GERMANTOWN, Tenn. (ABP) — After a divisive and highly publicized debate about the role of elders in Baptist church governance, members of a large Memphis-area church have defeated a motion to switch from congregational polity to the elder system. The…
IMB trustee Burleson attacked again, but accuser may be violating new policy
ENID, Okla. (ABP) — In what could lead to another attempt to remove trustee Wade Burleson from the International Mission Board, a fellow trustee of the Southern Baptist agency is publicly criticizing Burleson for his views on baptism, alcohol and…
Reinstated missionaries say IMB report misrepresents their actions, decisions
DALLAS (ABP) — Wyman and Michelle Dobbs, the Southern Baptist missionaries recently threatened with termination by the International Mission Board and then reinstated, say the IMB's description of their reinstatement is “inaccurate and inappropriate.” The Dobbses, missionaries for eight years…
Ecumenical and evangelical groups tentatively join in day of prayer
WASHINGTON (ABP) — As President Bush spoke to an ecumenical group at the White House to mark the National Day of Prayer May 4, religious moderates and progressives gathered in locations around the country in an effort to broaden an…
Confusion reigns in SBC election: Hunt drops out, Floyd may run
WOODSTOCK, Ga. (ABP) — Barely a month before the annual Southern Baptist Convention, it's still unclear who will be nominated for president — a sign of the current uneasiness among conservatives in the denomination. Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt, tapped as…
Humanitarian aid is best weapon against terror, ex-U.N. official says
DALLAS (ABP) — Humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism, veteran congressman Tony Hall said. Providing food for one's enemies not only fulfills a basic teaching of Jesus Christ; it's also good foreign…
Missouri police investigate molestation by minister in Baptist church
GREENWOOD, Mo. (ABP) — A Baptist music minister convicted of molesting children at three churches since 1998 sits in a Kentucky prison May 4 while police continue to investigate what his supervisor, a senior pastor in Missouri, knew about the…
Trustee nominations, committees named for SBC entities
Nominees to serve on the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources GuideStone Financial Resources, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the six seminaries and the committee on order of…
Vatican official calls for boycott of Da Vinci Code film
The Vatican renewed its attack on The Da Vinci Code on April 28, with a high-ranking official calling Catholics to boycott a forthcoming film version of the runaway best-seller. Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation of the Doctrine of…
Land: Emphasize ‘American’ part of Hispanic-American
A prominent Southern Baptist leader on April 27 advocated Christian support of immigrants but stressed that lawbreakers should be punished and newcomers should work hard to assimilate. “Put the emphasis on the American part of Hispanic-American and you are welcome,”…
Broadman & Holman plans name change
Broadman & Holman Publishers, the trade publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced April 27 plans to change its name to B&H Publishing Group, effective June 1. B&H Publishing Group will serve as an umbrella…
Mercer confirms Baptist identity
Following a formal separation initiated by the Georgia Baptist Convention last November and several pronouncements by university leaders calling for a clear Baptist identity, Mercer University trustees voted April 21 to amend the school's charter to state that “no less…