In a major upset, outsider Frank Page of South Carolina was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention over two candidates closely tied to the SBC's conservative power structure. Page, who described his election as a victory for grassroots Baptists,…
Baptist history on alcohol: not totally teetotaling
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Question: Why do you always take two Baptists with you when you go fishing? Answer: Because if you only bring one, he'll drink all your beer. Most everybody who grew up in the South has a…
BWA delegation presses Vietnamese government on religious freedom
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (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. Though conditions for religious groups — especially Protestant groups — have…
Former mission board worker fights for NAMB support for ailing wife
WACO, Texas (ABP) — In his day, Nathan Porter jokes, he was the sex symbol of the Southern Baptist Convention. These days, he said, he's the sex symbol of the AARP. No matter. The tall 73-year-old Brazilian with blueberry eyes…
CBF leaders elect Rob Nash to global missions post
ATLANTA (ABP) — With a standing ovation, leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship unanimously approved Rob Nash as the group's new global missions coordinator June 21. The CBF Coordinating Council approved Nash to head up the organization's missionary force in…
Supreme Court agrees to expand scope of ‘partial-birth abortion’ case
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court said June 20 it will expand its review of a controversial federal abortion law. The justices agreed to hear a California case involving the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. They will consider, in…
SBC messengers strip much of anti-nepotism motion
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — After an appeal from an International Mission Board trustee June 14, Southern Baptist Convention messengers removed provisions of a recommendation designed to prevent nepotism and conflicts of interest among SBC agency trustees. The move dealt something…
Moore defeated in GOP nomination
In what may be the final act of the drama that has been Roy Moore's political life, the so-called “Ten Commandments Judge” went down to resounding defeat June 6 in his race for Alabama's Republican gubernatorial nomination. Moore lost to…
Senate votes down marriage amendment
For the second time in as many election years, the Senate has killed a proposal to amend the Constitution to deny marriage to same-sex couples. That won't stop the House from taking up the same proposal, though, and opponents of…
EDITORIAL: Bumper sticker wars
As I write this, I am preparing to attend the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. Aside from the anticipated bickering over the presidency and predicted controversy over resolutions, messengers are sure to hear a challenge from current…
ANOTHER VIEW: Mission givers break cultural mold
American evangelicals stand accused of being captives of culture—selfish, materialistic, unconcerned about the world. If we're honest, sometimes we have to plead guilty as charged. Christian pollster George Barna frequently supplies the evidence to convict us. His research measures the…
A long friendship
The days around Memorial Day weekend 2006 will long be remembered as the visit to Virginia by a delegation of some 25 Chinese from the China Christian Council, who were hosted by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. For several years…