DALLAS (ABP) — Six Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board employees are losing their jobs, seven unfilled posts are being eliminated and a dozen positions are being reduced from full-time to part-time due to the state convention’s current financial…
Hymn Society honors three Baptists for contributions to church music
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — A group dedicated to hymnology and hymnody in North America has honored three Baptist musicians for their lifetime achievements in the field of church music. The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada named David…
Alliance of Baptists praises marriage ruling; Mohler fears effects on liberty
ATLANTA (ABP) — A progressive Baptist group released a statement Aug. 10 praising a federal judge for upholding both marriage equality and religious freedom by declaring a California ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. But a conservative Southern Baptist seminary president…
Calif. Baptist U. coach killed, 12 runners injured in van crash
(Editor's note: An earlier version of this story, quoting police statements, indicated that five others besides Rice had died in the accident. More recent reports have revised that figure to two.) RIVERSIDE, Calif. (ABP) — California Baptist University head cheerleading…
Liberty University professor, son, killed in crash
ROANOKE, Va. (ABP) — A Liberty University professor and her teenage son were killed early Aug. 8 when their car was struck by an SUV driven by a man police said appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or…
Uzbekistan cracks down on unregistered Baptists
OSLO, Norway (ABP) — Authorities in Uzbekistan continue to repress worship in unregistered churches, according to a new report by an international news service that monitors religious freedom. Police in the Mirzo-Ulugbek District of the capital province of Tashkent raided…
Analysis: Diversity, justice, relief BWA themes
HONOLULU (ABP) — The Baptist World Alliance’s first global congress since its 2005 centennial and last year’s 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Baptist movement revealed an ever-more-diverse global fellowship poised to tackle injustice and poverty in some of…
Preacher’s alter ego a superhero wrestler in ‘The Masked Saint’
WINTER PARK, Fla. (ABP) — It isn't unusual for young ministers to work a second job to supplement their income, but few do it in a wrestling ring. Chris Whaley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Longwood, Fla., wrestled…
Baptist leaders react to Calif. ruling, but religious freedom not impacted
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A federal judge’s Aug. 4 ruling declaring unconstitutional a California ban on same-sex marriage is either disastrous or a monumental step forward, depending on which Baptist leader you ask. But, according to church-state experts, it doesn’t directly…
Baptist colleges among most religious in annual ranking
NEW YORK (ABP) — Baptist-affiliated Samford University ranked No. 6 in the list of the most religious campuses in the Princeton Review's annual ranking of "The Best 373 Colleges in the United States." Samford's campus is home to the Beeson…
Kenya adopts Constitution despite opposition from Christian groups
NAIROBI, Kenya (ABP) — Kenyans voted overwhelmingly Aug. 4 to approve a new, reform-minded Constitution even though some conservative Christian groups in the African nation and the United States have opposed it because of concerns related to Islamic law and…
Alliance of Baptists urges easing of Cuba travel restrictions
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (ABP) — The Alliance of Baptists has applauded recent changes in relations between the United States and Cuba and urged Congress to end travel restrictions to the island nation for all Americans. Meeting July 29-Aug. 1 in…