TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (ABP) — A divided state appeals court has upheld a lower court's ruling that the state's school-voucher program violates the Florida Constitution. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the state's First District Court of Appeals ruled that…
Bush has gone around Congress to implement plan, study shows
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new report by an independent group explains in depth what observers of President Bush's “faith-based initiative” have been noting for years now: That Bush has used his presidential powers to bypass Congress and “aggressively implement the…
California Supreme Court nullifies gay marriages
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Dealing a blow to the gay-rights movement, California's Supreme Court Aug. 12 ruled that San Francisco officials violated state law when they performed approximately 4,000 same-sex marriages earlier this year. The court also ruled that the marriages,…
Christian leaders condemn Bush’s church-based campaign tactics
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A broad group of mainline and evangelical Protestant leaders has issued a statement criticizing President Bush's re-election campaign for attempting to recruit voters through churches. Fifteen seminary professors and retired pastors — seven of them Baptists —…
Worldwide youth meeting unites young people from 70 countries
HONG KONG (ABP) — One year after it was postponed because of the SARS outbreak in Asia, the 14th Baptist Youth World Congress opened Aug. 5 in Hong Kong, with 3,500 people from more than 70 countries. The opening session…
40 years later, church recalls ordination of first female Southern Baptist pastor
DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) — When Addie Davis was ordained to the gospel ministry Aug. 9, 1964, she and the supportive congregation were unknowingly making history. Forty years later, Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., celebrated with Davis — now…
N.C. Baptist committee says keep multiple giving plans
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina likely will not change or abandon its four funding options for churches, even though some Baptists in the state have called for a simpler method of supporting Baptist ministries…
Former IMB journalist Creswell to join N.C. convention staff
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Mike Creswell, a 24-year veteran of the International Mission Board, is expected to join the staff of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in mid-September to promote giving to the convention's mission budget. Creswell will…
Kerry, Bush campaigns focus on stem-cell research
WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the third anniversary of a controversial decision by President Bush limiting embryonic stem-cell research, both parties' presidential campaigns focused on the morally contentious topic. In Aug. 9 campaign appearances, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards and…