The long-awaited trial of an Azerbaijani Baptist pastor arrested in June has had another delay. Hamid Shabanov, 52, was supposed to stand trial Oct. 31 on what supporters say are bogus weapons charges. But his family and lawyer told the…
Dobson claims election sets pro-lifers back years
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — Focus on the Family founder James Dobson said Nov. 6 that Barack Obama's election could set America's pro-life movement back 35 years. In the first of a two-part broadcast on his radio show, Dobson admitted…
Three evolution critics appointed to Texas curriculum-review panel
AUSTIN, Texas (ABP) — Three of six members of a panel appointed to review proposed curriculum standards for Texas public-school science classes have criticized evolution. Because Texas is one of the largest markets for textbook sales in the United States,…
Fighting in Congo creates humanitarian crisis
NEW YORK (ABP) — Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is creating a “humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions,” the head of the United Nations said Oct. 29. U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon called attention to the flare-up, which…
Baptist activist applauds stay of execution
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — An American Baptist minister who advocates criminal-justice reform hailed as a “miracle” the latest stay of execution for a black man convicted of murdering a white Georgia police officer nearly 20 years ago. Alan Bean of…
Charismatic Southern Baptist churches see themselves as open to spiritual gifts
HIXSON, Tenn. (ABP) — Suffering from burnout after a decade as pastor of Central Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in suburban Chattanooga, Tenn., Ron Phillips wrote his resignation letter on a portable computer on the way to a meeting…
Trinity debate trickles down to gender roles
DEERFIELD, Ill. (ABP) — There's a tempest brewing among evangelical theologians about the triune nature of God, with potential to spill beyond academic halls into relationships between males and females in the church and home. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School sponsored…
Baptist leaders from Russia, Georgia seek reconciliation
KIEV, Ukraine (ABP) — Baptist leaders from Russia and Georgia met Oct. 30 in Kiev to pursue improved relations between Baptists in the two countries, marred by war earlier this year. Representatives of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia and…
Where they stand: ‘Values’ distinguish both candidates and voters
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (ABP) — “Values voters” — a term popularized by conservative evangelicals after the 2004 elections — may bring a wide array of values to the polls. Here's a rundown of the two presidential candidates' views on a number…
SBC seminary professor calls birth control ‘sin’
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — A Southern Baptist seminary professor has sparked controversy with a recent sermon labeling use of birth-control pills a sin. Thomas White, vice president for student services and communications and associate professor of systematic theology at…
Fewer than three-dozen churches risk tax-exempt status through endorsements
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While only 33 churches signed up to participate in a conservative Christian group's Pulpit Freedom Sunday Sept. 28, planners viewed it as a success. That is, organizers said, because its stated purpose was not to inject politics…