INDIANAPOLIS (ABP) — Two moderate Baptist theology schools have received $2 million grants from the Lilly Endowment to work with churches to promote “ministerial excellence.” McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University’s theology school in Atlanta, will use the funds to…
Widowed Alabama pastor learns to ‘truly trust God’
STEVENSON, Ala. (ABP) — With joy in his voice, Derek Boyd talked about picking up his sons from school. It is one of the highlights of his day. Full of thoughtful reflections and humorous anecdotes, his conversation naturally flowed back…
Herod’s slaughter aside, Christians too familiar with genocide, author says
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Christians reading the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth are often jolted by King Herod's act of genocide. When told by the wise men of the birth of a Jewish king, Herod ordered all the Jewish infants…
UCC officials file FCC complaints against network TV affiliates
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The United Church of Christ has filed Federal Communications Commission complaints against two television stations in Florida over their parent networks' refusals to air a controversial church advertisement. Church officials, acting on behalf of UCC members in…
Americans divided over how world was created
A Gallup Poll suggests that Americans are divided over how the world was created, but most appear skeptical that it happened exactly as described in the book of Genesis. The poll found that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution remains controversial…
One-day mission blitz grows into interdenominational effort
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — Ten years ago, Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., was a church ready for a new challenge. To revitalize the congregation, staff members envisioned a brief local-missions blitz with the ambitious goal of involving more…
Supreme Court declines to intervene in gay case
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request to review a Massachusetts court's decision that legalized gay marriage in that state. The justices declined Nov. 29 without comment a request from a group of Massachusetts legislators to review a decision…
CBF partnership with congregational center provides free consultation to churches
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has launched a three-year partnership with the Center for Congregational Health, a consulting and training center in Winston-Salem, N.C., to provide a number of consulting services free to churches. The center will provide…
Crisis care training to be offered in January
Training for crisis care chaplains will be offered conjunction with disaster relief efforts Jan. 14-15 at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center in Richmond. In responding to destruction caused by hurricanes in Florida and the Caribbean this fall, Virginia Baptist realized…