LITTLE ROCK, Ark., (ABP) — An Arkansas constitutional amendment legalizing charitable bingo and raffles passed Nov. 7, despite the efforts of Baptists to defeat it. Amendment 1, which passed with 69 percent of the vote, will allow non-profit organizations to…
Dallas church provides teaching ground for young ministers learning the ropes
DALLAS (ABP) — Lying in a hospital bed, Wilshire Baptist Church's pastor emeritus Bruce McIver told a close friend something he'd thought about for a long time. “Two months before he died, we talked about his desire to see more…
CBF names first coordinator for U.S. disaster response
ATLANTA (ABP) — Charles Ray, a long-time Little Rock, Ark., resident, has been named the first coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's U.S.-based disaster response team. He'll begin his new position Jan. 1, 2007. The two-year position was created through…
South Dakota voters overturn nation’s strictest abortion ban
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (ABP) — Voters in South Dakota overturned the nation's most stringent abortion ban Nov. 7 — 55 percent to 45 percent. Supporters of the ban had hoped to use it to challenge the 33-year-old Roe v. Wade…
By slim margin, Missourians approve stem-cell research within the state
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (ABP) — Voters in Missouri Nov. 7 narrowly approved a constitutional amendment protecting stem-cell research in the state, causing opponents to cite deception and propaganda as the reason for their loss. Preliminary results show the amendment passed…
Arizona voters nation’s first to reject amendment banning gay marriage
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Gay-rights supporters and opponents both claimed victory after the Nov. 7 midterm elections, with voters in seven states approving gay-marriage bans and Arizona becoming the first state in the country to reject such an amendment. Although 27…
Democrats retake House, probably Senate thanks to moderate candidates, disaffection
Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP Senate candidate Jim Webb, D-Va., addresses his supporters after watching election day results in Vienna, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. WASHINGTON (ABP) — President Bush extended Democrats a rhetorical olive branch Nov. 8, just hours after the…
Opinion: You are what you eat
If you've never been to a “McDonald's Night,” consider yourself lucky. Now in theory, this is a “win-win” proposition: a fundraiser for my children's school and a night out of the kitchen. It has never been truer, alas, that the…
Spirit of Bishop College revived, this time in Georgetown, Ky.
DALLAS (ABP) — Georgetown College President Bill Crouch has announced plans to revive the spirit of Bishop College, a historically black school that closed in Dallas in 1988. Crouch's plans, centered in the proposed Bishop Center for African-American Ministry, aim…
Sex: Younger generation accepts Boomer experimentation as normal
VENTURA, Calif. (ABP) — If a recent survey is correct, there is a bigger generation gap between Baby Boomers and Baby Busters than most people care to admit, especially when it comes to opinions about sex. According to recent research…
Poverty-stricken around the globe receive hope, support through WorldCrafts
UNEDITED NEWS RELEASE — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Feeling the smooth, wooden handle of his mallet, Abu San diligently taps it onto a small carving tool cutting the leather in a circle. As he shows his fellow Indonesian workers how it's…
UPDATE: Haggard dismissed from church after admission of unspecified ‘immorality’
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — After initial denials and changing stories, Ted Haggard has admitted to unspecified acts of “sexual immorality” and been fired as pastor of a prominent Colorado megachurch. He also was removed as the president of the…