Terry Raines, who heads disaster relief for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board left for Hungary and Pakistan on Oct. 16. After spending a couple of days in Budapest with Hungarian Baptists planning their work, Terry left for Pakistan. Following are…
Birth control, not liberalism, explains mainline decline, say researchers
The decline of mainline church membership over the last century had more to do with reproduction than theology, according to research by a trio of sociologists. The popular notion that conservative churches are growing because mainline churches are too liberal…
CBF Coordinating Council votes to add ‘Jesus’ to group’s constitution
National leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship voted Oct. 14 to restore explicit references to Jesus deleted from the group's constitution in July. A preamble to the constitution was approved by the CBF Coordinating Council with little discussion and no…
Shocking withdrawal of Miers raises stakes for Supreme Court replacement
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Conservatives breathed a sigh of relief Oct. 27 after the surprise announcement that White House Counsel Harriet Miers had withdrawn her nomination for an open seat on the Supreme Court. But her change of heart — in…
Methodist woman finds ministry home as associate pastor in Baptist church
RUTLEDGE, Tenn. (ABP) — Betty Shirley uses the word “ironic” to explain how she, a United Methodist, became associate pastor of a Baptist church in a small, conservative Tennessee town. Last spring, Shirley was expecting appointment to a congregation within…
Baylor may reduce board size; is it efficiency or more politics?
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Baylor University regents are expected to consider a proposal at their Oct. 28 meeting that would reduce substantially the size of the school's governing board over the next several years — eventually cutting it to less…
Alterations to housing bill spark religious outcry
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A wide variety of religious and political leaders are expressing outrage over House leaders' last-minute alterations to an affordable-housing bill they say discriminate against religious groups. The House passed a bill late Oct. 26 that would exclude…
Alabama Baptist conservatives disband, citing success
MULGA, Ala. (ABP) — Alabama Baptist Conservatives, a network of pastors organized in 1997, officially disbanded Sept. 29, saying they accomplished their goal of steering the state's Baptist convention in “a conservative direction.” “The state convention has taken a stand…
Missiouri Baptists to vote again on church loyalty to SBC
No congregation could be a Missouri Baptist Convention church without cooperating with the Southern Baptist Convention, if a constitutional amendment is passed this week. Requiring a church to cooperate with the national convention would be a departure from Baptist tradition….
Change announced for Pastors Conference
A change in schedule has been announced for the Virginia Baptist Pastors Conference, which is set to meet Nov. 9, just prior to the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. An unscheduled conflict will prevent well-known preacher…
Co-Missioners changes approved by boards
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board and Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia have modified their approach to Co-Missioners, the two organizations' joint missions initiative and education emphasis. Co-Missioners seeks to cast a unified missions vision for Virginia Baptist churches though hands-on…
FIRST PERSON: Filipino pastor’s vision leads him to Virginia
By Dan Carlton and Bob Munson Look at a globe sometime. You will see that it is a long way from the Philippines to Virginia. But distance can be deceiving. When fellow Christians work together for God's kingdom, the other…