June (Web-only) 2000

ARTICLE TOOLS

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The big news of the week is the Southern Baptist convention in Orlando, Florida. As the Dallas Morning News leads off its coverage, "Just as you can count on a hot Texas summer every year, you can count on controversy to spring from Southern Baptists' annual June convention." Though there will be plenty of battles, media attention this year is focused on the proposed Baptist Faith and Message, which includes the note, "While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." The Washington Post takes a very broad approach: "Much of the controversy has centered on whether biblical teachings are absolute or subject to interpretation—the same issue at the heart of gender and morality debates among Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and Jews." USA Today takes a look at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a moderate-to-liberal denomination within the denomination

Ashish Prabash, who worked fulltime for Campus Crusade's Jesus film ministry was found stabbed to death in his home in northern India. It appears that his killers also tried to burn down his home. Meanwhile, the Bombay Times asks residents why Christians are being targeted. The consensus seems to be that Christians are an easy target, and that the government isn't doing anything to help them.

The body count keeps rising sadly in the Moluccan islands.

45,000 Roman Catholics filled the Sydney SuperDome for a massive baptismal service. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, 30,000 Christians ...