PINEVILLE, La. (ABP) — The chairman of Louisiana College's board of trustees is the latest school official to resign after trustees instituted several controversial new policies. The Louisiana Baptist school also is under investigation by its accrediting agency, the Southern…
Vote on marriage amendment may stall on procedural dispute
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Procedural disputes in the Senate will likely prevent an up-or-down vote on a federal same-sex marriage ban that was expected to take place July 14. Disagreements between Republicans and Democrats and within the GOP itself appeared June…
Bush-Cheney effort causes ethics leader to remind churches about tax status
DALLAS (ABP) — Recently publicized efforts by President Bush's re-election campaign to target “conservative churches” have caused the leader of Texas Baptists' public-ethics agency to issue a strong reminder to congregations about how to avoid risking their tax-exempt legal status…
Church strategy plans reveal what’s working & what’s not
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Warning that “inertia is against planning,” Mark Wingfield said churches must make an intentional effort to achieve effective long-range planning. Wingfield, associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, was among more than 140 workshop leaders…
Conservative, liberal groups react swiftly to Edwards pick
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Sen. John Edwards is now officially John Kerry's running mate, and the reactions among social-issues advocacy groups are as unsurprising as Kerry's choice. Reaction was swift July 6 to the Massachusetts Democrat's choice of his Senate colleague…
Presbyterians decide narrowly to keep bar on gay ordination
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — The Presbyterian Church (USA) rejected a recommendation July 2 that would have made it easier for non-celibate homosexuals to be ordained in the church. Delegates to the denomination's meeting also agreed to enter into a period…
Three Texas churches lead direct missions effort
(ABP) — Three Texas churches have their mission eyes looking steadily southward, and they've banded together to reach a people group that years ago fled to the isolation of Mexico's mountains. The Tarahumara Indians live high in the Sierra Madre…
Bush campaign provokes criticism for ‘intruding’ into congregations
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A recent Bush-Cheney campaign tactic targeting “conservative” churches and their members has triggered disapproval among church-state watchdog groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The campaign reportedly sent out…
News briefs from ABP’s Washington Bureau
Kerry: Life begins at conception DUBUQUE, Iowa — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told an Iowa reporter that he personally opposes abortion and believes life begins at conception. However, he said, in an interview that appeared July 4 in the Dubuque…