RICHMOND — The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies recognized three outstanding students at the annual meeting of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society in May. The fifth class of Heritage Fellows includes Mattie Patterson, a junior at the College of…
EDITORIAL: The sustaining power of a call
Earlier this month a kind of posthumous autobiography was published: Mother Teresa: Come, Be My Light. Have you ever wondered what in heaven's name God was up to? Of course you have. During the periods of your life when your…
Virginia church partners to restore lives
ATLANTA — It had been two years, and Beth and Joe Weedo still slept on air mattresses on the floor of their Pensacola, Fla., home. Hurricane Ivan had ripped through their community and dropped a tree on the Weedo house…
McCain’s claim of Baptist identity raises reporter, blogger queries
WASHINGTON (ABP) — GOP presidential candidate John McCain is raising questions about his religious affiliation with a comment he made Sept. 16 at a campaign stop in heavily Baptist South Carolina. The Arizona senator, according to the Associated Press, answered…
Southern Baptist pastor in California charged with sexually abusing two girls
FRESNO, Calif. (ABP) — Another Southern Baptist pastor has been charged with child molestation. Police arrested John Bonine, pastor of Sierra Heights Baptist Church in Fresno, Calif., at his home Aug. 10. The 43-year-old father of eight is accused of…
Southern Baptist pastor in California charged with sexually abusing two girls
FRESNO, Calif. (ABP) — Another Southern Baptist pastor has been charged with child molestation. Police arrested John Bonine, pastor of Sierra Heights Baptist Church in Fresno, Calif., at his home Aug. 10. The 43-year-old father of eight is accused of…
Hearing the Call: Congregations strive to create a culture of calling
(ABP) — Hearing God's call to vocational service may not be as easy in a Baptist church as it once was, but some congregations are determined to change that. Once upon a time, a public invitation at the close of…
Hearing the Call: Congregations strive to create a culture of calling
(ABP) — Hearing God's call to vocational service may not be as easy in a Baptist church as it once was, but some congregations are determined to change that. Once upon a time, a public invitation at the close of…
Missouri Baptist conference center wins latest round in legal battle
JEFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Windermere Baptist Conference Center will not face a trial this year in its continuing legal battle with the Missouri Baptist Convention, thanks to a judge's ruling. The decision is a victory for the center, encouraging…
U.S. Attorney’s Office refutes rumors about Texas church-start scandal
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ABP) — Contrary to an Internet blogger's assertions, all documents pertaining to a probe into misappropriated Texas Baptist church-starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley have been turned over to federal authorities, a high-ranking official in the U.S….
Thompson: not regular churchgoer, won’t talk frequently about faith
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Although the newest GOP presidential candidate is gaining lots of positive attention from the leaders of the Religious Right, he is not involved in a local church and says he won't talk much about his faith on…
Southern Baptist state convention offers anti-sex-abuse measures
GRAPEVINE, Texas (ABP) — Two groups affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention are attempting to respond to the problem of child sexual abuse in churches by recommending a company that does background checks. However, clergy sex-abuse activists say the solution…