JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention's Executive Board has abandoned its contention that trustees of five institutions acted illegally when they changed their charters to elect their own board members. Convention lawyers agreed at a July 18…
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
Lawsuit dismissed against Clarendon Church. A circuit court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against First Baptist Church of Clarendon in Arlington, which is seeking to build condominiums that will provide affordable housing for Arlington County's residents, according to the Washington…
Romney’s faith faces uphill fight in South Carolina primaries
WASHINGTON — Can a Mormon win the White House? It's a question on the minds of many voters watching former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — not to mention Romney's campaign itself. But for the Romney camp, the more immediate question…
A day in the country
William E. Hatcher, the 19th and early 20th-century minister, used to escape the pressures of his city pastorate at Grace Street Baptist Church of Richmond by enjoying a day in the country with his friend, Bob Winfree of Midlothian. When…
Evangelicals try to correct ‘misperception’
WASHINGTON (RNS) A broad coalition of evangelical leaders is attempting to “correct a serious misperception” that all evangelicals oppose creating a Palestinian state. Led by Ron Sider, a professor at the American Baptist-affiliated Palmer Theological Seminary and head of Evangelicals…
UMHB Social Work Program Reaccredited
UNEDITED NEWS RELEASE — BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Social Work Program received notification that their program has been reaccredited by the Council on Social Work Education for another eight years. By successfully meeting the standards of…
History conference draws wide array of Baptists to celebrate diversity
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ABP) — Perhaps the most notable thing about the recent “Baptist History Celebration,” held in the mother church of Southern Baptists, is that it happened at all. But historians from an astonishing array of Baptist groups — liberal,…
Benjamin Cole, outspoken Baptist blogger, to join fellow blogger Burleson’s staff
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Benjamin Cole, a young pastor who is one of the most vocal critics of some Southern Baptist Convention leaders, is leaving to join the Oklahoma church staff of fellow reform-minded blogger Wade Burleson. Cole, who currently…
New field of neurotheology opens door for scientific study of belief
NEW YORK (ABP) — If scientists could chart physical changes that happen in the brain during prayer, would it mean that prayer is something that happens only in the mind? And if brain scans show unique molecular activity during meditation,…
Will neurotheology cause faith to wane? Not likely, experts say
NEW YORK (ABP) — If science demonstrates that prayer is more neurological than metaphysical, will it cause the believers to abandon their faith, reduced to a figment of their imagination? It's highly unlikely, experts in the field of neurotheology agree….
Samford graduates do stuff in nation’s capital
As a high-ranking White House official, Eric Motley '96 is a loyal Republican who gets valuable “face time” with President George W. Bush every week. A couple of miles across town, on Capitol Hill, Carol Guthrie '93 works as a…
War and peace: Baptists’ opinions have shifted from predecessors
(ABP) — Baptists share common roots with the so-called “peace churches,” denominations with a history of pacifism and peacemaking. But despite that common bond, historians say, most Baptists have become more accepting of war. Peace groups like the Quakers, Mennonites…