DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) – A Baptist expert in encouraging congregational health is moving from a company he founded to a new initiative at Duke University Divinity School. David Odom, who founded the Center for Congregational Health, will become executive director…
Guest Opinion: Creeds, chaos, and the Holy Spirit
I have enjoyed reading Beth Newman's thought provoking editorials on the Baptist identity. Her most recent opinion piece, “Historical Amnesia and the Christian Creeds,” stirred memories of conversations I have had with other Baptist theologians. Lately, there has been a…
Baptist morality activist arrested on sex-for-hire charges in N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Coy Privette, the president of a Christian morality group and a former state legislator and Southern Baptist Convention leader, has been arrested on prostitution-related charges in North Carolina. Privette, the president of the Christian Action League…
Affluent pastors use wealth differently: Some give back; others buy yachts
DALLAS (ABP) — There's a rare breed of creature often spotted in exotic locations leading a large pack. No, it's not a yellow-tailed wooly monkey. It's a wealthy pastor, and its very existence is controversial. Success in many professions is…
Hate-crimes bill delayed in Senate; some criticize opponents’ tactics
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Senate stalemate over the Iraq war claimed another victim July 18: a hate-crimes statute that supporters had hoped to attach to a defense bill. But although the attempt to add gender, sexual orientation and disability to…
Bloggers consolidate efforts to create ‘premier site’ for discussion of SBC
ARLINGTON, Texas — Reforming bloggers who have challenged the Southern Baptist Convention establishment for the past two years are consolidating their efforts to create a new Internet presence they say will be the “premier site for Southern Baptist news and…
Vandals burn Israeli flag at Baptist church in Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — A Baptist Church that since last summer had flown the Israeli flag to show support for Israel fell victim to criminal activity July 17 when the star in the center of the flag was burned…
Baptists, other Christian leaders push for reform in farm bill
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Baptists and other Christian groups are asking Congress to seize an opportunity to reform the way the government relates to farmers — for the sake of the poor in the United States and around the globe, they…
Vatican’s claim of link to apostles has parallels in Baptist successionism
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) – The Vatican's recent reaffirmation that the “true church” lies in an unbroken line of succession all the way back to Christ and his apostles might resonate in an unlikely place – among conservative Baptists who trace…
Bottled water craze may find way into late Jerry Falwell’s legacy
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Move over, Perrier. The next designer bottled water may come out of Lynchburg, Va., courtesy of the late Jerry Falwell. Liberty University, the school founded by the fundamentalist Baptist evangelist who died May 15, has announced that…
Corrections
In the July 3 story “Using Scriptures as guide, man searches for oil in Israel,” please replace paragraph five with the following: “[Israel] currently uses domestic gas deposits from off-shoring drilling and also depends on foreign oil, importing barrels from…
Baptists workers in Macau content with supportive ministry role
ATLANTA (ABP) — Larry and Sarah Ballew compare their work in Macau, China to the bamboo scaffolding around a new building. It's an appropriate metaphor for Macau, an old city being transformed by new hotels and casinos. With more than…