Baptist News Global

RIGHT OR WRONG?

So many current and former pastors and other church staff people have been in the news lately involved in sexual and financial scandals. What kind of background checks can a search committee legitimately implement to attempt to keep these kinds…

Does God protect some disaster victims but not others?

JACKSON, Tenn. (RNS) — As Kristen Fabrizio felt the vibrations preceding the tornado that ripped across the campus of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., last month, she clung to her friends, who in turn clung to their faith. “You can…

Americans fluid in their religious affiliation, Pew study reveals

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new study of more than 35,000 adult Americans by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life captures the depth and breadth of religious America — 78.4 percent Christian, 4.7 percent members of other faiths and…

FAITH DIGEST

Amazing Grace takes top honors. Amazing Grace, the big-budget film that traced the life of abolitionist William Wilberforce, won Most Inspiring Movie of 2007 and Best Movie for Mature Audiences at the 16th annual Movieguide Faith and Values Awards in…

Obama speech spurs IRS investigation

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A speech that Barack Obama made last year to his fellow Congregationalists has spurred an Internal Revenue Service investigation that threatens the tax-exempt status of an entire denomination. Leaders of the Illinois senator's United Church of Christ…

Obama says he’ll use ‘bully pulpit’ to encourage same-sex marriage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama sought the support of voters in the homosexual community Feb. 28, telling them in a letter that if elected president he would work to pass laws important to that constituency and…

Wilberforce documentary to air on PBS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — One year after the movie Amazing Grace reintroduced America to William Wilberforce, a new documentary about the famous Christian abolitionist seeks to shed more light on the British man whose fight against slavery inspired Abraham Lincoln…

VBS influence too great to ignore, says LifeWay resource specialist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Vacation Bible School is huge. How huge? Almost 1 in 16 children ages 5-12 in America was enrolled in a Southern Baptist VBS, according to figures from 2006. Add the number of non-SBC Vacation Bible Schools…

Abstinence pact means AIDS relief bill back on track

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A bill that would more than triple the amount of money the United States spends combating the AIDS pandemic got a boost Feb. 27 with a compromise over abstinence-focused prevention efforts and abortion. House leaders and White…

Senate bars abortion funds on reservations

WASHINGTON (BP) — The U.S. Senate voted Feb. 26 to prohibit federal funding for abortion as part of an Indian health care bill. Senators approved the amendment 52-42. The Senate approved the overall bill, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act,…

In Jena, revival overpowers racial tensions

JENA, La. (BP) — Last Sept. 20, more than 20,000 people from across the nation gathered in small Jena, La., to protest an outbreak of racial tensions at the local high school, exposing old feelings of racism and hate. Celebrities…

SBC president asks for help for Union

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) — Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page called for Southern Baptist churches to give generously to Union University as the campus seeks to recover from more than $40 million in damages sustained in a Feb. 5 tornado….

Theologizing with Larkin Poe, 10 years after Reskinned

Ministry leader with tall tales wins GOP bid for Colorado governor

What Willy Rice once knew

What I learned July 5 at church