NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The head of a moderate Baptist ethics and educational agency has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Robert Parham, founding executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, has been diagnosed with acute leukemia, according to a…
Georgia church votes to join BGAV
First Baptist Church of Rome, Ga., voted March 13 to join the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The church had earlier announced it was considering the move, which was endorsed by 95 percent of the congregational vote. The action followed…
Georgia church votes to affiliate with Virginia convention
ROME, Ga. (ABP) — A Georgia church has voted to leave its state convention and affiliate with another statewide body more in line with its theological stance — but headquartered nearly 600 miles away. On March 13, First Baptist Church…
Baptist World Alliance will vote to accept Virginia, Texas conventions
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will be recommended for full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, the group's membership committee reported March 9. British Baptist Alistair Brown,…
Words from the past: Like all state conventions, the BGAV is autonomous
Membership in the Baptist World Alliance is contingent on member bodies not being an integral part of any other Baptist denomination in their countries. That requirement posed no problem for Virginia in its quest to join the BWA even as…
BWA will vote on Virginia, Texas membership
By Robert Marus The Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will be recommended for full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, the group's membership committee reported March 9. British Baptist Alistair Brown, who sits…
Gay pride week clouds ties between Virginia Baptists, Averett
Ties between the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Averett University, already strained from a dispute last year over homosexuality, suffered another setback when one of the school's student organizations hosted a gay pride week on campus Feb. 21-26. The…
Tsunami aid groups seek to apply Baptist generosity for long term
(ABP) — Tsunami disaster relief is not a race between the tortoise and the hare. It's more like a relay effort by the two. According to Baptist groups that remain deeply involved in helping victims of the catastrophe, the sprint…
Baptist NCC leader issues cautions for Christian tsunami relief
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Baptist minister who is a Sri Lanka native has issued a set of guidelines for Christians doing relief work in the wake of the Dec. 26 South Asian tsunamis. Shanta Premawardhana, the director of interfaith relations…
Senate ready to pass bankruptcy bill despite Christian opposition
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A bill that would make it much more difficult for many middle-income Americans to get out of debt appeared on its way to passage in the Senate March 10. The “Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act…
Church historian Walter Shurden to be honored by Baptists Today
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Church historian Walter Shurden, founding executive director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies, will receive the fifth annual Judson-Rice Award from Baptists Today. Mercer President Kirby Godsey will present the award on behalf of the…
American Baptists avoid recall of missionaries
An international missions official for the American Baptist Churches USA has announced that a feared recall of missionaries will not happen in 2005. Last summer, American Baptist leaders said they needed to close a $1.5 million budget gap to prevent…