LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABP) — With a joint convocation on Aug. 30, a new Baptist divinity school and a Disciples of Christ seminary that has existed since 1865 became intimately acquainted. The service marked the beginning of the 2005-06 academic year…
Charles Bugg installed as dean of Gardner-Webb divinity school
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (ABP) — Charles Bugg was installed as dean of the M. Christopher White School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University during the Aug. 29 convocation in the campus chapel. He came to the post June 1 from Baptist…
As Katrina strikes La., Miss., Baptist relief workers respond
(ABP) — Baptists across the nation are opening their doors and hearts to those fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Baptist churches throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have become impromptu shelters for refugees fleeing Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. In partnership with the American…
CBF readies for response as Katrina hits Gulf states
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is preparing to handle both financial contributions and volunteer requests in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, even before damage assessments have been made, said David Harding, CBF's international coordinator for emergency response. The…
Christian leaders rebuke Robertson for assassination recommendation
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Something of an international diplomatic crisis ensued Aug. 23, after news spread that conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson had called for the assassination of Venezuela's president. Representatives of groups as diverse as the State Department, the Department…
Federal agency defunds ‘faith-based’ charity
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal agency has withdrawn funding from an abstinence program that is part of President Bush's “faith-based initiative,” saying it does not have proper safeguards in place to avoid direct government support of religion. In a letter…
Georgetown, Kentucky Baptist Convention to dialogue about future relationship
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A 14-member joint workgroup is being formed to review the working relationship between Georgetown College and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The request for dialogue, proposed by Georgetown's board of trustees, was approved by the KBC Mission…
Stem-cell discovery may negate controversy over research
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new discovery in embryonic stem-cell research may end up leap-frogging the political and moral debates over the procedure. A team of researchers from Harvard University announced Aug. 21 that they had converted adult human skin cells…
Rick Warren clarifies SBC ties after ‘misstatement’ in interview
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (ABP) — Saddleback Community Church is the largest congregation in the Southern Baptist Convention. But is it really Southern Baptist? Pastor Rick Warren told a group of high-profile journalists in May that the 40,000-member church no longer…
Counselors help tsunami victims deal with emotion damage too
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ABP) — In Matara, Sri Lanka, school teachers have moved all the classes to the upper floor because the children refuse to meet in the school's ground-level rooms. The memory of the Dec. 26 tsunami is still…
Execs say ‘leading from the heart’ works for airline, churches
SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. (ABP) — Attitude, relationships and love have set Southwest Airlines apart from the rest of the industry, President Colleen Barrett told thousands of religious leaders. And those qualities, which have made Southwest Airlines a success, are transferable…
Bible finds role in classroom, but is it taught fairly?
Part one: (ABP) — As students load their backpacks for school this fall, a growing number include the Bible among their textbooks. But critics — including Christians eager to see teenagers seriously study the Scriptures — say some public-school Bible…