HELEN, Ga. (ABP) — The death of a 32-year-old North American Mission Board missionary is under investigation by officials in the north Georgia county where he lived. The sheriff's office in White County, Ga., is investigating the Jan. 27 death…
Video of kidnapped Christian activists stokes hope as group continues protest
WASHINGTON (ABP) — New video footage of four Christian peace activists held hostage in Iraq has buoyed hope among their friends and loved ones — weeks after their captors' deadline for executing them. After more than a month of silence,…
Simultaneous Iraq bomb attacks hit churches, kill 3 Christians
WASHINGTON (ABP) — An apparently coordinated series of bomb attacks Jan. 29 targeted Iraq's Christian minority, killing three and injuring more. Bombs exploded within minutes of each other during Sunday services at two churches in the northern city of Kirkuk….
Conservatives expel Texas church for ties to gay-friendly ministry
BAYTOWN, Texas (ABP) — A conservative church in Baytown, Texas, has been kicked out of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention because it lets a ministry to homosexuals use church meeting space. Although the Eklektos ministry affirms homosexuality, the church…
No News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for January 26, 2006
North Carolina committee nominates consensus candidate for executive
ASHEBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Leaders of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina have nominated a candidate with support from both moderates and conservatives to the fractious statewide body's executive post. The convention's board of directors voted, without opposition, Jan….
Virginia legislators move closer to anti-gay-marriage amendment
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Virginia legislators have moved their state one step closer to adopting a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Virginia Senate voted 28-11 Jan. 24 to follow Virginia's lower legislative chamber, the House of Delegates, in approving…
Mission opportunities for youth and young adults
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board and its international partners have many opportunities for young people to be involved in missions. Although the target ages are 16 to 26 for these youth-oriented experiences, there is some flexibility in the age expectation….
Senate committee approves Alito with contentious party-line vote
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Differences over abortion rights, discrimination and religious freedom contributed to a Senate panel's fractious party-line vote Jan. 24 on the confirmation of President Bush's nominee for a crucial seat on the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee…
Maryland becomes latest hot spot in battle over same-sex marriage
BALTIMORE (ABP) — With a state judge's Jan. 20 ruling that Maryland's law banning same-sex marriage violates the state constitution, Maryland becomes the latest front in the nationwide battle over gay marriage. Baltimore City Circuit Judge Brooke Murdock said a…
Mercer president-elect decries ‘spiritual masters’ who limit freedom
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Baptists need no “spiritual masters” — either from the right or the left — to tell them what to believe in their churches or universities, said Bill Underwood, incoming president of Mercer University. Any attempt to…
Segregation undermines churches’ ability to reach society with gospel
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Christians undermine their ability to reach society with the gospel because they segregate their churches by race, sociologist/author George Yancey told participants in a workshop aimed at racial reconciliation. Yancey, assistant professor of sociology at the…