• Congressional leaders reappoint three to religious-freedom panel_61305

  Posted: 6/13/05

  Congressional leaders reappoint
  three to religious-freedom panel

  By Robert Marus
  

  Associated Baptist Press
  

  WASHINGTON (ABP)—Congressional leaders have reappointed three long-time advocates for religious liberty to a federal panel charged with monitoring worldwide conditions for freedom of conscience.

  06/13/2005 - By John Rutledge

• Court upholds law assuring inmates’ religious freedom_61305

  Posted: 6/13/05

  Court upholds law assuring
  inmates' religious freedom

  By Robert Marus
  

  ABP Washington Bureau
  

  WASHINGTON (ABP)—A unanimous Supreme Court upheld a federal law that makes it easier for prison inmates—and others—to assert their religious freedom.
  

  The justices validated the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The law was passed by Congress and signed by then-President Bill Clinton in 2000. It was designed to make it harder for government entities to curtail significantly a group’s or individual’s religious rights.

  06/13/2005 - By John Rutledge

• Church in anti-Muslim controversy leaves SBC_61305

  Posted: 6/13/05

  Church in anti-Muslim controversy leaves SBC

  By Steve DeVane
  

  N.C. Biblical Recorder
  

  FOREST CITY, N.C. (ABP)—The church that received national media attention in late May for a sign that said the Muslim holy book should be put in a toilet has withdrawn from the Southern Baptist Convention.
  

  Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City, N.C., also voted to leave the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Sandy Run Baptist Association, a local affiliation of churches.

  06/13/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Wilshire ministers spice up VBS with original songs_61305

  Posted: 6/13/05

  Wilshire ministers spice up
  VBS with original songs

  By George Henson
  

  Staff Writer
  

  DALLAS—Andrew Daugherty and Brad Jernberg are prayerful that the new song they penned will help children better understand some old stories.

  06/13/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Cybercolumn by Berry D. Simpson: Relationships_61305

  Posted: 6/13/05

  CYBER COLUMN:
  Relationships

  By Berry D. Simpson
  

  I’ve have spent a large portion of my post-adolescent life immersed in the world of spiritual disciplines—Scripture memory, daily Bible reading, writing and meditating, worship and church, teaching and study, and prayer. Not that I’m such a holy guy on my own initiative; I was well trained by my parents and well-coached by the Baptist Student Ministries when I attended the University of Oklahoma.

  Berry D. Simpson

  I started down this path for the same reason a young baseball player plays catch and takes batting practice and lifts weights. He wants to build skills, develop physical reflexes and create instinctive responses for high-pressure game situations. I was memorizing Bible passages to build skills and create spiritual instincts.

  06/13/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Baylor announces three leadership appointments_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  Michael Morrison	Randall O’Brien	Paul Powell

  Baylor interim president makes key appointments

  By Marv Knox

  Editor

  WACO–Baylor University's interim president steered the rudder of Baptists' flagship university during his first day at the helm.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Wayland coach gets second chance with Athletes in Action tour_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  Wayland Baptist University baseball coach Brad Bass shakes hands with senior Chance McMillan on senior day at Wilder Field. Bass will spend most of his summer in Alaska coaching a team for Athletes in Action.

  Wayland coach combines love
  for God, baseball on mission trip

  By Jonathan Petty

  Wayland Baptist University

  PLAINVIEW–Brad Bass long has regretted backing out of an Athletes in Action tour 20 years ago. This summer, he finally gets a second chance.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  God gives honky-tonk crooner new voice, reason to sing_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  Country singer Johnny Bush performs a benefit concert for the Baptist Child & Family Services Youth Ranch. (Photo by Craig Bird)

  God gives honky-tonk crooner
  new voice, reason to sing

  By Craig Bird

  Baptist Child & Family Services

  LULING–Johnny Bush, who has made a career singing about–and much of his life living–hard times, recently performed a benefit concert for people who understand exactly what those ballads really are about.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  CBF General Assembly will have Hispanic flavor_61305

  Posted: 6/10/055

  CBF General Assembly will have Hispanic flavor

  By Amy Walker

  CBF Communications

  ATLANTA–The 2005 Coop-erative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Grapevine will offer meetings and breakout sessions to reach bicultural and bilingual Hispanics.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Texan named to CBF Global Missions committee_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  Texan named to CBF Global Missions committee

  ATLANTA–Harriet Harral of Fort Worth has been named to a seven-member search committee to select the new coordinator of Global Missions for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

  Harral is principal of The Harral Group, specializing in organizational effectiveness and communication. She also directs Leadership Fort Worth and is chair of the deacons at Broadway Baptist Church. She is in her second year on the CBF Coordinating Council and chairs its personnel committee.

  Jack Snell, Global Missions associate coordinator for field ministries, is acting coordinator of Global Missions following Barbara Baldridge's resignation June 1.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Texas couple promotes HIV awareness_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  International Mission Board missionary, Gay Wilkinson, counsels a South African woman outside the family center in South Africa. Wilkinson and her husband spent two years working with HIV-positive people. (Photo by Sue Sprenkle)

  Texas couple promotes HIV awareness

  By Sue Sprenkle

  International Mission Board

  MMAMETLHAKE, South Africa–Andy and Gay Wilkinson view their work in South Africa as a matter of life and death.

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Holy superheroes! Baylor prof explores spirituality of comics_61305

  Posted: 6/10/05

  Holy superheroes! Baylor prof
  explores spirituality of comics

  By Ken Camp

  Managing Editor

  An orange, rock-like behemoth called “the Thing” drops to his knees on a New York City street and voices a Jewish prayer. A blind lawyer-by-day, superhero-by-night in Hell's Kitch-en enters a confessional to acknowledge his sins.

  Baylor University Professor Greg Garrett explores the spiritual foundation of comic book superheroes such as the Fantastic Four, pictured in this poster for an upcoming summer movie. (Poster courtesy of Fantasticfourmovie.com/20th Century Fox)

  06/10/2005 - By John Rutledge