WASHINGTON (ABP) — Prior to his 2000 election campaign, George W. Bush worried about both the need to appeal more to conservative evangelical Christians and the danger of appearing too close to them, private audiotapes reveal. Doug Wead, who was…
Southern Seminary nixes pioneering curriculum for ‘biblical counseling’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — The Christian counseling department of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which defined the role of pastoral counseling for generations of ministers and Christian counselors, will make a wholesale change by emphasizing “biblical counseling” over behavioral science. The…
Psychology debate dates back to earlier era at Southern
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Duke McCall said the tension at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary between behavioral science and Christianity dates back to when he was president of the school and Wayne Oates was teaching pastoral counseling. “This discussion is not…
Kentucky convention cancels McLaren over author’s comments on salvation
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — The Kentucky Baptist Convention has withdrawn its invitation to pastor and author Brian McLaren to speak at its evangelism conference. Officials said they made the decision after reviewing McLaren's statements about salvation and the author's most…
Fellowship council hears report to define ‘partners,’ limit funding
ATLANTA (ABP) — A study committee is recommending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship set a cap on funding of its “partner” organizations and bring more structure to those relationships, including signed covenant agreements and public acknowledgements of those partnerships. The plan,…
CBF offering will honor Carters, support BWA, religious liberty, human rights
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will dedicate an annual offering for religious liberty and human rights — named for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter — and use a third of the proceeds to support the Baptist World Alliance. The…
CBF elects McNeill administrator, Baldridge as sole missions exec
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship hired Constance McNeill of Kansas City, Kan., as coordinator of administration for the Fellowship's Atlanta Resource Center. The CBF Coordinating Council on Feb. 17 approved a search committee's unanimous recommendation of McNeill, 51,…
‘Winn-Dixie’ producers hope good movies make good readers
LOS ANGELES (ABP) — It's a perennial question, like the chicken and the egg. Which was better, the book or the movie? For one film company, Los Angeles-based Walden Media, the issue is not either-or. Walden hopes its latest production,…
State executives, editors challenged to rethink denominational funding
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — The financial future of denominational organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention could be in jeopardy if they do not recognize and adapt to changes in the church and the broader culture, David Schmidt told a…