RICHMOND—The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded grants totaling $40,000 to six Virginia Baptist ministry partners according to Ronald C. Hall, president and CEO of the foundation. “We are able to award these dollars due to the Christian stewardship of others,”…
Baptists gather in Rome for peace conference
ROME (ABP) — Baptists active in non-violent struggles for justice convened Feb. 9-14 in Italy for a conference aimed at strengthening the Baptist peacemaking witness around the world. Between 300 and 400 Christians, many from troubled and war-torn regions who…
FCC to churches: Don’t throw out your wireless mics — yet
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Churches: Don't throw out your wireless microphones — yet. With the shift of the nation's broadcast communications from analog to digital, early indications were that wireless microphones might become outdated or even illegal. A Federal Communications Commission…
SBC Executive Committee postpones vote on membership of Texas church
Lyn Robbins, left, discusses action with Stephen Wilson, chair of the Executive Committee's bylaws work group. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has asked a Texas church to clarify its views on homosexuality before determining whether…
Arkansas House passes bill allowing guns in church
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABP) — The Arkansas House of Representatives approved a bill Feb. 11 that would allow people with concealed-weapon permits to bring their gun to church. The bill, approved by the House by a vote of 57-42, now…
Baptist, Orthodox leaders hold groundbreaking conference in Europe
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (ABP) — European Baptist and Orthodox scholars convened Feb. 8-11 in talks aimed to promote understanding between two Christian groups often at odds over issues like proselytizing and the separation of church and state. The International Baptist…
Obama’s anti-torture directives place activists in good news/bad news posture
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Religious opponents of torture expressed simultaneous approval and concern about a series of executive orders by President Obama upending his predecessor's policies on detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects. On his second full day in office, Obama…
Canadian courts to test the boundaries between polygamous & same-sex unions
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (RNS) — A landmark court case will test whether Canada's decision to legalize same-sex marriage also justifies the practice of polygamy. The defense lawyer for a British Columbia man who openly admits to having multiple wives will…
Monkey business
Two hundred years after his birth on Feb. 12, 1809, British naturalist Charles Darwin remains controversial. His theory of evolution became the linchpin of modern science, but a majority of Americans believe God created humans in their present form. And…