The 400th anniversary of the Jamestown colony is big news, at least here in Virginia. The visit of Queen Elizabeth II excited a flurry of comments on proper protocol, and at least one TV reporter wondered aloud why Governor Kaine…
Competing state conventions challenge associations, Baptists say
DALLAS (ABP) — Dual — and sometimes dueling — state conventions often present a challenge for associations of churches. So when Baptists in a state form a second convention, associations find themselves walking a fine line, especially if significant numbers…
Drive to weave ties among local churches runs deep in Baptist DNA
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The drive to weave ties among local churches is housed deep in the Baptist DNA. It's an instinct almost as visceral as another, often competing, Baptist characteristic — a fierce independence of thought and practice. For…
Networks: New label or new way for Baptist churches to relate?
DALLAS (ABP) — Some associations of churches now call themselves “networks.” And their directors of missions insist it's more than just a trendy change in terminology. As missions director for a West Texas area that included both the Midland and…
Women caught in the crosshairs of global debate over families
WARSAW (ABP) — Critics of the World Congress on Families have called it homophobic and unrealistic. Fans, meanwhile, saluted the recent congress — the fourth such global gathering, which played to a sympathetic audience in conservative Poland — for proclaiming…
Falwell, symbol of Religious Right’s influence and excesses, dead at 73
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Jerry Falwell, the pastor, university founder and media impresario who received both credit and blame for making the Religious Right a political force in American politics, is dead at age 73. According to multiple news reports, Falwell…
Giuliani tries to explain views on abortion, gays at HBU
HOUSTON (ABP) — In a highly publicized May 11 speech at a Texas Baptist college, the current front-runner among potential Republican presidential nominees attempted to explain his views on abortion rights and other controversial social issues. But the moderately pro-choice,…
Trial date set in first of five Missouri Baptist lawsuits
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A Missouri judge has set a date for the first jury trial in the cases of five statewide Baptist institutions embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with the Missouri Baptist Convention. Jury selection in the…
European conservatives: Preserving traditional marriage best for society
WARSAW, Poland (ABP) — Healthy traditional marriages inevitably create healthy societies, psychologist Patrick Fagen told a global gathering of social conservatives May 12, and European Christians must model that enterprise for their continent. Fagen, who spoke on the second day…
As storm-struck Kansans recover, Ottawa University sends help
GREENSBURG, Kan. (ABP) — As Baptists in Greensburg, Kan., reeled from the loss of their church building — and virtually their entire town — a nearby Baptist college sent some of its top students to help with the recovery effort….
Controversial gathering aims to focus Europeans on ‘pro-family’ politics
WARSAW (ABP) — When Ellen Sauerbrey, the United States' assistant secretary of state for population, addressed a European conference on families May 11, she felt the need to defend her appearance there. In her May 11 opening speech at the…
‘KidsHeart’ draws spring breakers to serve in Rio Grande Valley
ATLANTA (ABP) — When many kids were spending their spring break on the beach, more than 300 served others in one of the nation's poorest areas through a joint Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-Texas Baptist program. This year, hundreds of students worked…