WASHINGTON (ABP) — An independent federal panel charged with monitoring global conditions for religious liberty has once again elevated an evangelical scholar and leader as its chairman. The United States Commission for International Religious Freedom also elected a Southern Baptist…
Lutheran appeals panel strips gay minister of credentials
ATLANTA (ABP) — A judicial panel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has stripped an Atlanta pastor of the denomination's official ministerial credentials because he is gay. But Bradley Schmeling of St. John's Lutheran Church has vowed to remain…
Baptist alliance, in Ghana July 4, celebrates global freedom
ACCRA, Ghana (ABP) — Representatives attending the Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering in Accra, Ghana, celebrated freedom during a plenary session July 4. BWA President David Coffey, of England, noted the near-concurrence of America's Independence Day, Ghana's Republic Day (July…
Jamaican pastor elected BWA general secretary in historic vote
ACCRA, Ghana (ABP) — Neville Callam, a Jamaican pastor, theologian and author, was unanimously elected July 6 as the first non-white general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance. He is also the 102-year-old alliance's first leader not from the United…
Accrediting association reprimands Criswell College due to finances
DALLAS (ABP) — A Bible college with close ties to the Southern Baptist conservative movement is in danger of losing its accreditation due to financial problems. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced June 28 on its website that…
The great commission: Technology affects missionaries in different ways, they say
NEW YORK (ABP) — Most leaders in Baptist missions agree that technology has changed the face of world evangelization. What they don't agree on is what it has changed the most. Some point to centralized integration of information, saying it…
Correction
In two recent stories, Associated Baptist Press repeatedly misspelled thelast name of prominent American evangelical historian Randall Balmer as “Ballmer.” The correct spelling of Balmer's last name is the one with a single “l.” Please change all references to the…
In commissioning service, Fellowship sends 18 missionaries, some jointly with ABC
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In a duo of historic commissioning services held June 28 and 29 in Washington, supporters of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship sent 18 new missionaries and field personnel for service in the United States and abroad. Sixteen of…
Using Scriptures as guide, man searches for oil in Israel
DALLAS (ABP) — As much of the world continues to wait for signs of peace in Israel, John Brown continues to wait for signs of oil beneath it. Brown is the chairman and founder of Zion Oil and Gas, Inc.,…
BWA world event in Ghana promotes theme of unity
ACCRA, Ghana (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance Annual Gathering got off to a rousing start July 2 as more than 500 participants joined a choir from Calvary Baptist Church in Accra, Ghana, to celebrate God's work through a fast-paced…
CBF, BWA speakers emphasize Baptist freedom, presence of Christ
WASHINGTON (ABP) — In his speech on the last day of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's annual meeting, Daniel Vestal stressed the historical tradition of Baptists to champion freedom — a tradition rooted in a biblical idea, he said. As an…
American Baptists observe centennial, Baptist unity at quiet biennial meeting
WASHINGTON (ABP) — American Baptists both observed and made history during an otherwise-quiet biennial meeting June 28-July 2 in Washington. Delegates and guests of the American Baptist Churches USA's largest national gathering celebrated their centennial as a denomination and observed…