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,…
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…
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…
Southern Baptists support path to legal status in immigration reform
PHOENIX (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a debated resolution June 15 calling for “a just and compassionate path to legal status” for undocumented immigrants. President Obama supports immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for an estimated…
Southern Baptists issued ‘1 percent challenge’ for Cooperative Program
PHOENIX (ABP) — A Southern Baptist leader urged pastors June 14 to lead their congregations to increase the percentages of their budgets for the denomination by a percent. Frank Page, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention,…
Southern Baptists re-elect president
PHOENIX (ABP) — Atlanta-area pastor Bryant Wright was re-elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 14. Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., received 95 percent of ballots cast. Wiley Drake, a former convention vice president,…
SBC reports statistical decline
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention reported declines last year in several categories traditionally used as markers of denominational vitality, according to annual statistics released June 9 by LifeWay Christian Resources. The 2010 Annual Church Profile showed dips…
2010 Lottie Moon Offering falls short
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Southern Baptists gave $145.6 million to international missions through the 2010 Lottie Moon Offering, $3 million less than the previous year and $8.3 million less than the International Mission Board needs to meet its 2011 operating…
Professor says Southern Baptists should elect black president
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A seminary professor says the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention should be an African-American. Russell Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,…