Historical drama Pressure clears the air on speaking truth to power

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether a small band of adherents of an obscure Brazilian sect living in the United States have a religious right to import hallucinogenic tea for sacramental use. The justices agreed April…

ALEXANDRIA, La. (ABP) — The new executive of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is asking the convention's newspaper to dissolve its independent board and come under the executive's authority. Under the proposal from executive director David Hankins, the Baptist Message would…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a Virginia county can exclude a member of a minority religion from offering prayers at county board meetings — even though adherents of “Judeo-Christian” religions are allowed to lead invocations….

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Samford University President Thomas Corts, who has led Alabama's largest private university for 22 years, will retire in May 2006, or earlier if a presidential search committee identifies his successor before then. Corts announced his retirement…

(Editor's note: This updates the April 13 ABP story titled “Connecticut, Maryland legislators pass domestic-partner bills.”) WASHINGTON (ABP) — Proponents of legal recognition for same-sex couples have taken two steps forward and one step back, thanks to votes in Connecticut…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has recently acquired two new professional staffers. The BJC has hired Stephen Reeves as staff attorney and Emilee Simmons as associate director of communications. Reeves served last fall as a…