WASHINGTON (ABP) — One of the biggest backers of a controversial bill that would allow churches to make partisan political endorsements has changed its mind, after changes to the bill. The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission announced…
Agreement between Averett University, Virginia Baptists not quite settled
DANVILLE, Va. (ABP) — Averett University leaders apparently are seeking a compromise that would end its covenant agreement with the Baptist General Association of Virginia, as planned, but still elevate the school's relationship with the Baptist organization. Meeting April 15,…
Author shares 10 components of healthy children’s ministries
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — “Parents are the missing element of children's ministry,” an author and children's-ministry consultant told a conference in Louisville, Ky., April 23. Too many churches are working off the 1970s model of recruiting a paid or volunteer…
Analysis: ‘Judicial activism’ hard to define despite sudden uproar over subject
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Even though “judicial activism” may simply be in the eye of the beholder, according to legal experts, it is a recurring charge against judges that is almost as old as the Republic itself. But that hasn't kept…
Most teenagers lack basic knowledge of Bible, surveyed teachers say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A significant number of American teenagers are “clueless” when it comes to a working knowledge of the Bible, and that means they cannot receive a quality education, a new report indicates. A national report reveals 98 percent…
Dobson, Colson, Frist headline rally against judicial filibusters
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Conservative Christian and political leaders declared war on judicial filibusters in the U.S. Senate during an April 24 rally at a Southern Baptist church in Kentucky. Dubbed “Justice Sunday” by organizers, the 90-minute rally was subtitled…
Illinois Baptist exec Lang resigns unexpectedly for church post
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (ABP) — After serving on the job a little more than two years, Wendell Lang has resigned as executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association to accept a position as pastor of a Tennessee church. Lang was…
Educators differ on how ‘Baptist’ a Baptist university should be
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Should Baptist universities create an identity that is distinctively Baptist or one rooted in orthodox Christian beliefs shared by many traditions? Speaking to a national conference, two prominent educators agreed the future of Baptist higher education…
Hip-hop churches carry message of redemption to urban youth
HOUSTON (ABP) — The in-your-face attitude, emblazoned on black T-shirts, is unmistakable: “Jesus is Lord. Satan is a punk. Pick a side.” Street Life, a Christian outreach to young people in Houston's urban hip-hop culture, offers a distinctive blend of…
Averett trustees acknowledge VBMB action, but are quiet on status of statement
Trustees of Averett University have acknowledged Virginia Baptists' approval of a jointly-developed statement which would dissolve century-and-a-half-old ties between the school and the Baptist General Association of Virginia. But Averett's trustees, who met April 15, have not revealed what action…
Sloan says Christian education stymied by name-calling, ‘fear-mongering’
WACO, Texas (ABP) — The future of Baptist colleges and universities depends on educators' willingness to “move on” beyond the political categories that have dominated denominational life for more than 20 years, Baylor University President Robert Sloan told a national…
Right to dissent may be key mark of Baptist colleges, Leonard suggests
WACO, Texas (ABP) — The right to dissent — even about what makes a school religious — should be a key distinctive of Baptist higher education, suggested church historian and seminary dean Bill Leonard. Addressing a national conference on the…