Americans value freedom but there are differences on what it means

WACO, Texas (ABP) — Paul Powell will continue to serve as dean of Truett Theological Seminary past his three-year commitment. Powell said he intended to retire in the spring, but Baylor University President Robert Sloan asked him to stay. “I…

SKOPJE, Macedonia (ABP) — “A jeni ju Baba Dimri?” Translation: “Are you Santa Claus?” That's what Serxhane, an 11-year-old Albanian orphan, asked Rick Shaw — who serves with his wife, Martha, as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship global missions field personnel in…

NORMAN, Okla. (ABP) — Veteran missionary Charles “T” Thomas was hired by the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma as coordinator Dec. 6. Thomas, currently associate coordinator for missions for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, will assume his new position…

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Moderate Baptists in North Carolina are calling for a meeting next month to discuss their future. The open meeting is scheduled for Jan. 23-24 at First Baptist Church in Greensboro, said David Hughes, pastor of First…

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (ABP) — Signatures on most sexual-abstinence commitment cards may not be worth the paper they are written on, according to a recent university study. A survey by Northern Kentucky University revealed 61 percent of students who made…

DALLAS (ABP) — Young adults appear to be turning to oral sex as a way to remain sexually “pure” as they wait longer for marriage, according to sexual-health experts. Dallas psychologist Dan McGee and Joe McIlhaney, director of the Medical…

ATLANTA (ABP) — Since 1999, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's church-starting ministry has helped begin 54 congregations nationwide that are either holding services or are in the planning stages. Steve Abbe is the pastor of one of those new churches —…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Colorado judge has halted the nation's newest school-voucher program before it even gets started. Denver District Judge Joseph Meyer ruled Dec. 3 that a new program designed to provide tax-funded scholarships to low-income Colorado students to…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Rep. Cass Ballenger's mouth has gotten him into trouble before, but his most recent controversial comments have earned him a lawsuit from the nation's largest Islamic civil-rights organization. In federal court in Washington Dec. 2, the Council…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The United States Senate has become the latest battlefield in the ongoing culture war over gay marriage. A quintet of conservative Republican senators introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment Nov. 25, shortly before senators adjourned for their holiday…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court appeared closely divided during Dec. 2 oral arguments in a case that could have enormous ramifications for the future of government funding for religious institutions. All eyes were on Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A case the Supreme Court took up Dec. 2 has the potential to create another legal landmark in a critical time for church-state relations, according to a group of First Amendment experts. The Supreme Court heard oral…