WASHINGTON (ABP) — There's more at risk for the separation of church and state than meets the eye in an upcoming Supreme Court case, a panel of legal experts agreed Feb. 21. The experts previewed oral arguments in Hein v….
Touring children’s choir gives hope for Africa’s impoverished children
ABILENE, Texas (ABP) — Like most boys his age, 8-year-old David dreams about what he'll be when he grows up. This week, he wants to be an air-traffic controller. A year ago, he probably never dreamed he'd be in the…
Gonzales’ SBC announcement riles some in religious-freedom field
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ Feb. 20 announcement to Southern Baptist Convention leaders about a new Justice Department focus on religious freedom garnered some praise — and significant criticism — from other Christian leaders. Gonzales announced the launch…
Gonzales touts religious-freedom plan to SBC; others question Bush record
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales chose the Feb. 20 Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee meeting to announce a new Justice Department focus on religious freedom. But some Christian leaders questioned the move, as well as the Bush…
Wake Forest to establish joint divinity/counseling degree
UNEDITED NEWS RELEASE — WAKE FOREST, N.C. — To better prepare ministers who are often asked to respond to the mental and emotional as well as spiritual needs of church and community members, Wake Forest University has established a new…
Supreme Court will not review policy banning nativity scenes in NY schools
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A year after a New York City mother's appeal, the Supreme Court declined Feb. 20 to review a policy banning nativity scenes but allowing other holiday-season displays in the nation's largest public school district. The justices declined,…
First New Jersey gay couples enter into civil unions
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — The first New Jersey gay couples to enjoy the same rights as married couples had their civil unions recognized by that state Feb. 19. The state's law recognizing the unions, passed Dec. 14, went into effect…
Clarification
In the Feb. 19 ABP story “Tolerance, not uniformity, needed to keep SBC together, leaders told,” please replace the 15th through 19th paragraphs with the following in order to correct a potential misunderstanding of Ed Stetzer's use of the term…
Page cautiously optimistic about SBC, predicts shortage of traditional pastors
PHILADELPHIA – The future is bright for the Southern Baptist Convention if its members have the right mindset, follow the right motives, and adopt the right methodology, SBC president Frank Page told a group of Baptist state newspaper editors Feb….
Attorney General Gonzales announces ‘First Freedoms Project’ to SBC leaders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Alberto Gonzales, attorney general of the United States, announced a “First Freedoms Project” in a speech to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention Feb. 20. The new Bush administration emphasis apparently will focus on…
Beneath NBA’s hype, hedonism, players find spiritual substance
LAS VEGAS (ABP) — NBA players are glamorized for hardwood highlights and lifestyles of money, honeys and hip-hop swagger. But on Sunday morning of All-Star weekend in Las Vegas — the NBA's biggest bash in America's premier party city —…
CBF council reports declining revenues, adopts new budget
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — Halfway through their fiscal year, leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship were informed of a significant revenue shortfall for the organization during the CBF Coordinating Council meeting Feb. 16 in Decatur, Ga. Undesignated receipts were 13.2…