BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (ABP) — Churches, conventions and Christians are in deep financial trouble and facing a bleak future if church leaders do not actively engage cultural shifts and the perils of consumerism, according to a battery of speakers at…
Welfare reform bill stalls over election-year disputes
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Disputes over the minimum wage and other contentious election-year issues have stalled congressional reauthorization of a welfare reform program that includes funds for religious charities. The dispute killed, for the time being, the Personal Responsibility and Individual…
Churches weigh dangers of 15-passenger vans
DALLAS (ABP) — Federal agencies have issued safety warnings about them and major insurance companies have stopped writing policies on them, but some churches continue to struggle with the question of what to do with 15-passenger vans. Three years ago,…
Federal regulations may govern church van use, agency says
ELDORADO, Texas (ABP) — About five months after a bus crash claimed the lives of nine senior adults on a church-sponsored trip, members of First Baptist Church in Eldorado planned their first major out-of-town trip since the accident. The church…
Guidelines suggested for congregations using bus companies, church vehicles
(ABP) — If churches choose to charter a bus for long trips, they need to carefully examine the companies they hire, a representative of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suggested. Before hiring any carrier, request the bus company's United…
Christians must consider many issues in presidential election, scholars say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The 2004 presidential campaign has begun in earnest but, for Christian voters, deciding between the two major candidates may not be as black and white as campaign ads make it out to be. A significant majority of…
Stricter textbook policy proposed for Louisiana College
PINEVILLE, La. (ABP) — Louisiana College trustees, whose December decision to screen all classroom materials was criticized as a violation of academic freedom, will consider an even stricter textbook policy when they meet later this month. Conservative trustee Leon Hyatt…
Deadly Mexico flooding prompts Baptist response
DALLAS (ABP) — Flash floods swallowed parts of Piedras Negras, Mexico, April 4, prompting Texas Baptists to send blankets, clothes, food and drinking water. According to reports, more than 50 people have been confirmed dead and another 100 are missing….
Bush signs law protecting ‘unborn victims’ of violence
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Just days after it gained final approval in Congress, President Bush signed a bill into law that will treat embryos and fetuses at any stage of pregnancy as equal victims of crimes against their mothers. Bush signed…
Missouri Baptist attorneys file motion to reconsider case against 5 agencies
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Attorneys for the Missouri Baptist Convention have filed a motion which, if granted, would renew the convention's legal battle with five of its affiliated entities. In a motion filed March 24, Michael Whitehead and Stanton…
Annuity Board president defends investment policy, stock holdings
DALLAS (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention's Annuity Board tries not to invest in so-called “sin” stocks, but there is no guarantee of purity in investing, said board president O.S. Hawkins. The board's screening policies prohibit investment in companies that…
India scholars encourage U.S. to elevate concern for tolerance
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A group of India experts speaking on Capitol Hill March 31 had a message for American policy-makers: Supporting religious freedom on the Asian subcontinent is ultimately in the United States' best interest. India has been beset by…