JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A Missouri judge, who recently dismissed a lawsuit against five Missouri Baptist agencies, won't allow the plaintiffs to amend the suit. Judge Thomas Brown, who ruled March 11 that the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board…
U.S. behind only China, Iran in executions, report says
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The United States ranks third, behind only China and Iran, in reported executions, according to a new report by a human-rights group that opposes the death penalty. Amnesty International's annual report on the death penalty, released April…
Health-care group expands missions partnership with CBF
PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist Medical/Dental Fellowship will expand their partnership to provide health-care ministries in the United States and overseas. An agreement signed April 2 during the BMDF annual meeting includes establishing medical/dental…
N.C. attorney general rejects complaint about ousted church
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — The attorney general of North Carolina has told a Baptist pastor that his complaint against the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina appears to be a private matter. Gene Scarborough, pastor of North Rocky Mount Baptist…
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….
Churches trying to avoid impending financial crisis, duties, speakers say
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…