NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)—Andrew Hamblin’s Facebook page is filled with snippets of his life. Making a late-night run to Taco Bell. Watching SpongeBob on the couch with his kids. Handling rattlesnakes in church. Hamblin, 21, pastor of Tabernacle Church of God…
Interfaith talks on the rise in the Bible Belt
Interfaith dialogue is on the rise, not just in formal conversations led by judicatory leaders but in local communities where friendships forge as ministers of various faiths work together for common goals amid increasing religious diversity in the Bible Belt….
HeraldBeat
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Former Herald editor Julian Pentecost dies at 88
RICHMOND, Va.—Julian H. Pentecost, editor of the Religious Herald during one of the most tumultuous periods of Baptist history in the American South, died May 31. He was 88. Pentecost was editor of the Herald in 1980s, a decade of…
Young leaders embrace Baptist identity of freedom
RICHMOND, Va. — Freedom. For six younger Baptist leaders that is the most compelling characteristic of Baptist identity. These two women and four men participated in a panel discussion organized by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies and held…
North Carolina network has eyes to see region’s poor
ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — The demographics of Halifax County, N.C., are appalling. Unemployment is above 13 percent and one resident in four earns income below the poverty line. The county is part of the fourth poorest congressional district in the…
BTSR grants first honorary doctorates
RICHMOND, Va. — Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond granted its first honorary doctorates May 26 during an annual commencement ceremony in which 22 graduates also received degrees. BTSR president Ron Crawford (left) congratulates Elmer West, recipient of the honorary doctor…
Pakistanis’ life terms for ‘blasphemy’ dropped
LAHORE, Pakistan (BP) — A court has acquitted a Christian couple of blasphemy charges, overturning their life sentences. The couple's lawyer, Chaudhry Naeem Shakir, told Compass Direct News that Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of the Lahore High Court accepted…
OPINION: Yes, and!
Remember in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones comes face to face with a sword wielding villain in an Egyptian market place? The script called for the hero, Indie and his trademark whip, to take on the swordsman…
HeraldBeat
Transitions ON THE MOVE Jeff Harris, to Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C., as pastor. Jeff Mathis, to First Baptist Church, Sylva, N.C., as pastor. Robert Moon, resigning as interim pastor of Middleburg (Va.) Baptist Church. Kyle Bauman, to Durham (N.C.)…
Leadership network has new name
ROANOKE, Va.—The Christian Leadership Network, a seven-year-old organization which trains leaders for ministry, has a new name—the Christian Leaders Link. “Our mission remains the same—to connect current and future leaders with trainng and ministry,” said director Gary Chapman. Established in…
BTSR reaches matching gift goal
RICHMOND, Va.–Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond has met a $500,000 matching grant which will provide $1 million for the school. By the end of April, BTSR had received $500,000 in contributions, which will be matched by gifts from the Baugh…