Massive cultural shifts are occurring in contemporary society. The reasons for these cultural quakes are many, but all boil down to the conviction that human reason, which gave birth to fantastic advancements in science, industry, and technology, has failed to…
Gay activists target Liberty, Regent
Styling themselves after the famous Freedom Riders of the civil-rights era, a group of gay-rights activists is targeting Baptist and other Christian colleges with a cross-country bus trip that is part teach-in, part protest. The “Equality Ride,” organized by the…
Virginia sends voters marriage amendment
Virginia's legislature has officially placed a constitutional marriage amendment on the November ballot, giving voters in the state a say on the issue of gay marriage. The Virginia Senate March 8 unanimously passed the bill that places the amendment on…
‘Rare’ Baptist exec Ed Schmeltekopf dies after long battle with Parkinson’s
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Texas Baptist denominational leader Ed Schmeltekopf died March 29 after an extended illness related to his longtime battle with Parkinson's disease. Schmeltekopf, 73, served nearly two decades as associate executive director of the Baptist General…
Gulfport church says goodbye to buildings gutted by Katrina
GULFPORT, Miss. (ABP) — Members of this city's First Baptist Church bid farewell March 26 to the hollow shell of their beachfront sanctuary, decimated by Hurricane Katrina, in order to move to an inland location less vulnerable to storms. Stark…
Threat of death for conversion not unique to Afghanistan
(ABP) — As Afghan Adbul Rahman seeks safety in Italy after dodging a death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity, other Christians worldwide continue to face extreme persecution from countrymen who oppose their beliefs. While Rahman's case gained national…
Texas woman nominated as next CBF moderator
DALLAS (ABP) — Texas leadership consultant Harriet Harral will be nominated as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's moderator-elect, the highest elected position in the national group. “I am both humbled and excited,” Harral told Associated Baptist Press. “CBF is so blessed…
Catholics, mainliners, Jews, evangelicals unite to support immigration reform
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The debate over immigration reform currently dividing America at large — and congressional Republicans in particular — ironically is uniting a wide spectrum of the religious community that views immigration reform as a moral issue. The Roman…
Children’s ministry disaster relief trailer arrives
Virginia Baptists are moving forward in their plans for ministering to children and their families who are affected by natural disasters. Members of the Children's Ministry Disaster Response Unit met with Terry Raines, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's disaster relief…
IMB won’t remove trustee, but prohibits future dissent
Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board decided not to seek the removal of one of their own for criticizing trustee actions, but they adopted new guidelines to prohibit and punish such criticism in the future. After a…
NAMB trustees impose controls on Reccord after study
Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board met in an eight-hour closed session March 23, emerging with recommendations that impose “executive-level controls” on NAMB President Bob Reccord and other administrators at the agency. Reccord was not fired,…
Partnership will fund Hispanic ministry in Virginia
Three Baptist organizations have recently partnered to fund ongoing ministry among Hispanics in Virginia. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Fredericksburg Baptist Church are partnering to provide financial support for Greg and Sue Smith, who…