WASHINGTON (ABP) — Progressive and moderate religious leaders have formed a new group to challenge what they view as the Religious Right's dominance of public debates about political and social issues. A group of rabbis and ministers formally launched the…
Rankin, trustees answer charges IMB not conservative enough
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABP) – In response to criticism from a seminary missions professor, the president and trustees of the International Mission Board defended the agency's actions and insisted its mission will not be “compromised.” A paper written by Keith Eitel…
Gregory says preachers need to hear ‘quiet desperation’ of listeners’ lives
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — He once was considered by many the best preacher in the country. But it wasn't until he fell from that pinnacle and began selling funeral services door to door that Joel Gregory says he learned “that…
In this Souper Bowl, the hungry are winners
HOUSTON (ABP) — No matter who competes in the next Super Bowl, youth from across the country are drawing up a game plan to make sure hungry people win on Super Bowl Sunday. They're preparing to participate in the Souper…
Alabama Baptists affirm display of 10 Commandments
MOBILE, Ala. (ABP) — Messengers to this year's Alabama Baptist State Convention voiced their support for publicly displaying the Ten Commandments and approved a status quo Cooperative Program budget for 2004. Messengers overwhelmingly adopted a Ten Commandments resolution that encouraged…
Board member named interim at Central Seminary
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (ABP) — James McCrossen, an ordained American Baptist, has been appointed interim president at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kan. McCrossen, a member of the school's board of directors, was named to the position by…
Wingfield leaves Standard, joins Dallas church staff
DALLAS (ABP) — Mark Wingfield, managing editor of the Baptist Standard, is leaving denominational journalism after 21 years to join the staff at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. At a called church conference Nov. 19, the Dallas congregation overwhelmingly voted…
Republicans add DC voucher plan to unamendable appropriations bill
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Republican leaders in the House and Senate have quietly slipped a measure into a federal appropriations bill that would create the first federally sponsored school-voucher program. The proposal, which would create a publicly funded scholarship program for…
Eldorado bus crash claims another victim
ELDORADO, Texas (ABP) — The October bus crash that killed five members of First Baptist Church in Eldorado, Texas, and three of their friends has claimed another life. Billy Frank Blaylock, 78, died Nov. 17 at a San Angelo hospital…