“It amazes me that Jesus could call a Matthew and a Simon both to be his disciples. Matthew was a tax collector, a conservative of the conservatives. Simon was a zealot, the liberal of the liberals. … They were farther…
Ethicists debate morality of enhancing genetics
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Scientists already know which genes are responsible for particular illnesses, and clinical trials are under way to find new treatments for genetically based diseases. But, ethicists ask, what if this newfound genetic knowledge is used not only to cure,…
Investors with moral agenda are bullish on faith-based mutual funds
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Religious activists with a moral agenda for corporate America used to rely primarily on consumer boycotts and sympathetic lawmakers to get Wall Street's attention. But now their toolbox is growing—and there's a lot more money in it. Over the…
D. James Kennedy, elder statesman of Religious Right, dead at 76
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — Presbyterian minister D. James Kennedy died Sept. 5, little more than a week after he retired from the pulpit that helped him launch both evangelistic and political ministries. Kennedy, who was 76, had served for…
Hardin-Simmons, others, withdraw from magazine’s ranking race
ABILENE, Texas (ABP) — On the heels of U.S. News & World Report's annual list of “America's best colleges,” several Baptist schools have announced plans to disengage from the magazine's ranking race. All told, more than 60 schools nationwide have…
Iowa judge’s ruling makes state latest gay-marriage battleground
DES MOINES, Iowa (ABP) — Iowa’s first legal same-sex marriage will remain its only one for the time being, thanks to a ruling filed just hours after the state’s first gay couple legally wed. Polk County Judge Robert Hanson agreed…
Aging minister recalls price paid for civil-rights work in Georgia
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (ABP) — When Norman Shands made a vow to God 65 years ago, he couldn't have imagined that it would thrust him into the center of the civil-rights movement in Atlanta. The vow — that he would treat…
Opportunities, challenges confront increasingly multiethnic congregation
DALLAS (ABP) — Soon after Bruce Troy arrived at Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in Dallas, he challenged a group in the congregation to answer one question: “What would you do if God put 100 people on your doorstep?” Three years…
Opinion: Living in sight of a coffin
On a recent trip to England, I visited the ancient Norman church, Saint Mary's, Iffley, where a 13th-century anchoress (a female hermit) by the name of Annora resided. She lived enclosed in a room attached to the cathedral, with a…
Baptists active on both sides of historic Ark. integration battle
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABP) — The story of Lakeshore Drive Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., encapsulates the little-recounted role that white Baptists played in many episodes of the civil-rights movement — both for good and for ill. The church…
Eula Mae Baugh, prominent Baptist philanthropist, dead at 89
HOUSTON (ABP) — Prominent Baptist philanthropist Eula Mae Baugh died Aug. 29 after suffering a stroke several days earlier. She was 89. Baugh and her husband, John, who died in March, are known for their support of Baptist efforts, including…
Iowa judge’s ruling makes state latest gay-marriage battleground
DES MOINES, Iowa (ABP) — Iowa’s first legal same-sex marriage took place Aug. 31, the day after a Des Moines judge said a state law banning gay marriage violates same-sex couples’ equal rights. But the legality of the union between…