A week after the state's highest court chided them for not acting sooner, Massachusetts legislators relented Jan. 2 and OK'd a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the only state that currently allows it. On the…
Bushes, Clintons, Obama, Graham among year’s most-admired
Americans must have politics on their minds. According to a recent Gallup poll, George W. Bush is the most admired man in the world. Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-NY) is the most admired woman. And Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), an early…
Belmont names non-Baptists as controversy continues
Belmont University, embroiled in a lawsuit with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, has further angered some convention leaders by appointing non-Baptists to its board of trustees. The Nashville school announced, via a Dec. 21 press release, that eight new trustees had…
Robertson predicts ‘mass killing’ by terrorists in U.S. this year
Pat Robertson said Jan. 2 the United States will face a massive terrorist attack in late 2007. The 76-year-old religious broadcaster made his prediction during a broadcast of The 700 Club, his news-and-commentary show. Robertson said that, during a recent…
Not just for Christmas anymore
Some might say Mary, the mother of Jesus, doesn't know her place. Instead of staying in her traditional Protestant role—quietly overlooking the manger in Christmastime crèches—Mary is emerging as an increasingly popular figure in books, articles and movies. And here's…
For Christians, Nativity overcomes mixed reviews, potential scandal
One week after its debut, a movie based on the Gospels' simple Nativity narrative is spurring optimism among Christian film fans, who seem willing to overlook potentially scandalous news about one of the movie's stars. The Nativity Story debuted Dec….
Leaders at Texas conference join McKissic’s call for more freedom
Pastors and other Baptist leaders at a Dec. 5 roundtable discussion voted unanimously to request Southern Baptist Convention officials to reconsider restrictive policies regarding speaking in tongues. The 100-plus pastors and laypeople who attended the half-day event at Dwight McKissic's…
ANOTHER VIEW: Waiting with a purpose
When I was giving birth to our first child, one of the nurses asked my husband how he was doing, since he was just standing there, having nothing to do but watch me struggle through labor. My husband, who would…
BGCT to turn over probe results to law enforcement
Officials with the Baptist General Convention of Texas will give law-enforcement agencies the documents produced by an independent investigation that revealed financial malfeasance in its church-starting efforts. Executive Director Charles Wade will provide officials “complete copies of a BGCT-commissioned investigative…