Many Americans love sinking their teeth into stories about vampires, and some fans live for the latest tales of the undead. But as vacationers pack their beach bags with “teen paranormal romance” novels and movie-goers await World War Z, what…
Occult obsession not a passing phenomenon but a folk religion, say some experts
Many Americans love sinking their teeth into stories about vampires, and some fans live for the latest tales of the undead. But as vacationers pack their beach bags with “teen paranormal romance” novels and movie-goers await World War Z, what…
EDITORIAL: Will fundamentalism be with us forever?
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee president, Frank Page, hopes the convention can unify. (See “Team named to address Calvinism in SBC,” Herald, Aug. 20, 2012). He’s not talking about those of us who adhere to the 1963 Baptist Faith…
N.C. disaster response units at work in Oklahoma; Va., D.C. Baptists monitoring developments
RALEIGH — Baptist disaster response teams in North Carolina headed to Oklahoma May 23 in the wake of the massive tornado there, while Virginia and District of Columbia teams remained on alert May 30. The May 20 storm pulverized Moore,…
Campbell University divinity school names first person to fill church music chair
BUIES CREEK, N.C. — Larry G. Dickens has been named the first person to fill the Gay T. and Haskell A. Duncan Chair of Church Music at Campbell University Divinity School, effective July 1. Larry Dickens Dickens, a Campbell University…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Transitions ON THE MOVE James “Bob” Pipkin, to…
Zombie apocalypse offers a secularized twist on Scripture, says educator
The Walking Dead, Doomsday Preppers and Left Behind may have more in common than meets the eye. Dramas about zombie apocalypse, TV reality shows about survivalists and speculation about end-times prophecy all grow from a desire for hope in the…
Kenyan Baptist pastors hope to pay ‘thank you’ visit to Virginia congregations this fall
RUTHER GLEN, Va. — After a March visit from a prominent Kenyan Baptist pastor, several churches in Virginia are hoping to host another exchange this October with additional pastors from the East African nation. Elijah Wanje, president of the Baptist…
America exporting new religion, Australian theologian insists
Fascination with zombies and vampires reflects a global New Spirituality which America shapes through pop culture, said theologian Ross Clifford, author of The Cross Is Not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection. Clifford, principal of Morling College in New…
OPINION: Art, existential questions and the heart of the church
It is time to bring the power of the arts to the heart of the church. The arts are one of the most powerful means by which we explore the human experience. Through the arts we mine the deep existential…
10 years after merger, suburban D.C. church still focusing on people, not ‘brick and mortar’
ANNANDALE, Va. — Each year thousands of churches sense they could better fulfill their God-given mission together than separately and explore new ways to join forces for the advancement of God’s kingdom. That’s the story of United Baptist Church in…
Richmond Baptist Association engages consultant to mediate tension among its churches
RICHMOND — The Richmond Baptist Association will consult with a Winston-Salem-based conflict resolution organization in an attempt to ease tensions among its more than 60 churches spawned by disagreements over homosexuality. The RBA executive committee voted May 16 to retain…