The transmogrification of the SBC: When Baptists no longer are Baptist

Some professionals resist placing children with couples of a different race. (ABP) — Trans-cultural adoption has become chic. Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted children from Ethiopia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Pop singer Madonna adopted children from Malawi. And…

ANDALUSIA, Ala. (ABP) — A former Alabama Baptist pastor is being held on $24.2 million bond after his arrest Oct. 21 on 152 counts of possessing child pornography and sexual abuse of young boys. Ralph Lee Aaron, 54, was fired…

(ABP) — Philanthropist Paul Meyer died Oct. 25 in Waco, Texas. He was 81. A leading entrepreneur, Meyer was a major supporter of Baylor University and a number of other charitable institutions and causes. Meyer “Paul Meyer’s life not only…

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (ABP) — A judge in Uzbekistan has found three Baptist leaders guilty of tax evasion and involving children in religious activities without their parents' permission, ending a high-profile trial in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent Oct. 29….

FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has adopted a policy statement that declares men and women equal before God but created for specific roles of headship and submission in the church and home. Seminary trustees voted Oct….

WASHINGTON (ABP) — With the stroke of a pen Oct. 28, President Obama expanded federal hate-crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories, a goal for which gay-rights activists have been working for more than a…

WACO, Texas (ABP) –Baylor University has withdrawn its invitation to move its autonomous alumni association in-house, citing lack of a positive response to a request that the group give up its independent nonprofit status and come under the authority of Baylor administration. Baylor…

RAYTOWN, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention broadened authority of its Executive Board to resolve ongoing lawsuits against five formerly related entities at the convention's 175th annual meeting Oct. 27. Messengers at First Baptist Church in Raytown, Mo., voted 764-226 to authorize the Executive…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — An independent government panel that monitors global religious-freedom conditions thanked the State Department for its latest comprehensive report on the subject Oct. 26, but said the administration could move more boldly to protect freedom of conscience in…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The head of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission says the West should be wary of any commitment by Iran to reduce its ability to build nuclear weapons. "Iran has a long history…