CONROE, Texas (ABP) – A tornado slammed RiverPointe Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston, May 11, ripping off a large section of the sanctuary roof and damaging much of the facility's interior. In about 90 seconds, the tornado…
Endowment to provide care for CBF missionary families
ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received a $100,000 gift from Ed and Laura Anne Vick of Raleigh, N.C., to begin an endowment to promote the spiritual, emotional and physical health of missionaries and their families. The fund will…
Terror attacks pointing Spaniards to faith, Baptist leader says
DALLAS (ABP) – Spanish evangelicals are feeling an increased urgency for evangelism in the aftermath of terror attacks that killed almost 200 people March 11, according to a Baptist leader in Spain. Spanish Baptists, though still recovering after four explosions…
Gay cruise draws new attention to SBC agency’s Carnival stock
DALLAS (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Annuity Board faces another round of criticism for owning $14 million worth of stock in Carnival Cruise Lines, which is hosting “the First Annual Official Gay Days Cruise” beginning May 30. The four-night Bahamas…
Religious freedom commission warns about Iraq in annual report
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The future of religious freedom in the rebuilt Afghanistan may be in grave danger — and the United States should avoid similar problems as it rebuilds Iraq, according to a federal panel's annual report. Those observations were…
Federal panels turn spotlight on Turkmenistan’s rights violations
WASHINGTON (ABP) — When one thinks of international violators of religious freedom, totalitarian communist regimes such as North Korea or China often come to mind — as do theocratic Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia or Iran. But members of…
As gay-marriage deadline nears, states, Congress scramble to respond
WASHINGTON (ABP) — As the May 17 deadline for the United States' first legal gay marriages approaches, members of Congress debated a nationwide ban on same-sex marriage, and one more state legislature narrowly rejected a similar amendment. “Gays are not…
Growth of world religions calls for dialogue, not retreat, speakers say
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Rather than retreating from the challenge of world religions in an increasingly pluralistic society, Christians should enter into honest dialogue with people who hold different beliefs, two speakers told a national conference examining “ultimate questions.” “We…
Pastor says God delivered hope following 1999 church shooting
DALLAS (ABP) – Nearly five years after it happened, Pastor Al Meredith still remembers vividly the phone call that changed his life and the path of his congregation: “You've got to get down here. Someone's shooting the kids.” It was…