WASHINGTON (ABP) — A unanimous Supreme Court said Feb. 21 that a federal religious-freedom law protects an obscure sect that practices sacramental use of a hallucinogenic tea. In its first major religious-freedom ruling under Chief Justice John Roberts, the court…
CBF leaders adopt budget increase, new oversight for meeting planners
ATLANTA (ABP) — In a quiet meeting Feb. 16-17, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's Coordinating Council approved a slight budget increase for 2006-2007, approved a new oversight structure for the committee that plans the Fellowship's annual meeting and continued the group's…
First Baptist of Jacksonville elects Brunson as pastor
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.. (ABP) – First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., has elected Donald McCall “Mac” Brunson as pastor, confirming speculation about a leadership change in one of the nation's largest congregations. Brunson, 48, preached in the Feb. 19 Sunday morning…
Songs, Scripture, sex suggest seduction, God’s way
(ABP) — Guy Bickel says romance and passion come before sex, instead of the other way around. And he's using the Bible as proof. Bickel, a Tampa, Fla., resident, spent months studying six different Bible translations, developing music in a…
Southern Baptist missions suffering under NAMB’s leadership, report says
ATLANTA (ABP) — The number of career missionaries funded by the North American Mission Board has dropped 10 percent since 1997, according to a newspaper report, despite promises the restructured Southern Baptist agency would expand the mission work in America….
UPDATED: Media consultant hired by Reccord benefits from NAMB downsizing
ATLANTA (ABP) — Steve Sanford, a paid consultant who advised the North American Mission Board to outsource most of its media operations, has been hired to provide many of those outsourced services by his longtime friend, NAMB president Bob Reccord….
Moderate Texas divinity school receives ATS accreditation
ABILENE, Texas (ABP) — Logsdon Seminary, one the many Baptist divinity schools founded after fundamentalists took over the Southern Baptist Convention's seminaries, has gained recognition from the primary accrediting agency for theological schools in the United States and Canada. The…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for February 16, 2006
IMB may rescind motion asking for trustee Burleson’s dismissal
ATLANTA (ABP) — Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board will ask the agency's trustees to rescind an action that asked for the removal of one of their fellow trustees. But the controversy surrounding the trustee in question,…
A year of significant ministry for Virginia Baptists
An open letter from John Upton Dear Virginia Baptist family: I would like to congratulate the Baptist General Association of Virginia family for a year of significant ministry. The year 2005 was a year of global and national disasters. The…
Groups of evangelical leaders face off over global warming
By Robert Marus Associated Baptist Press A Feb. 8 news conference in Washington signaled the start of what could become a showdown over global warming between two groups of evangelical Christian leaders. At stake are the hearts and minds of…
GuideStone releases Ministers Tax Guide
Ministers can find additional help in preparing their 2005 federal income tax returns from GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The annual Ministers Tax Guide for 2005 returns details recent changes to tax laws and their effect on…