GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina likely will not change or abandon its four funding options for churches, even though some Baptists in the state have called for a simpler method of supporting Baptist ministries…
Former IMB journalist Creswell to join N.C. convention staff
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Mike Creswell, a 24-year veteran of the International Mission Board, is expected to join the staff of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in mid-September to promote giving to the convention's mission budget. Creswell will…
California Supreme Court nullifies gay marriages
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Dealing a blow to the gay-rights movement, California's Supreme Court Aug. 12 ruled that San Francisco officials violated state law when they performed approximately 4,000 same-sex marriages earlier this year. The court also ruled that the marriages,…
Christian leaders condemn Bush’s church-based campaign tactics
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A broad group of mainline and evangelical Protestant leaders has issued a statement criticizing President Bush's re-election campaign for attempting to recruit voters through churches. Fifteen seminary professors and retired pastors — seven of them Baptists —…
Kerry, Bush campaigns focus on stem-cell research
WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the third anniversary of a controversial decision by President Bush limiting embryonic stem-cell research, both parties' presidential campaigns focused on the morally contentious topic. In Aug. 9 campaign appearances, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards and…
Christian values gaining credibility in era of business reform, consultants say
CHASKA, Minn. (ABP) — As a parade of former Enron executives defend themselves before a federal grand jury during August, a new era is emerging in American business, according to business leaders and consultants. The Enron scandal represents a pendulum…
Baptist ends 28-year career training Army chaplains
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (ABF) — Chaplain Hal Roller recently retired as commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School after a 28-year career that included numerous military honors, such as the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. But teaching other…
San Antonio church collects, fills backpacks for 525 schoolchildren
PROGRESO, Texas (ABP) — Elementary school children in Progreso, Texas, are going back to school this year with a heavy burden, thanks to a church in San Antonio. In less than seven months, members of the Fellowship at Westcreek collected…
Protestants in U.S. losing majority status, study says
CHICAGO (ABP) — Protestants could cease to be the majority religious group in the United States within the next year, a new study by the National Opinion Research Center says. Between 1972 and 1993, the Protestant share of the U.S….
News briefs from Associated Baptist Press
Appeals court bans town's Christian prayers RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — A federal appeals court has banned a South Carolina town from offering Christian-only prayers at city council meetings. A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…
Democratic religious liaison resigns under fire from Catholic group
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Democratic Party's first-ever liaison to religious leaders has resigned only two weeks after she started, under fire from a conservative Catholic group for her opposition to the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Brenda…
BWA international leaders anticipate better days, ‘truer voice’ after SBC
SEOUL, Korea (ABP) — What does the future hold for Baptist World Alliance as it approaches its centennial celebration next year — minus its largest member body? According to several influential Baptist leaders around the world, the global organization's best…