ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship hired Constance McNeill of Kansas City, Kan., as coordinator of administration for the Fellowship's Atlanta Resource Center. The CBF Coordinating Council on Feb. 17 approved a search committee's unanimous recommendation of McNeill, 51,…
‘Winn-Dixie’ producers hope good movies make good readers
LOS ANGELES (ABP) — It's a perennial question, like the chicken and the egg. Which was better, the book or the movie? For one film company, Los Angeles-based Walden Media, the issue is not either-or. Walden hopes its latest production,…
State executives, editors challenged to rethink denominational funding
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — The financial future of denominational organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention could be in jeopardy if they do not recognize and adapt to changes in the church and the broader culture, David Schmidt told a…
Ga. Supreme Court hears arguments in Shorter College case
ATLANTA (ABP) — Georgia's highest court heard arguments Feb. 14 in a case that may decide the future of Shorter College. Trustees of the Rome school removed themselves from the Georgia Baptist Convention's control in 2002, arguing that convention officials…
Former Bush faith-based official blasts administration on plan
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Another former White House official has publicly criticized the Bush administration's efforts to support its “faith-based initiative.” David Kuo, a former deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, criticized his former colleagues…
Florida Baptists, others launch effort to pass state marriage amendment
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — The Florida Baptist Convention is among a coalition of organizations that announced, on Valentine's Day, a drive to amend the Florida Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. At a Feb. 14 news conference, an alliance calling itself…
Sale of Missouri Baptist Building delayed after failed county vote
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Building is once again on the market, after voters Feb. 8 gave a resounding “no” to a sales tax increase that would have funded a county government's purchase of the property. Voters…
Rio Grande border remains safe, according to ministry leaders
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ABP) — Echoing much of what the U.S. Department of State said in a recent travel alert, Texas River Ministry leaders said the Texas-Mexico border remains safe as long as church groups exercise “common sense.” The State…
God is calling Hispanic Baptists to conquer ‘giants,’ prof says
HOUSTON (ABP) — God is calling Hispanic Baptists to overcome the “giants” of poverty, lack of education and ingrained religious traditions in their communities, a seminary professor told a Texas group. Speaking at the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Hispanic…
Planned cap on CBF partner funding would cut money for some, not others
ATLANTA (ABP) — A plan under consideration by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship would cap CBF funding of outside organizations, which could reduce CBF support for some traditional ministry partners by as much as 31 percent. The long-awaited proposal from the…
House committee OKs another bill allowing religious discrimination
WASHINGTON (ABP) — For the second time in as many years, a House panel has approved a bill that would allow some government-funded charities to discriminate in hiring on the basis of religion. On a party-line vote Feb. 9, a…
Polish Baptists express ‘regret and sorrow’ over planned SBC meeting in Warsaw
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The leader of Polish Baptists is expressing his “regret and sorrow” about a meeting, planned for Warsaw this summer, that at least one Southern Baptist Convention leader has described as an organizational gathering for “an…