A Swedish preacher sentenced to a month in prison for referring to homosexuals as a “cancerous tumor” in society was acquitted Feb. 11 by an appeals court. The court in Jonkoping, in southern Sweden, ruled that a sermon by Ake…
Jimmy Draper to retire as LifeWay executive
Making good on a promise made a year ago, Jimmy Draper, president of Lifeway Christian Resources for 14 years, announced his retirement Feb. 7, to take effect next February. Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing house immediately named a…
Baylor University regents approve Sloan resignation
Baylor University regents Feb. 4 formally approved the transition of President Robert Sloan to chancellor beginning June 1 and asked two of their officers to name a search committee to seek his replacement. Sloan, who has served as Baylor's 12th…
House committee OKs discrimination bill
For the second time in as many years, a House panel has approved a bill that would allow some government-funded charities to discriminate in hiring on the basis of religion. On a party-line vote Feb. 9, a subpanel of the…
Planned cap on CBF partner funding would reduce money for some, not others
By Greg Warner A plan under consideration by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship would cap CBF funding of outside organizations, which could reduce CBF support for some traditional ministry partners by as much as 31 percent. The long-awaited proposal from the…
Daughter of staffers dies at 22 months
Sarah Ann King, the 22-month- old daughter of two staff members of CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center, died Jan. 30 after a struggle with cancer. Sarah Ann, whose parents, Robbie and Kelly King are site manager and food service manager,…
Bush touts BWAid during prayer breakfast
President Bush praised the relief arm of the Baptist World Alliance and other religious groups as exemplifying a faith-based spirit of generosity during the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 3. Speaking to thousands of influential participants-members of Congress, diplomats, foreign politicians…
CBF redeploys personnel following tsunami
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is redeploying some of its missions personnel to address tsunami relief needs. Many missionaries of the Fellowship have relief-related skills to handle water purification and agricultural needs, medical needs, and the logistical needs of organizing volunteers…
Baptists among Time’s ‘25 most influential’
At least seven Baptists are among Time magazine's list of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. The magazine devotes the cover of its Feb. 7 issue to the subject of evangelical Protestants in America and their influence over politics…
Swedes decry claim they are punished by God
Baptists in Sweden are offended by the web site of a controversial Baptist Church in Kansas because it claims the deaths of vacationing Swedes in the Asian tsunami disaster is a punishment from God. About 20,000 Swedes were vacationing in…
Czechs take Bible to streets of Prague
How do you persuade Czechs-most of whom claim to be atheists-to read the Bible? Alexander Flek, a recent graduate of the International Baptist Theological Seminary and chief translator of a new contemporary version of the Bible in Czech, thinks public…
GUEST EDITORIAL: Time for liberals to give evangelicals a break
This is a story of two old and close friends of mine. Both live in California — one in San Francisco, the other in sunny, conservative Orange County. One's an activist liberal, and probably an atheist. The other is an…