OXFORDSHIRE, England (ABP) — In a move members will approve April 28, the Council of the Baptist Union of Great Britain has nominated Jonathan Edwards as its next general secretary. The nomination followed the retirement announcement of former General Secretary…
UPDATED: Surviving Christian activists reportedly freed from Iraqi captors
BAGHDAD (ABP) — Three Christian peace activists have been freed from captivity in Iraq, according to the organization under whose aegis they traveled to the war-torn country. Christian Peacemaker Teams learned early March 23 that British Baptist Norman Kember, 74;…
Ouachita trustees urge feasibility study for graduate program in theology
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (ABP) — Ouachita Baptist University trustees, meeting in executive session March 9, urged the OBU administration to explore the feasibility of launching a graduate program in theology. The action came in the form of a resolution by a…
Tennessee couple encourages others while battling cancer
JACKSON, Tenn. (ABP) — When Eric and Sharon Langshur's son, Matthew, was born five years ago with a congenital heart defect, they created a simple web site to provide updates, a message board, and a photo gallery for friends and…
Alabama fires suspects stay in jail, face arson and burglary charges
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — The three men charged in the string of 10 church fires in rural Alabama will not seek release on bond from their federal charges, their lawyers said. Matthew Lee Cloyd, 20; Benjamin Moseley, 19; and Russell…
Diverse groups urge administration to intervene in Afghan man’s case
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The plight of an Afghan man who could face the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has united a broad array of religious, human-rights and advocacy groups that often find themselves ideologically opposed to each…
North Carolina CBF approves budget, elects new leaders
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — In its 13th General Assembly, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina reelected Don Horton, a layman from Zebulon Baptist Church, as moderator. Gail Coulter, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Hendersonville, became moderator-elect. “It was…
IMB won’t remove blogging trustee but prohibits dissent in future actions
TAMPA, Fla. (ABP) — Trustees of the 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…
Virginia and India: An enduring partnership
More than a year after a catastrophic tsunami opened doors for Virginia Baptists to minister in southern India, ties between Baptists in the Commonwealth and in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are burgeoning. Virginia Baptists are now…
VBMB, BTSR, other launch network to raise next generation of pastors
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond have joined with more than 40 Baptist churches and organizations across the South to launch the Shiloh Network, a new cooperative effort to encourage and recruit young people to…
Back at sea: Partnership between Indian and Virginia Baptists is restoring livel
By Robert Dilday Associate Editor Some 75 Indian fishing families have had their livelihoods restored, thanks to the joint efforts of Baptists in Virginia and India. Over the past few months, fiberglass boats-replacing those destroyed by last year's tsunami-have been…
Gaddy warns Mainstream Baptists to be vigilant on religious liberty
5{arus Associated Baptist Press Speaking Feb. 24 in the birthplace of the First Amendment’s religion clauses, a Baptist minister who is a professional opponent of the Religious Right warned Baptists to be equally vigilant. Welton Gaddy, president of the Washington-based…