WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a lower court's ruling that outlawed mealtime prayers at a state-run military college. The justices turned aside the appeal from Virginia officials April 26. Last year, a…
N.C. moderates, conservatives discuss changing giving plans
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Officials of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention say there's no way to know the potential impact of changing the convention's giving options to a single plan that forwards most of its national missions allocation to…
Virginia Baptists release portion of funds escrowed over homosexuality
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Virginia Baptists will release to Averett University a portion of the funds they withheld last year in a dispute over biblical authority and homosexuality. But the remainder of the funds allocated in the current fiscal year…
SBC, interfaith group join to draw attention to uninsured
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Perhaps only a problem as daunting as the 40-plus million Americans lacking health insurance could bring together officials from groups as diverse as the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Council of Churches, and the Islamic Society of…
Missouri Baptist lawsuit re-filed; church funds may be used for battle
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Attorneys for the Missouri Baptist Convention have appealed the dismissal of a lawsuit against five breakaway institutions — and convention messengers will be asked to authorize the use of Cooperative Program funds to pay for…
Hunger on rise despite global goals, group says
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The number of hungry people in the United States and the developing world is greater now than it was when international leaders set hunger-cutting goals in the mid-1990s, said a recently released report by Bread for the…
Emotional pain drives some teens to self-mutilation, counselor says
DALLAS (ABP) — Why would teenagers cut their bodies on purpose? Cutting — and other forms of self-mutilation — cause physical pain that teens can deal with, blocking out emotional hurt they feel unable to handle, says Dallas counselor Carrie…
Counselor says some fears common among obsessive-compulsive teens
DALLAS (ABP) — Self-mutilation is not the only type of obsessive-compulsive disorder affecting youth, counselor Carrie Beaird told youth ministers at a recent seminar. The disorders can be as varied as the people afflicted, but they share some common traits….
Paraplegic finds hope in newborn triplets
GROVE OAK, Ala. (ABP) — Ten years ago, a tornado left Regina Webb's body broken on the ground amid the scattered remnants of her home. She was paralyzed from the chest down. Last January she gave birth to triplets. The…
PFLAG community center named for retired Baylor prof
WACO, Texas (ABP) — A support group for families and friends of homosexuals recently opened a community center in Waco named for a retired Baylor University religion professor and his wife, who have a homosexual son. The center is one…
Three Georgetown College VPs resign to accept other posts
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (ABP) — Half of Georgetown College's six vice presidents are resigning to pursue other opportunities. Rather than an administrative crisis, however, Georgetown President Bill Crouch described the moves as positive examples of the strength and stability of the…
Campbellsville’s theology school names interim as new dean
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (ABP) – Campbellsville University's School of Theology has named interim dean John Hurtgen to the permanent dean's position. Hurtgen, who has served the university since 1990 as an instructor of Christian studies and more recently as director of…