How Christian extremists are co-opting the book of Esther

ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's fund for tsunami relief topped $890,000 by the end of January, surpassing all previous CBF relief efforts “With nearly a million given by churches and individuals, CBF will be able to continue our…

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — To be healthy, ministers should plan their leisure time like they do other aspects of their ministry, said former Southern Baptist Convention president Jim Henry. Jesus practiced the ministry of leisure, said Henry, pastor of…

ATLANTA (ABP) — A study committee is recommending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship set a cap on funding of its “partner” organizations and bring more structure to those relationships, including signed covenant agreements and public acknowledgements of those partnerships. The plan,…

ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will dedicate an annual offering for religious liberty and human rights — named for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter — and use a third of the proceeds to support the Baptist World Alliance. The…

ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship hired Constance McNeill of Kansas City, Kan., as coordinator of administration for the Fellowship's Atlanta Resource Center. The CBF Coordinating Council on Feb. 17 approved a search committee's unanimous recommendation of McNeill, 51,…

LOS ANGELES (ABP) — It's a perennial question, like the chicken and the egg. Which was better, the book or the movie? For one film company, Los Angeles-based Walden Media, the issue is not either-or. Walden hopes its latest production,…

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — The financial future of denominational organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention could be in jeopardy if they do not recognize and adapt to changes in the church and the broader culture, David Schmidt told a…

ATLANTA (ABP) — Georgia's highest court heard arguments Feb. 14 in a case that may decide the future of Shorter College. Trustees of the Rome school removed themselves from the Georgia Baptist Convention's control in 2002, arguing that convention officials…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Another former White House official has publicly criticized the Bush administration's efforts to support its “faith-based initiative.” David Kuo, a former deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, criticized his former colleagues…