BROOKLYN, N.Y. (ABP) — Blogs are a growing but still relatively underutilized influence on today's religious discourse, according to a study of the religious blogosphere by the Social Science Research Council. "Blogs have given occasion to a whole new set…
Baptist expert says Establishment Clause applies to foreign policy
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Baptist church-state specialist voiced concern about a think-tank report urging a new direction for U.S. foreign policy focused on the role religion plays in world affairs. Writing for the On Faith blog WashingtonPost.com, Brent Walker, executive…
Baptists pledge support for earthquake victims in Chile as death toll nears 700
ATLANTA (ABP) — As Baptists began to dig in for a long-term response to the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, focus shifted Feb. 27 to another quake that killed hundreds and caused billions of dollars in property damage in Chile. …
Great Commission Task Force calls for increased cooperation between SBC entities
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — A task force studying ways to make the Southern Baptist Convention more effective recommended greater flexibility and cooperation among state and national entities in a progress report to the SBC Executive Committee Feb. 22. Ronnie Floyd,…
CBF Coordinating Council recommends reduced budget
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will vote this summer on a budget $1.65 million smaller than the current spending plan. The CBF Coordinating Council voted Feb. 19 to recommend a $14.5 million budget for 2010-2011 at the…
Seminary president labels Southern Baptist mission strategy ‘heresy’
LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP) — The president of Liberty Theological Seminary has labeled a method used by Southern Baptist missionaries to spread the gospel in Muslim lands deceptive and heretical. In a podcast interview on the SBC Today blog, Ergun Caner…
UCC spokesman says decision to air Tebow Super Bowl ad is ‘arbitrary’
CLEVELAND (ABP) — A spokesman for the United Church of Christ says CBS’s decision to air a purportedly anti-abortion ad featuring Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow during the Super Bowl shows favoritism to some religious viewpoints over others. Focus on…
Southern Baptist leaders ask Obama to intervene on behalf of missionaries
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention urged President Obama Feb. 5 to do everything within his power to secure release of 10 volunteer missionaries jailed in Haiti. Morris Chapman, president and CEO of the SBC Executive…
Baptist prof fears Haiti arrests will set back adoption movement
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist seminary professor says the arrests of a group of U.S. Baptists accused of trying to remove children from earthquake-stricken Haiti without proper documentation could give a black eye to a budding movement of…