(ABP) — Voters defeated most attempts to expand gambling in five states Nov. 2, which opponents say continues a trend to rein in gambling expansion nationwide. Only in Oklahoma, where voters approved a state-run lottery, could gambling proponents claim clear-cut…
Hispanic churches facing challenge of bilingual culture, leaders say
DALLAS (ABP) — Hispanic congregations face a familiar struggle — how to preserve church traditions without losing younger generations. The problem is becoming all too common among Hispanic congregations, particularly in Texas. They are filling their pews with older generations…
Christian hunting groups target men for discipleship, fellowship
HELENA, Ala. (ABP) — In Alabama, where devotion to hunting can approach a religion, several organizations are trying to match the passion hunters and fishermen feel for the outdoors with a passion for Christ. Wayne Vining, a member of the…
President Bush boosted to re-election with heavy evangelical support
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Heavy turnout among evangelical voters concerned with moral issues was widely credited with lifting President George W. Bush to re-election Nov. 2, confounding the conventional wisdom about large-turnout elections. Exit polls suggest “moral values” issues were one…
State gay-marriage bans sweep ballots nationwide
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Opponents of same-sex marriage got a clean sweep in the Nov. 2 elections, with voters in 11 states — from Michigan to Oregon and from Georgia to North Dakota — passing constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage….
Californians, Floridians act on stem cells, abortion notice
(ABP) — Controversial sanctity-of-life issues were weighed by voters in two states Nov. 2, with Californians approving funding for stem-cell research and Floridians requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion. Both measures passed easily. In California, voters…
Baptist layman, philanthropist James McAfee dead at 65
ATLANTA (ABP) — James T. McAfee Jr., who along with his wife, Carolyn, generously supported Baptist educational causes, died in Atlanta Nov. 3, one week after heart surgery. In 1997, Mercer University named its new seminary the James and Carolyn…
Missouri convention refiles suit against five convention agencies
RAYTOWN, Mo. (ABP) — On the same day it opened its 170th annual session, the Missouri Baptist Convention filed new legal action against five related agencies. Attorneys for the convention filed a declaratory judgment action on Oct. 25 against the…
Federal judge strikes down Montana ‘faith-based’ program
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal judge has struck down state funding of a “parish nurse” program in Montana, saying the program violated the Constitution. Judge Richard Anderson of the United States District Court for Montana ruled Oct. 26 that the…