Western Baptists need to leave Christendom behind and become more like the early church, Denton Lotz told about 150 persons attending a Baptist World Alliance dinner June 23. Lotz, who is general secretary of the BWA, said many Westerners still…
Anti-poverty reformers seek consensus among political, religious groups
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Christian anti-poverty advocates are promoting a “Covenant for a New America” that calls for policy changes to build consensus across the political aisle and across denominations. The document outlines three “fundamental commitments”: — “Work must work and…
Baptist politics ‘wreaking havoc’ on universities, warns Godsey
Baptist higher education faces a monumental crisis, due in large part to abuses of control and financial dependence, longtime university president Kirby Godsey told participants at the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society's annual meeting June 22 in Atlanta. Godsey will retire…
Don’t be afraid of evangelicals, Obama tells other progressives
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Speaking to a group of Christians rallying in Washington, a possible contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination said it's time for progressives and liberals to talk about faith, but only if they can speak authentically. “Nothing's…
Methodist numbers drop below 8 million
(RNS) — A United Methodist Church report says church membership dipped to a new low last year, dropping to under 8 million in the United States for the first time in nearly 80 years. The church's General Council on Finance…
Leland Center receives accreditation; faculty lauded for ‘notable scholarship’
ARLINGTON, Va. (ABP) — The John Leland Center for Theological Studies received full accreditation status from the Association of Theological Schools June 15. It now offers diploma, master of divinity, and master of theological studies classes to roughly 150 students…
BWA presses Vietnam on religious freedom
(ABP) — A Baptist World Alliance-led delegation recently returned from Vietnam, where they pressed government officials to ensure greater religious freedom in the rapidly Westernizing nation. Vietnamese-American Baptists and top officials from the Baptist World Alliance, the Baptist General Convention…
Study counts 1,600 ordained, Baptist women in the South
ATLANTA (ABP) — Roughly 1,600 Baptist women in the southern United States have been ordained to the ministry, according to a new report released by Baptist Women in Ministry. The study reviewed women in churches affiliated with the Alliance of…
2nd Georgia church votes to join BGAV
First Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., has voted to join the 1,400 congregations affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The church, which unanimously approved the action June 25, is the second Georgia congregation to join the BGAV. First…
Former mission board worker gets anonymous gift for ailing wife
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Nathan and Fran Porter, former employees of the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board, have received an anonymous $5,000 donation to help pay for Fran's mounting medical expenses, Porter told Associated Baptist Press June 29. The…
VBMB staff member Hazel Mallory dies
Hazel W. Mallory, 63, a longtime member of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board staff, died June 24 after a battle with cancer. She began her employment career in Richmond with the Equitable Insurance Group and for the past 31 years…
Arkansas Supreme Court overturns state’s ban on gay foster parents
LITTLE ROCK (ABP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled unanimously June 29 that the state's child-welfare agency cannot ban gays from being foster parents. The ban had been the only one of its kind in the nation. The justices agreed…