ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — Sometimes the best way to minister to youth is by offering them less, said veteran youth minister Sam Hestorff. Youth ministry often contributes to the overwhelmingly busy lives of young people, said Hestorff of Bayshore Baptist…
Texas Baptist leaders vote to seek membership in Baptist World Alliance
DALLAS (ABP) — The Baptist General Convention of Texas will seek full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, a body with which it has had informal ties for a number of years. The BGCT's Executive Board approved the action March…
European leader urges U.S. Baptists not to export conflict, viewpoint
ATLANTA (ABP) — A prominent European Baptist leader cautioned U.S. Baptists not to export their disputes or manipulate Baptists worldwide into their way of thinking. “We should be very careful how we are pulling the ropes in our mission work,…
Baptists must recover commitments to preaching, leadership, Shurden says
ATLANTA (ABP) — Baptists need to recover their commitment to evangelism, preaching and pastoral leadership, which were de-emphasized during the conflict over fundamentalism in the Southern Baptist Convention, said historian Walter Shurden. “Baptists will not see a new day until…
Schiavo’s parents ask judge to let her divorce husband
TAMPA, Fla. (ABP) – In another attempt to keep their daughter alive, Terri Schiavo's parents asked a judge in Pinellas County Feb. 28 to allow her to divorce her husband, effectively taking away his right to make decisions on her…
Supreme Court strikes down juvenile death penalty
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court ruled March 1 that the execution of convicts who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes constitutes the sort of “cruel and unusual” punishment barred by the Eighth Amendment….
Moderate Baptists looking for ‘something to get excited about’
ATLANTA (ABP) — Southern Baptists account for roughly half of all U.S. Baptists — about 16 million people — and thus get most of the attention. The other half also represents a significant presence in America, but they lack a…
Georgia churches look to Virginia for affiliation by ‘affinity’
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — First Baptist Church of Rome, Ga., is considering ending its affiliation with the Georgia Baptist Convention and joining the Baptist General Association of Virginia, whose Richmond headquarters are 600 miles away. And two other North Georgia…
Investment in Columbine movie comes up empty for NAMB
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (ABP) — Five years after paying for the right to make a movie about the Columbine massacre, the North American Mission Board has nothing to show for its investment. The movie about Christian student Cassie Bernall, one of…