WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal appeals court has stopped Attorney General John Ashcroft's attempt to override an Oregon law allowing physician-assisted suicides. A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled May 26 that Ashcroft overstepped…
Dispute over tax exemption swings in favor of Unitarian church
DENISON, Texas (ABP) — A Texas church's tax-exempt status, which was denied three years ago because of the church's alleged lack of beliefs, was abruptly reinstated recently after the case drew media attention. Red River Unitarian Universalist Church in Denison…
Durham church leaves NC convention over handling of homosexuality issue
DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) — A Durham, N.C., church has voted to pull out of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina over the convention's treatment of another congregation that admitted gay members. The members of Watts Street Baptist Church voted…
Leaving the SBC behind proves hard for some churches
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ABP) — Providence Baptist Church never has been a Southern Baptist church and doesn't want to be one. But the congregation has had a hard time convincing the Southern Baptist Convention of that. The eight-year-old church in Charleston,…
Evangelicals, Catholics, mainline groups want to draw attention to poverty in election
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Fighting poverty should be a far more prominent issue for American Christians in the 2004 elections than it has been in the past, according to a diverse group of leaders meeting in Washington. The Christian anti-poverty group…
Baptist groups join Call to Renewal to make poverty a political issue
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Alliance of Baptists and the American Baptist Churches are joining arms with a national Christian anti-poverty group to call attention to poverty issues in an election year. The Baptist groups joined the…
BGCT employees to drop NAMB affiliation by yearend
DALLAS (ABP) — All five Baptist General Convention of Texas employees with North American Mission Board appointments will end those relationships with the Southern Baptist Convention agency and become fully supported by the Texas convention by the end of the…
BGCT asks Houston Baptist to end ties to rival convention
DALLAS (ABP) — The Baptist General Convention of Texas is asking one of its affiliated universities to break off its “fraternal relationship” with a rival Baptist group in the state. The BGCT Executive Board voted May 25 to ask Houston…
Louisiana editor Clayton makes plans to retire in 2005
ALEXANDRIA, La. (ABP) — Lynn Clayton, editor of Louisiana's Baptist Message, announced May 18 he plans to retire at the end of 2005. By the time Clayton retires, he will be 65 and will have served more than 27 years…