NEW YORK (ABP) — “Peace be with you,” says Frank Tomaselli as he ends a conversation. But these words are more than a greeting to Tomaselli. They're a way of life. Growing up in a household where his parents used…
State Baptist meetings offer mixed results for supporters of Baptist World Alliance
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — If the Baptist World Alliance, which lost its largest member and funder earlier this year, hoped to recoup some of that funding from state Baptist conventions, the organization got little encouragement during the recent round…
North Carolina church leaves convention over woman preacher
MARION, N.C. (ABP) — Parker's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church voted Nov. 7 to withdraw from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Baptist Association after learning that a woman had been slated to preach the annual…
Louisiana College president pick Yarnell withdraws, citing ‘governance issues’
PINEVILLE, La. (ABP) — Almost two months to the day after Louisiana College trustees elected Texas educator Malcolm Yarnell as president of the school, he declined the position because of an ongoing controversy over governance and accreditation of the Baptist…
Louisiana College board responds to accrediting agency study
PINEVILLE, La. (ABP) — The trustees of Louisiana College have responded to criticisms from the school's accreditation agency Nov. 14, but the response may not be sufficient to overcome a special study committee's concerns about recent academic freedom and goverance….
Conventions vocal about gay marriage, cautious about public education
(ABP) — As “values voters” in 11 states sent a political message rejecting same-sex marriage, Baptist conventions in at least seven states offered a resounding “Amen” by adopting resolutions against the practice. Most of the statements voiced support for constitutional…
BGCT, university reach compromise over ties to conservative group
HOUSTON (ABP) — Houston Baptist University and the Baptist General Convention of Texas have agreed to a “memorandum of understanding” that maintains their long-standing relationship but with reduced funding for the school. According to Keith Bruce, coordinator of institutional ministries…
Congress adds anti-abortion provision to federal appropriations package
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Shortly before leaving town for their Thanksgiving break, members of Congress slipped into a spending bill a provision that supporters say limits “discrimination” against anti-abortion hospitals but that opponents say will circumvent state laws intended to guarantee…
Vermont, Virginia court rulings at odds in lesbian custody battle
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Vermont judge has ruled that gay couples united in civil unions should be treated no differently than heterosexual married couples who have had children by artificial insemination when it comes to custody disputes. The decision sets…
Billy Graham crusade returns to L.A., where storied career began in a tent
PASADENA, Calif. (ABP) — Billy Graham's four-day Los Angeles crusade ended Nov. 21 with more than 80,000 people converging on the Rose Bowl on a chilly Sunday afternoon. They were among the 312,000 people who attended the four-day revival, 55…
Nashville church to be led by female co-pastoral team
NASHVILLE (ABP) — A Tennessee church that raised controversy after calling an openly gay woman to be an associate pastor has now elevated her to co-pastor — and called another woman from Georgia to complete the pastoral team. Nashville's Glendale…
Quiet South Carolina convention adopts stable budget, South Asia partnership
COLUMBIA, S.C. (ABP) — In quiet but efficient fashion, messengers to the 184th annual session of the South Carolina Baptist Convention elected a veteran pastor from Greer as president, adopted a 2005 budget that does not increase from this year,…