JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A Missouri judge has given an initial legal victory to one of the institutions locked in a messy legal spat with the Missouri Baptist Convention. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown ruled Nov. 10…
Conservatives win again in N.C. as moderates ponder future role
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Conservative David Horton was elected president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Nov. 11 in what was anticipated as a make-or-break election for moderate Baptists in the state. Moderate David Hughes, 51, pastor of…
North Carolina Baptists affirm expulsion of church over gay issue
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — North Carolina Baptists twice affirmed a decision to oust McGill Baptist Church in Concord from the state convention for baptizing two men presumed to be gay. Messengers to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina overwhelmingly…
2000 Baptist Faith and Message rejected as only faith statement for Illinois Baptists
MARYVILLE, Ill. (ABP) — Messengers to the Illinois Baptist State Association's annual meeting soundly rejected a last-minute attempt to make the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message its official faith statement. Instead, they adopted the recommendation of a state association's committee…
New study conflicts with claims on ‘charitable-choice’ success
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new study suggests that one of the main arguments for government funding of religious social-service providers may be based on false assumptions. Researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis concluded a three-year study of the effectiveness…
Bush signs ‘partial-birth’ ban as opponents win injunction
WASHINGTON (ABP) — President Bush signed into law Nov. 5 the first federal restriction on abortion in 30 years, but barely an hour later a federal judge partially blocked its enforcement. Bush signed a bill banning a kind of abortion…
Arkansas Baptists back diversity, Federal Marriage Amendment
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (ABP) — In a harmonious Arkansas Baptist State Convention meeting Nov. 4-5 in Fayetteville, about 900 messengers approved a 2004 Cooperative Program budget of $19.5 million, heard a report on racial harmony and diversity, endorsed a resolution in…
New Mexico Baptists support family, answer call to minister in Bangkok
ROSWELL, N.M. (ABP) — Signaling a theme that likely will surface in many of this fall's Baptist conventions, Baptists in New Mexico adopted resolutions Oct. 29 favoring government support of the traditional family, endorsing public affirmations of God, and denouncing…
Georgia settlement addresses ‘faith-based’ employment rights
ATLANTA (ABP) — A closely watched case regarding government funding for “faith-based” social-service organizations has ended in a settlement that critics of the practice are counting as a victory. The State of Georgia and the United Methodist Children's Home in…