PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (ABP) — One of the clearest demonstrations of Hurricane Katrina's power as it decimated the Mississippi Gulf Coast Aug. 29, 2005, is the shell of a large three-story steel-reinforced concrete building in the once-charming town of Pass…
Progressive National Baptists pick president, decry war in Iraq
CINCINNATI (ABP) — The Progressive National Baptist Convention has named T. DeWitt Smith as its new president. Elected at the convention's annual summer session, Smith will succeed Major Jemison as leader of the Washington, D.C.-based denomination. Smith is pastor of…
Trustee McKissic endorses prayer tongue during chapel sermon at Southwestern
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — A trustee at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary endorsed the concept of a private prayer language in an Aug. 29 chapel sermon at the institution, setting off a wave of discussion in the Southern Baptist blogosphere…
2 churches cited in Alliance fine get Cuba travel licenses anyway
WASHINGTON (ABP) — At least two congregations whose activities in Cuba triggered a $34,000 fine for the Alliance of Baptists have been granted their own travel licenses by the same agency that issued the fine. The Treasury Department recently approved…
Habitat official among victims of Comair crash in Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABP) — A Habitat for Humanity official headed to the Gulf Coast was among 49 people killed in an early morning plane crash Aug. 27 in Lexington, Ky. Pat Smith of Lexington, a member of Habitat for Humanity…
Knoxville church partners with Baptists in Croatia to train pastors, laity
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A local Tennessee church and the Croatian Baptist Union have formed a unique partnership to help support a pastoral center in ?akovec, Croatia. First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tenn., and the Baptist Union will provide writing,…
Katherine Harris tries to quell furor over remarks in Baptist newspaper
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) has caused a major stir with comments, published in the Florida Baptist Convention's newspaper, suggesting that the separation of church and state is “a lie” and that failing to elect Christians to…
West Palm megachurch pastor resigns amid debt, résumé exposé
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (ABP) — Embattled pastor Steven Flockhart resigned from First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Fla. — less than three months after he was hired to lead the 10,000-member church — reportedly because he lied about…
Despite controversy, FDA finally OKs ‘morning-after’ pill without prescription
WASHINGTON (ABP) — After a three-year-long debate, the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved wider distribution of a “morning-after” contraceptive, angering some religious conservatives and anti-abortion groups. FDA officials announced Aug. 24 that they had approved non-prescription sales of…
New stem-cell extraction technique may help quiet raging debate
WORCESTER, Mass. (ABP) — New scientific research may defuse the culture war over embryonic stem-cell research, but it also may raise new ethical questions. In a study publicized Aug. 23 on the website of the journal Nature, members of a…
Mother of Baptist students fears return to African homeland
PLAINVIEW, Texas (ABP) — Fedha Mohamed Elyas has visited her children in Texas before and returned home to Africa with no problems. But this time, she's afraid to go home. Elyas is a resident of the Comoros Islands, off the…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for August 24, 2006
STAFF CHANGES Jason Booth, to Zoan Church, Fredericksburg, as pastor. Rob Tennant, resigning as pastor of Greenbrier Church, Arlington, to accept the pastorate of HillSong Church, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Ryan Snodgrass, to Spring Hill Church, Ruckersville, as site pastor…