Historical drama Pressure clears the air on speaking truth to power

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABP) — In a historic, relationship-altering move, Kentucky Baptist Convention messengers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new ministry partnership with Georgetown College. In other action, messengers meeting Nov. 15-16 in Frankfort, Ky., elected conservative pastors to the KBC's…

WEST MONROE, La. (ABP) — Messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention's annual meeting Nov. 14-15 surprised some observers by rejecting candidates and causes endorsed by the state's conservative political group. Meeting at First Baptist Church in West Monroe, La., messengers…

AUSTIN, Texas (ABP) — Rallying under a banner of “One Family — One Mission,” messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting took decisive steps toward demonstrating the diversity of the Texas Baptist family. Messengers elected the convention's…

Ocala, Fla. (ABP) — Seeking to galvanize the 1,550 messengers in attendance to action, leaders of the Florida Baptist State Convention publicly signed the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment during its 144th annual meeting Nov. 14-15 in Ocala, Fla. Among those…

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Conservatives in the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina elected their candidate as president, toughened the convention's stance against gay-friendly churches, replaced the interim executive director and approved new institutional trustees without dissent. But they failed…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has reportedly downplayed comments he made 20 years ago strongly opposing abortion and Supreme Court precedents on church-state issues. The comments, publicized Nov. 15, came in a letter he wrote in 1985…

Please make the following correction in the story “North Carolina Baptists vote again to exclude gay-friendly churches” released Nov 15. Replace the 9th graph with this: The North Carolina convention already has a financial policy that prohibits churches that condone…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABP) — The man whose election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979 began a 25-year-long upheaval that split the denomination has died at the age of 74. Adrian Rogers, pastor emeritus of Bellevue Baptist Church…

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Conservatives in North Carolina elected their candidate as president, replaced the interim executive director of the Baptist State Convention, approved new institutional trustees without dissent, and toughened their stance against gay-friendly churches. But they failed in…

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Any church that “knowingly affirms, approves, or endorses homosexual behavior” will no longer be allowed as a member of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. “It is most important that we as a convention uphold…

COLUMBUS, Ga. (ABP) — Georgia Baptists voted Nov. 15 to begin the process of severing their last ties with Mercer University, one of the nation's oldest and largest Baptist institutions of higher learning. The move comes in the immediate wake…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court has declined an attempt to have the words “In God We Trust” removed from the front of a North Carolina county government building. The justices declined, without comment, Nov. 14 to hear a case…