WASHINGTON (ABP) — As thousands of same-sex couples rushed to get married in San Francisco over the Valentine's Day weekend, opponents tried to block the marriages in court. Two San Francisco courts postponed action Feb. 17 on lawsuits seeking to…
SBC Executive Committee OKs plan to leave BWA, form new group
NASHVILLE (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly Feb. 17 to withdraw SBC membership and funding from the Baptist World Alliance, the 99-year-old fellowship of 211 Baptist bodies worldwide. Despite pleas from Baptist leaders worldwide and some…
Christians should tell rest of story of Gibson’s ‘Passion,’ leaders say
NASHVILLE (ABP) — While Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ” will graphically show movie audiences the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, it's up to Christians to explain why Jesus went through the pain of the cross, Christian leaders…
CBF diplomatic missionaries shift ministry to North Carolina
ATLANTA (ABP) — Two long-serving Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries to New York's diplomatic community are moving to North Carolina, and the organization has no plans to replace them. Ana and David D'Amico have served as missionaries at the United Nations…
State newspaper editors decline BWA study offer
STOWE, Vt. (ABP) — State Baptist newspaper editors, during their annual meeting Feb. 13, declined an offer from a foundation to fund an independent inquiry into the Southern Baptist Convention's reasons for defunding the Baptist World Alliance. Meeting in the…
Frustrated Massachusetts lawmakers end historic session without gay-marriage ban
BOSTON (ABP) — The Massachusetts legislature adjourned its historic constitutional convention Feb. 12 without reversing the state supreme court's recent legalization of gay marriage. With thousands of protesters gathered outside Feb. 11, legislators began debating legal measures that would limit…
As SBC vote on leaving BWA nears, protester walks to inspire change of heart
NASHVILLE (ABP) — Despite pleas from their Baptist brethren worldwide, Southern Baptist Convention leaders show no sign of abandoning their plan to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance. But that isn't stopping Florida retiree Bob Casey from trying to change…
NAMB stops endorsing female military chaplains
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (ABP) — The North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention will cease endorsing women to chaplain positions “where the role and function of the chaplain would be seen the same as that of a pastor.” The…
South Korea scientists report on cloned human embryos
(ABP) — Scientists in South Korea report that they have created human embryos through cloning and extracted embryonic stem cells, the universal cells that hold great promise for medical research, according to the Boston Globe. Their goal, the scientists say,…