MESQUITE, Texas (ABP) — A small group of Baptists met Jan. 16 in Mesquite, Texas, to discuss ways to fund some Baptist General Convention of Texas ministries but not necessarily support a state convention in which they feel they have…
Ethics conference to precede CBF general assembly
ATLANTA (ABP) — Christian Ethics Today will sponsor an ethics conference June 27 in Washington, D.C. to address “The minister and politics: How to be prophetic without being partisan.” The free conference falls one day prior to the Cooperative Baptist…
Memorial Baptist Church continues ministry after fire damages building
GREENVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — A fire that damaged much of its building may bring unexpected but positive results to a Greenville, N.C., congregation. Memorial Baptist Church was one of two churches damaged by fire on Jan. 13. A third church,…
Ethical implications of ‘100 Hours’ agenda reach beyond stem cells
WASHINGTON (ABP) — With House Democrats winding down their “First 100 Hours” legislative agenda and the Senate taking up many of the measures, moderate and conservative Christian ethicists agree the proposals raise moral and ethical issues far beyond the fates…
Conservative, libertarian groups protest part of Democrats’ ethics-reform bill
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Some religious conservative groups are joining with their occasional adversaries in the civil-libertarian community to protest part of Democrats' lobbying-reform bill. Groups as diverse as the National Right to Life Committee, Family Research Council, National Association of…
Missouri Baptist pastor sentenced to 20 years for child sex-abuse
GREENWOOD, Mo. (ABP) — In what the detective investigating it called Missouri's biggest clergy sex-abuse to date, Shawn Davies, a 33-year-old former music and youth minister, was sentenced Jan. 12 to 20 years in prison for molesting children at First…
Missouri Baptist pastor sentenced to 20 years for child sex-abuse
GREENWOOD, Mo. (ABP) — In what the detective investigating it described as Missouri's biggest clergy sex-abuse to date, Shawn Davies, a 33-year-old former music and youth minister, was sentenced Jan. 12 to 20 years in prison for molesting children at…
Opinion: Hearing God’s voice
Years ago during my sojourn at Southern Seminary, William Hendricks, my theology professor, told us of a young man who informed him, “God told me you shouldn't be teaching here anymore.” Professor Hendricks' response was direct and to the point:…
Belmont subpoenas church records in Tennessee Baptist lawsuit
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (ABP) — Belmont University has subpoenaed giving records from 100 Tennessee Baptist Convention churches in an ongoing legal dispute with the convention over control of the school's assets. The subpoena asks for records on churches' giving to the…
Cowboy church appeal spreading thanks to laid-back approach
STEPHENVILLE, Texas (ABP) — On a chilly morning in central Texas, a man in ostrich-skin cowboy boots stood shivering beside a horse trough. Then he stepped in the water-filled tank. Charles Higgs quickly dunked the cowboy. Higgs, the pastor of…
Correction
In the Jan. 12 story titled “Biblical Recorder editor to take university post” please replace the fifth graph with the following: The 172-year-old newspaper announced last February it would nominate four people to open seats on its 16-member board, bypassing…
Authorities investigating fires at North Carolina churches
GREENVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — “Suspicious” fires damaged two Baptist churches and a break-in was discovered at a third in Greenville, N.C., the night of Jan. 13. Memorial Baptist Church and Unity Free Will Baptist, located near each other in the…