Land, Wallis debate how faith influences politics
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Jim Wallis and Richard Land agree that faith should influence public policy. They just can't agree on how. The two evangelical leaders — one conservative, one progressive — locked horns in an Oct. 19 debate at the…
‘Values voters’ prefer Romney, Huckabee; Giuliani finishes disappointing 8th
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Voters in an Oct. 20 straw poll seemed to confirm what many pundits have said all along: Conservative Christians simply will not support a presidential candidate who backs abortion rights. In the second-largest straw poll of this…
Meals on Wheels workers stabbed in kitchen of North Carolina church
ATLANTA (ABP) — Two workers for Meals on Wheels were stabbed Oct. 18 at Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, N.C. The workers, who were not members of the church, had been preparing meals in the church's kitchen. Debbie Kornegay,…