PINEVILLE, La. (ABP) — The president and academic vice president are leaving Louisiana College, a Baptist school that has been embroiled in a controversy over academic freedom. Rory Lee, president for seven years, announced March 15 he is leaving at…
Pentecostals lead modest growth in U.S. church membership
NEW YORK (ABP) — The number of Protestants — particularly Pentecostals — continues to increase in the United States, with a fourth Pentecostal denomination joining the list of 25 largest U.S. religious bodies. The new numbers come from the 2004…
Many Protestant ministers not willing to serve small churches, study says
DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) — Although there are more Protestant ministers than churches, many ministers don't want to work for those congregations, especially smaller ones, according to a study by Duke University. While nearly every denomination surveyed has more than one…
Missouri leaders will continue suit, but legal road may prove rocky
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Despite a legal setback, Missouri Baptist Convention leaders will continue their lawsuit against five institutions that have removed themselves from the convention's control. The convention's lead attorney in the case, Michael Whitehead, said he will…
Judge dismisses convention lawsuit against Missouri Baptist agencies
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A Missouri judge has effectively dismissed a lawsuit filed by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders against five institutions that removed themselves from convention control. Cole County Circuit Judge Thomas Brown ruled March 11 that the suit's…
BWA Executive Committee issues statement on SBC flap
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — Hoping to put their controversy with the Southern Baptist Convention behind them, members of the Baptist World Alliance's Executive Committee issued a joint statement affirming historic Christian doctrines March 10. The action came during a…
Texas Baptist Men’s group sends food to Haiti
DALLAS (ABP) — A planeload of food sent by Texas Baptist Men arrived March 10 in Haiti, which has been ravaged recently by civil war. More than 300 pounds of nonperishable food landed at the airport in Cap Haitien, where…
Youths who pledge abstinence show similar STD rates to peers
WASHINGTON (ABP) — When true love doesn't wait, it also apparently doesn't use a condom. That's one conclusion from a scientific study of teenagers who made pledges to abstain from sexual intercourse before marriage. Researchers announced the study's results March…
Bill before Congress would fund restoration of Catholic missions
WASHINGTON (ABP) — For a change, the Bush administration isn't supporting a bill that would provide federal financial assistance to churches. An official from Bush's National Park Service testified March 9 against a bill that would provide $10 million in…