RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — A Virginia legislative panel killed an amendment that would have altered one of the nation's oldest religious-freedom laws Feb. 21. On a bipartisan 10-5 vote, members of the Virginia Senate's courts of justice committee rejected a…
Competing rulings mean Schiavo will continue to receive food
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (ABP) — The legal saga of a severely brain-damaged Florida woman remains in limbo after competing court rulings. On Feb. 22, Pinellas County Circuit Judge George Greer ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube remain in place until at…
Donations for tsunami relief continue to grow, groups report
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's fund for tsunami relief topped $890,000 by the end of January, surpassing all previous CBF relief efforts “With nearly a million given by churches and individuals, CBF will be able to continue our…
Ministers should take leisure time seriously, Jim Henry tells editors
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (ABP) — To be healthy, ministers should plan their leisure time like they do other aspects of their ministry, said former Southern Baptist Convention president Jim Henry. Jesus practiced the ministry of leisure, said Henry, pastor of…
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…
Fellowship council hears report to define ‘partners,’ limit funding
ATLANTA (ABP) — A study committee is recommending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship set a cap on funding of its “partner” organizations and bring more structure to those relationships, including signed covenant agreements and public acknowledgements of those partnerships. The plan,…
CBF offering will honor Carters, support BWA, religious liberty, human rights
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will dedicate an annual offering for religious liberty and human rights — named for Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter — and use a third of the proceeds to support the Baptist World Alliance. The…