NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A majority of Protestant pastors say they plan to vote for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, but just days before the Nov. 4 election nearly one in four is undecided, according to the latest LifeWay Research…
Survey: Protestant pastors favor
Father, Son & Who?
(ABP) — “Ghost!” the 5-year-old screeched as he stood in the pew and clutched his mother’s neck. “Mama, the preacher said there’s a ghost in here!” Although most Baptists in the sanctuary laughed at the outburst, likely at least a…
On the Trinity, Baptist worship largely settles for two out of three
(ABP) — Hymns sung in most Baptist churches historically have been “More About Jesus” than about either God the Father or the Holy Spirit, several church music experts agree. “From a Baptist perspective, I don’t think the hymnody has ever…
Charismatic Southern Baptists see themselves as open to spiritual gifts
HIXSON, Tenn. (ABP) — Suffering from burnout after a decade as pastor of Central Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in suburban Chattanooga, Tenn., Ron Phillips wrote his resignation letter on a portable computer on the way to a meeting…
Trinity debate trickles down to gender roles
DEERFIELD, Ill. (ABP) — There’s a tempest brewing among evangelical theologians about the triune nature of God, with potential to spill beyond academic halls into relationships between males and females in the church and home. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School near…
Congo: New fighting creates
latest humanitarian crisis
NEW YORK (ABP) — Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is creating a “humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions,” the head of the United Nations said Oct. 29. U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon called attention to the flare-up, which…
Religious Right appeals
to fear as election nears
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — Perfect love may cast out fear, but some Religious Right leaders seem intent on scaring the pants off of their followers as the Nov. 4 presidential election approaches. With Republican nominee John McCain trailing in…
Baptist criminal-justice activist applauds Ga. stay of execution
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — An American Baptist minister who advocates criminal-justice reform hailed as a “miracle” the latest stay of execution for a black man convicted of murdering a white Georgia police officer nearly 20 years ago. Alan Bean of…
Faculty, students, alumni want voice in Baylor presidential search
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Baylor University’s faculty, alumni and students want a vote in choosing the school’s next president, according to statements approved by representative bodies of each group. The statements reflect continuing controversy over leadership at the Texas school,…
Religious ‘test’ for public
office? Yes and no
WASHINGTON (ABP) — American Christians may pledge loyalty to the United States Constitution. But behind the closed curtain of the polling booth, many violate the spirit of the constitutional prohibition on any religious test for public office. And several church-state…
Constitution aside, why should churches avoid partisanship?
WASHINGTON (ABP)—The forbidden idea of churches and other tax-exempt organizations endorsing political parties or candidates has started to sound like a good one, in recent decades, to many conservative evangelicals in the United States. In fact, a group of pastors…
‘Values’ distinguish both
candidates and voters
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (ABP) — “Values voters” — a term popularized by conservative evangelicals after the 2004 elections — may bring a wide array of values to the polls. Here’s a rundown of the two presidential candidates’ views on a number…