Who is the domestic terrorist?

In the wake of the violence of January 6, 2021, some observers wondered why the insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol weren’t charged with domestic terrorism. The reason is simple: There is no standalone federal crime on the books for domestic...

Analysis Mara Richards Bim

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Study says teen faith shaped more by hands-on ministry than worship

WACO, Texas (ABP) — Serving meals to homeless people at a church-sponsored shelter can have a greater impact than sitting in a pew every Sunday morning on how a teenager's faith develops, a new study has concluded. “Involvement in community…

Experts on both sides of ‘ex-gay’ debate skeptical about Haggard cure claim

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Claims by one of Ted Haggard's spiritual overseers that he is now “100 percent heterosexual” should be taken with a significant grain of salt, according to experts with differing opinions on the value of “ex-gay” or sexual-reorientation…

Accurate definition of ‘evangelical’ up for debate in theology, politics

DALLAS (ABP) — One out of every four adults who call themselves “evangelical” is not a “born-again” Christian, according to a recent report from the Barna Group. And that's just the beginning of the confusion surrounding the term “evangelical.” For…

Gay-friendly NC church invites investigation; ouster now likely

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ABP) — A church in Charlotte has turned itself in to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, admitting it is in violation of the convention's stance against homosexuality. The deacons at Myers Park Baptist Church sent an…

Baptist mission workers killed in bus crash in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (ABP) — Three Americans on a mission trip in Honduras were killed in a truck crash Feb. 6. Ten other people were injured when the truck flipped on a remote mountain road, authorities said. Two of the deceased…

Pain of Florida tornado intense for rural Florida church, 2 families

PAISLEY, Fla. (ABP) — Like a lot of close-knit churches in rural Florida, the 100-member First Baptist Church of Paisley is small enough that regular attenders are missed when they don't show up on Sunday. But the absence of the…

Last of Arizona Baptist fraud convicts sentenced to prison

PHOENIX (ABP) — One of the most egregious cases of fraud in non-profit history came to a close Feb. 2, when the former treasurer of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona was sentenced. Donald Deardoff, 49, was ordered to serve four…

Palestinian police seize church in gunfight with rival party

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (ABP) — As conflict threatened to plunge Palestine into civil war Feb. 3, a Palestinian Baptist pastor sent out an impassioned plea to supporters around the world to pray for his church, which authorities have seized…

Two more churches leave NC convention over gay policy

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (ABP) — On Feb. 4, St. John's Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., became the second church in a week to decide to break ties with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina over its new anti-gay policy. Four…

Leonard Sweet tells pastors to embrace change, ‘get over’ postmodern shift

WACO, Texas (ABP) — Deal with it, get over it or get help. That's Leonard Sweet's mantra when it comes to understanding Christianity's fluid role in the postmodern world. The Christian church is in the midst of a “perfect storm,”…

Texas ethics leader calls Baptists to oppose new coal plants

AUSTIN, Texas (ABP) — The director of Texas Baptists' ethics organization has called for Baptists in the state to lobby public officials not to open 18 proposed coal-fired power plants that would dump tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere…

Dungy uses Super Bowl win to talk about his faith in God

MIAMI (ABP) — Anyone listening to Tony Dungy Feb. 4 would have thought Super Bowl XLI was as much about faith as football. Like he did in days prior to Sunday's “Soul Bowl,” Indianapolis Colts head coach Dungy used every…