WASHINGTON (ABP) — The House of Representatives has turned back a last-ditch effort by Republicans to allow religious groups receiving Head Start funds to discriminate in hiring on the basis of faith. On a mostly party-line vote of 222-195, the…
House adds gender, sexuality, disability to hate-crimes law, but veto looms
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Despite a veto threat from President Bush, a large majority of the House of Representatives voted May 3 to add gender, sexual orientation and disability to the categories protected under federal hate-crimes laws. On a 237-180 vote,…
List of evangelical kingmakers may signal shift in politics, opinions
NEW YORK (ABP) — As the battle for the Republican presidential nomination takes shape, it is revealing a “seismic shift” in the way evangelicals shape their opinions, political observers say. A recent story by the Religion News Service, in an…
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
New director at CrossRoads. Reuben E. Todd has been elected director of CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center, a retreat facility owned and operated by Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia. For the last three and a half years, Reuben has served…
How can churches legally minister to illegal immigrants?
When the doorbell rings at many churches, a person in need may be standing in the doorway seeking some food, clothes, counseling or encouragement. If that individual is an undocumented immigrant, his presence presents legal and ethical issues many congregations…
Relationships key to helping immigrants, Baptist workers say
FREDERICKSBURG (ABP)—Every afternoon, Felicitas does something she thought might never happen. She meets the school bus near her Virginia apartment complex to pick up her son, Carlos, as he returns from another day of elementary school. Carlos has spina bifida,…
No easy answers
Sometimes, answers to the tough questions just don't come, campus ministers at Virginia Tech insist. When they do, they don't come easily. And they often come up short. As ministers and counselors descended on Virginia Tech to offer comfort and…
Anti-immigrant rhetoric nothing new, historians say
If American Protestants today have trouble knowing how to accept and assimilate a new wave of immigrants, they at least can take comfort in knowing their forebears wrestled with similar issues. “Americans have always struggled with immigrants. Non-conformist immigrants like…
Tech students gather at Baptist campus center
BLACKSBURG (ABP)—As the sun began to set and the wind continued to howl over a wounded campus and city, Virginia Tech students gathered for prayer, comfort and counseling at the school's Baptist student center. Blacksburg, the small city that houses…
Almost any immigration reform better than nothing, advocates say
WASHINGTON (ABP)—As Congress begins to take up immigration-reform proposals, some Christian immigration activists say there is no perfect legislation in the pipeline. But time is of the essence in getting something passed, nonetheless, they insist. A reform bill with broad…
Seven Baptist-affiliated students among 32 dead at Virginia Tech
RICHMOND (ABP)—At least seven of the 32 dead in the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech had ties to Baptist churches in Virginia, Baptist leaders in the state said. Here is what is known about the six with Baptist ties,…
Immigration laws have an impact on who a church can call as pastor or hire as staff
SAN ANTONIO—Claudia Munoz feels called to serve on church staff and is doing everything she can to prepare herself to fulfill that calling. She received a student visa and traveled from her home country of Chile to enroll at Baptist…