WASHINGTON (ABP) — When the 110th Congress convenes Jan. 4, the culture wars could move to a different battleground. The shift in the House from a significant Republican majority to a significant Democratic majority probably won't reduce legislation controversial for…
Judson College gets $9 million bequest, its largest gift ever
MARION, Ala. (ABP) — Judson College is poised to receive a $9 million Christmas present. Proceeds from the estate of Marian Acree Tucker of Dadeville, Ala., will be the largest bequest ever given by an individual donor to the Baptist-affiliated…
Hybrid holiday ‘Chrismukkah’ shows tension in blended American families
DALLAS (ABP) — There's a new winter holiday on the rise, and it could be the perfect opportunity to enjoy Fa-La-La-La Latkes, Blitzen's Blintzes, and Christmas trees filled with “menorahments.” It's not Christmas. And it's not Hanukkah. It's both. And…
Colleen Burroughs, friends bring water to drought-stricken Malawi
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — When Colleen Burroughs heard a news report last year that a drought in Malawi threatened to kill 5 million people, the Birmingham resident, who was raised in Malawi by Baptist missionary parents, knew she had to…
New Jersey passes civil unions with same rights as marriage
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — On Dec. 14, New Jersey became the third state in the Union to offer gay residents legal protections similar to marriage. The New Jersey Assembly — the lower chamber of the state's legislature — passed a…
Avoid Christmas stress by getting organized, expert says
DALLAS (ABP) — 'Tis the season for anxiety attacks as to-do lists grow longer and days grow shorter. But families can reduce holiday stress by following a few simple organizing tips, author Marcia Ramsland says. “The holidays are as much…
Summit calls global church to focus to AIDS crisis
When 5,500 people die of AIDS every day, the need is not for charity but for justice, says Bono, and the church must do something about it. “That's a lot of our brothers and sisters to be losing for no…
Leaders at Texas conference join McKissic’s call for more freedom
Pastors and other Baptist leaders at a Dec. 5 roundtable discussion voted unanimously to request Southern Baptist Convention officials to reconsider restrictive policies regarding speaking in tongues. The 100-plus pastors and laypeople who attended the half-day event at Dwight McKissic's…
New set of Baptist-Catholic talks to be held this month in Alabama
The first in a new series of Baptist-Catholic theological conversations was to be held at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 10-12. The Baptist team is being led by Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Denton Lotz and Paul Fiddes,…
Ellison won’t be first politician to forgo Bible in taking oath of office
When Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat who last month was elected the first Muslim in Congress, announced he would take his oath of office on Islam's holy book, the Quran, he provoked sharp criticism. The ensuing discussion has revived the…
His ‘dream come true’ carries nativity to the big screen
Ironically, production of The Nativity Story took about as long as the period of time the movie portrays—from just before Christ's immaculate conception to just after his miraculous birth. That such a breakneck production schedule actually worked and the movie…
Theological opportunity?
Perhaps I'm an opportunist, but whenever things happen that are not likely to happen again, I try to take advantage. As, for example, in 1986 while spending a weekend with my family in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park when…