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…
Religion & Evolution: a false dichotomy
Another View for January 19, 2006 By J. Brent Walker Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee The debate over whether and how to teach evolution in the public schools continues 80 years after the Scopes “monkey trial” in Tennessee. Now the…
Giving not showing fatigue that some analysts feared
(ABP) — News reports and televised images of suffering by South Asia tsunami victims or hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast residents prompted Americans to reach deep into their pocketbooks to give last year. Americans gave more than $2.7 billion to aid Gulf…
Sex trafficking bill in Congress may strengthen campaign in U.S.
By Tom Strode Baptist Press President Bush signed into law Jan. 10 a bill strengthening the campaign against worldwide trafficking in people, especially the effort to combat the sex trade in the United States. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act,…
Churches that fail to manage risks fail in stewardship, says consultant
SAN ANGELO, Texas (ABP) — When church leaders fail to identify and manage risks in areas such as legal liability, health and safety standards, and compliance with civil-rights laws, they neglect an important aspect of biblical stewardship, risk-management consultant Dick…
California lawsuit opens new front in battle over intelligent design
Opponents of intelligent design theory have opened a new front in the battle over the theory, filing suit against a California school district that teaches intelligent design as philosophy rather than science. On Jan. 1, the district's board of trustees…
Draper, retiring LifeWay president, honored for 15 years of ministry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Affirming his commitment, compassion and vision, friends and colleagues gathered Jan. 13 to honor James T. Draper Jr., who will retire Feb. 1 as president of LifeWay Christian Resources. Draper, elected president of the former Baptist…
IMB seeks to remove blogging trustee
By Robert Dilday and Greg Warner Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board will seek to remove a member of their board, apparently for posting information about the board's deliberations on his weblog. Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson has…
A new century for the Baptist World Alliance
Open Letter By Denton Lotz General Secretary, BWA Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Jan. 1, 2006, was the beginning of a new century for the Baptist World Alliance. The challenges confronting Baptists and the Church are very different from…