ATLANTA (ABP) — Four years in the making, a new group designed to be the broadest ecumenical coalition in American history was officially formed March 31. Thirty-four denominational and parachurch groups, representing a broad spectrum of American Christianity, constituted Christian…
Record number of U.S. church groups reflects immigration, yearbook says
DALLAS (ABP) — Amid intense national debate about immigration reform, the National Council of Churches recently announced immigrants have had a positive impact on U.S. churches: The council's annual yearbook reports a record number of church bodies for 2006. One…
Coffin, outspoken activist, pastor of NYC’s Riverside Church, dies
NEW YORK (ABP) — William Sloane Coffin Jr., former CIA agent, peace activist, Yale University chaplain, accomplished pianist and esteemed pastor of Manhattan's Riverside Church, died April 12. Coffin died from congestive heart failure at his home in Vermont. He…
IMB may dismiss Africa missionaries for starting non-Baptist congregation
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Another controversy is brewing at the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, which reportedly is set to dismiss two of its missionaries in West Africa for cooperating with non-Baptist colleagues to plant a church that isn't…
Correction
In the story April 7 ABP story, “Rex Horne to become 15th president of Ouachita,” please replace the ninth paragraph with the following: Horne will replace current Ouachita President Andy Westmoreland, who will become president of Samford University in Birmingham,…
Jimmy Carter gathers Baptist leaders, urges them to transcend differences
ATLANTA (ABP) — Leaders of Baptist conventions and organizations comprising more than 20 million adherents in North America explored “additional opportunities for fellowship and cooperation” in Atlanta April 10. President Jimmy Carter, a lifelong Baptist lay leader and Sunday school…
ABP, Baptist Standard form ‘strategic alliance’
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — Associated Baptist Press and the Baptist Standard of Texas are creating a “strategic alliance” to improve the quality and efficiency of their news organizations. The two have cooperated closely for more than a decade, but the…
Islamic group offers $5,000 reward in Baylor attack of Muslim woman
WACO, Texas (ABP) — A 19-year-old Pakistani-American woman was attacked the night of April 1 as she walked through the Baylor University campus. Baylor senior Nohayia Javed told police a white man in his mid-30s grabbed her head scarf and…
800-student Chowan College adopts ‘university’ label
MURFREESBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Chowan College trustees voted April 6 to adopt a new name, exchanging “Chowan College” for “Chowan University.” Though it is often assumed that the name “university” necessarily implies the presence of graduate programs, that is not…
Pastor on 1,000-mile trek to closer walk with God
HOUSTON (ABP) — Pastor Ed Hogan lost about a dozen pounds since he started walking 10 miles a day, but he's more interested in talking about what he has gained from the experience — a closer walk with God and…
In paperless age, paper letters let dads leave legacy of love
DALLAS (ABP) — As one of 70 million baby boomers, Greg Vaughn says he's not alone when it comes to the hurt he felt when his dad died. And the worst part was the absence of any written document of…
‘Genius of America’ based on individual rights, rabbi says
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Baptists and Jews, both having suffered historically as minority faiths, share a strong commitment to religious liberty, Rabbi David Saperstein said during an inaugural Mercer University lecture series. Saperstein has directed the Washington-based Religious Action Center…