TUPELO, Miss. (ABP) — A prominent conservative social activist has accused the Southern Baptist Convention of pandering to gays and illegal immigrants. Bryan Fischer, radio talk show host and spokesman for the American Family Association, commented in a blog that…
SBC resolution targets Sharia law
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public-policy expert said June 18 that any imposition of Sharia law by courts in the United States would violate the Constitution. The president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission…
Is marriage a ‘dying’ institution?
Marriage is a “dying institution,” actress Cameron Diaz claimed recently. And the movie star’s assertion hit a nerve. “I think we have to make our own rules,” Diaz said in the June issue of Maxim magazine. “I don’t think we…
Study examines what opportunities families want from their church
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Conventional wisdom says “the family that prays together stays together.” But one study of 15 Baptist congregations found that what families want most from their church are opportunities to serve. In 2004, Baylor University researchers polled more…
Southern Seminary’s Mohler says Baptists must repent of homophobia
PHOENIX (ABP) — The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said June 15 that Southern Baptists need to repent of a “form of homophobia” that keeps gays and lesbians out of their churches. Albert Mohler responded during his report to…
Ministry helps churches to make marriages divorce-proof
BETHESDA, Md. (ABP) — America’s divorce rate is the highest in the world, double that of Canada and triple either England or France, but most divorces don’t need to happen, marriage specialists Mike and Harriet McManus insist. Married since 1965,…
SBC president meets with gay-rights advocates who request apology
PHOENIX (ABP) — Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright met June 15 with a coalition asking the nation’s second-largest faith group to apologize for what they believe is damage to lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “Today is a special…
Southern Baptists ‘cannot commend’ new NIV Bible translation
PHOENIX (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention went on record June 15 saying it “cannot commend” the 2011 New International Version Bible translation and its use of gender-neutral language. “This is as big as it gets,” said Tim Overton of…
SBC affirms doctrine of hell
PHOENIX (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention affirmed the reality of a literal hell June 15 in a resolution responding to Rob Bell’s Love Wins book that challenges traditional thinking about eternal damnation. Citing Bell’s book, the SBC resolution affirmed…