The re-elected leader of American Baptists says his denomination's divide over homosexuality “tears my soul.” “I tell you from the bottom of my heart that this rupture tears my soul, and that I pledge before you, by God's grace, that…
Virginia Baptist Mission Board, Foundation launch endowment partnership
Cover Story for December 8, 2005 By Robert Dilday Associate Editor Virginia Baptist leaders said Nov. 30 they expect a new partnership between the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and Virginia Baptist Foundation to result in significantly more funding for Virginia…
Church & People News for December 8, 2005
Christmas Music & Drama Azalea Church, “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. Beaver Dam Church, Troy; “One Bethlehem Night,” Dec. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. Bedford Church, Bedford; “A Great and…
‘Lion, Witch and Wardrobe’ carries message for those who want to see it
(ABP) — Lights! Camera! Allegory? Whether viewers find a distinctly Christian message in the new movie “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” depends on whether they found one in the C.S. Lewis fantasy novel it's…
Defenders call for support of evangelicals convicted of 1997 Mexican massacre
SAN CRISTOBAL, Mexico (ABP) — Sixteen men, mostly evangelical Christians, implicated in the 1997 Acteal massacre in southern Mexico now face 36 years in prison after their final appeal was denied by a three-judge panel Nov. 30. Sergio Nafare, defense…
Arkansas college president leads field of candidates at Samford University
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Andrew Westmoreland, president of Arkansas Baptists' Ouachita Baptist University, is the leading candidate to become president of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Westmoreland visited the Samford campus Dec. 6 to meet with three constituent panels —…
Underwood elected Mercer president, promises to strengthen Baptist identity
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Bill Underwood, interim president of Baylor University, was elected president of Mercer University Dec. 2, promising to retain the school's historic Baptist identity despite a recent break with the Georgia Baptist Convention. “I'm a Baptist,” the…
Yemen executes man convicted of 2002 SBC missionary murders
SAN'A, Yemen (ABP) — A Muslim man convicted of plotting the December 2002 terror attack that killed three Southern Baptist missionaries in Yemen was executed Nov. 27, according to several news reports. Ali al-Jarallah died at the hands of a…
South Africa becomes 5th country to legalize gay marriage nationwide
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (ABP) — South Africa's highest court said Dec. 1 that the nation's constitution requires it to legalize same-sex marriage. The Constitutional Court delayed its ruling for a year to give Parliament time to rewrite the nation's 1961…
Rick Warren hosts AIDS conference to reverse evangelicals’ neglect
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (ABP) -– The pastor at the Southern Baptist Convention's largest church used a conference timed to conclude on World AIDS Day to announce a new commitment to caring for the millions of people infected with HIV and…
Indiana legislature’s prayers must Delete ‘Christ’, federal judge says
INDIANAPOLIS (ABP) — A federal judge in Indiana has said that state's practice of allowing explicitly Christian prayers to open legislative sessions violates the Constitution. In a Nov. 30 ruling, Federal District Judge David Hamilton ordered a halt to official…
Supreme court hears arguments on abortion-clinic protesters
WASHINGTON (ABP) — On a day when anti-abortion protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court's building, the justices inside concerned themselves with a decades-old case on whether federal law can ban certain protests at abortion clinics. The Nov. 30 arguments in…