DELTONA, Fla. (ABP) — Two Cuban Baptist leaders arrested Oct. 3 in the city of Santiago de Cuba remain in jail, reportedly without formal charge and with few details of why they are being held. Rubén Ortiz-Columbié is pictured here…
Students on Baptist college campuses directly address domestic hunger
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Students at two historic Baptist schools are taking Jesus’ command to feed the hungry and quench the thirsty quite literally. Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, are feeding their communities…
Interaction between science and theology beneficial to both, minister/physicist insists
ATLANTA (ABP) — There are paths between science and theology, and both can find value in interaction, noted author and professor of science and theology Robert Russell told an audience at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. Russell, founder and…
Only one church in three spiritually vital, study says
HARTFORD, Conn. (ABP) — A congregation’s health depends less on theology than methodology, according to a national study by Hartford Seminary’s Institute for Religion Research. Faith Communities Today 2008 paints an overall sobering picture of congregational life in America. Congregations…
European Baptist leaders ponder future of international seminary
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (ABP) — European Baptist leaders gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, Oct. 1-2 to discuss the future of the cash-strapped International Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary is owned and operated by 51 Baptist unions and conventions that make…
Barna survey: Women pastors gaining ground in United States
VENTURA, Calif. (ABP) — The percentage of churches in the United States employing a woman as senior pastor has doubled during the past decade, according to a new survey by the Barna Group. The evangelical pollster said one church in…
Court voids $5 million judgment against Westboro Baptist Church
RICHMOND (ABP) — A federal appeals court has thrown out a $5 million judgment against members of a controversial Baptist church who picketed the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq with inflammatory signs including "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."…
Non-denominational, Baptist churches dominate listing of largest, fastest-growing congregations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — About one-fourth of the largest and one-third of the fastest-growing churches in America are Baptist, according to an annual listing compiled by LifeWay Research for Outreach Magazine. Nearly half of the nation's largest and fastest-growing churches…
Southern Baptists, other conservative Christians urge Iran action
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Prominent conservative Christian leaders — including the current and former presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention — wrote Congress and other world leaders Sept. 21 calling for urgent action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. As…