WASHINGTON (ABP) — After impassioned debate on the separation of church and state Sept. 26, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it harder to sue the government for violations of church-state separation. House members voted 244-173…
British Baptist minister leads environmental protest at airport
NOTTINGHAM, England (ABP) — Twenty-four environmental protesters, led by a British Baptist minister, were arrested Sept. 24 for breaching the security perimeter at the Nottingham East Midlands airport. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the protesters cut through fences around…
Church fights turn high-tech: Web is new weapon of choice
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABP) — Bellevue Baptist Church is on the cutting edge of a growing trend — at least when it comes to conflict. Like members from several other prominent churches nationwide, congregants at the Memphis-area megachurch are using web…
American Baptists will move historical collections to Atlanta
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (ABP) — The American Baptist Historical Society, which claims the largest collection of Baptist resources in the world, is moving to the heart of the Deep South — Atlanta. The collection will have a new home on…
Fredericksburg Church gets grant for missional ministry
With a history of doing missions work both in its hometown and around the world, Fredericksburg Baptist had a commitment to helping others. But Jeanne Anderson, minister with adults and missions, said when the congregation conducted the “It's Time” study,…
SBC Exec. Committee approves fiscal-responsibility amendment
NASHVILLE (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee approved Sept. 19 an amendment to convention documents that urges SBC leaders toward greater financial responsibility. Southern Baptist messengers will hear the recommendation at the June 2007 annual meeting in San…
Editors invited to tour Jordan
Offering to bear the full expense of the trip and arranging every detail of the 10-day event, the Tourism Board hopes to encourage American Christian tourists to consider Jordan a travel destination. To the surprise of the editors who had…
Rotary-CBF partnership in La. town gets $500,000 from Bush-Clinton fund
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund has given a $500,000 grant for the hurricane-damaged community of Lacombe, La., where the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and an Arkansas Rotary Club are working together. Already CBF and Rotary volunteers have restored more…
Mission Board’s Bob Dale announces plans to retire
He made the announcement Sept. 12 at a meeting of the Mission Board's executive committee. Dale will continue to serve quarter-time as special assistant to the executive director for leadership development. “I've been blessed to serve the Virginia Baptist family,”…
Many American teens lose faith in early adulthood, study says
DALLAS (ABP) — Six out of 10 teens involved in a church will probably not continue their spiritual commitment into early adulthood, according to a Sept. 11 study by the Barna Group. The study, conducted from 2001 to 2006, shows…
Virginia chaplain reprimanded by Navy for disobeying commander’s order
A military jury in Norfolk recommended Sept. 14 that Lt. Gordon Klingenschmitt be docked $250 a month in pay for the next year and sent a letter of reprimand. The day before, they convicted him of violating a superior officer's…
NASCAR great Shepherd finds ‘victory in Jesus’
CONOVER, N.C. (ABP) — At 64 years old, and without a major sponsor, Morgan Shepherd is the oldest active driver on the NASCAR's Nextel circuit. While most of his contemporaries have long since left the track, he recently qualified for…