BUENA PARK, Calif. (ABP) — An early candidate for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention has called on Baptists to pray for misfortune to befall employees of a church-state watchdog group. Wiley Drake, a pastor, radio crusader and Baptist…
Falwell’s life insurance policy erases Liberty University debt
LYNCHBURG, VA. (ABP) — Thanks to a substantial life insurance policy on the late Jerry Falwell, the university he founded is now debt-free, according to university officials. Jerry Falwell, Jr., Liberty University's chancellor and son of its founder, announced the…
Pentagon investigation faults generals for endorsing evangelical ministry
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A group of high-ranking Pentagon officials improperly endorsed and aided an evangelical Christian ministry, according to a Defense Department investigation recently made public. The Department of Defense inspector general's report was dated July 20 and released to…
Lutherans ask bishops to refrain from disciplining gay pastors
CHICAGO (ABP) — In what pro-gay activists hailed as a historic opening, members of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination voted Aug. 11 to loosen a policy that bans gay ministers from having sexual relationships. By a 538-431 margin, delegates to…
Taliban reportedly releases two of Korean hostages
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (ABP) — Two of the 23 South Korean hostages kidnapped by the Taliban last month were released Aug. 12. Associated Press reported Kim Kyung-ja, 37, and Kim Ji-na, 32, were driven to waiting Red Cross vehicles in rural…
Historic First Baptist Dallas names Robert Jeffress as senior pastor
DALLAS (ABP) — First Baptist Church in Dallas has called one of its own products, Robert Jeffress, to become its new senior pastor. According to a statement on the church's website, more than 3,000 congregants affirmed the 51-year-old at an…
History conference draws wide array of Baptists to celebrate diversity
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ABP) — Perhaps the most notable thing about the recent “Baptist History Celebration,” held in the mother church of Southern Baptists, is that it happened at all. But historians from an astonishing array of Baptist groups — liberal,…
Benjamin Cole, outspoken Baptist blogger, to join fellow blogger Burleson’s staff
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Benjamin Cole, a young pastor who is one of the most vocal critics of some Southern Baptist Convention leaders, is leaving to join the Oklahoma church staff of fellow reform-minded blogger Wade Burleson. Cole, who currently…
New field of neurotheology opens door for scientific study of belief
NEW YORK (ABP) — If scientists could chart physical changes that happen in the brain during prayer, would it mean that prayer is something that happens only in the mind? And if brain scans show unique molecular activity during meditation,…
Will neurotheology cause faith to wane? Not likely, experts say
NEW YORK (ABP) — If science demonstrates that prayer is more neurological than metaphysical, will it cause the believers to abandon their faith, reduced to a figment of their imagination? It's highly unlikely, experts in the field of neurotheology agree….
UMHB Social Work Program Reaccredited
UNEDITED NEWS RELEASE — BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Social Work Program received notification that their program has been reaccredited by the Council on Social Work Education for another eight years. By successfully meeting the standards of…
War and peace: Did evangelicals’ support for Iraq invasion damage credibility?
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Beginning with ancient Christians martyred by the Roman Empire and running through Thomas Becket, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and beyond, church leaders often have spoken truth to the secular powers — regardless of the consequences. But in the months…