Historical drama Pressure clears the air on speaking truth to power

BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — Christ's love commands compassion for a world filled with suffering and pain, speaker after speaker told participants at the Baptist World Centenary Congress. The Baptist World Alliance set aside an evening of its 100th anniversary celebration…

BIRMIMGHAM, England (ABP) — BWA officials launched a new $1.2 million evangelism strategy during a one-day conference in Birmingham, England, on the eve of the group's centennial world congress. Regional training and vision conferences are a key part of the…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Senate's majority leader, citing his expertise as a physician, announced July 29 that he would support an expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. The decision puts Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) at odds with the…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A group of North American Islamic scholars issued a formal fatwa, or religious ruling, condemning terrorism July 28. Although several Muslim groups and leaders in the United States have repeatedly condemned terrorism, the fatwa carries the force…

BIRMINGHAM, England — An estimated 12,000 Baptist Christians from around the world celebrated a century of togetherness July 27, opening their five-day meeting in Birmingham, England, with vibrant music, vivid pageantry and stirring stories of faith. The Baptist World Centenary…

BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — Two state Baptist conventions became full-fledged members of the Baptist World Alliance following election by the BWA's General Council July 27. The Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist General Association of Virginia join 211…

BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — Affirming that Baptists from around the world can “have unity without uniformity,” Rick Warren told reporters at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary congress that the withdrawal of Southern Baptists from BWA was a “silly” mistake. “God…

BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) – South African Dorothy Selebano was elected president of the Baptist World Alliance's women's department, the first woman from Africa to be named to that post. Selebano was election to the five-year term in office during the…

BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) – Yanis Smits, bishop of the Latvian Baptist Union, said his countrymen encounter “difficulties” spreading the gospel within his home nation. Those troubles would be regular pressure from groups that are out to halt the work of…

BANGKOK, Thailand (ABP) — A consortium of Asian Baptist seminaries has elected a Singaporean woman as its president and admitted a Japanese seminary to its membership. The board of the Asian Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary elected Lilian Lim president and…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The drafting process for Iraq's permanent constitution is raising serious concerns among United States officials who monitor religious freedom. Reported July 27 comments from the Shiite Muslim who heads the nation's constitutional drafting committee — as well…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Two prominent members of Congress have introduced a resolution criticizing one of the United States' largest allies for its handling of religious freedom. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) have introduced versions of a…