(RNS) — Travel along, if you dare, with Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit — either in J.R.R.Tolkien’s beloved 1937 novel, or through the first installment of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy based on the book, which opened in theaters Dec. 14….
Two Baptist churches recognized for contributions to affordable housing in Washington suburbs
ARLINGTON, Va. — Two Baptist congregations in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs have been recognized for their contributions to affordable-housing efforts in the region. The Church at Clarendon sits in the heart of one of metropolitan Washington’s most densely packed neighborhoods….
EDITORIAL: Crèche evangelism?
The night before, Almighty God, creator of the universe, had stepped into actual human existence in that baby boy’s birth. Countless times we have taken our places as spectators in the sanitized stable soon after Jesus was born. The young…
OPINION: Missing the forest for the trees
When I was little I hated getting in trouble. I really hated it. It wasn’t so much the possibility of punishment as it was the feeling of tension, knowing I was at odds with my parents or someone else. In…
OPINION: How to put Christ back in Christmas
I’m sure this has happened to you this year at least once. There you are, full of Christmas cheer and, like all good Jesus followers have just won the fight for a prime space in a checkout line so you…
Accrediting agency puts Virginia Intermont on probation, cites continued financial stability concern
BRISTOL, Va. — Virginia Intermont College has been placed on probation for the next six months by its accrediting agency — the most recent action taken by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges related to the…
Concerns about proposed solar project at Baptist conference center in N.C. to be aired at hearing
RIDGECREST, N.C. — A proposed solar energy project on the grounds of a Baptist conference center in western North Carolina will be considered at a public hearing Jan. 9 in Asheville, after the state’s utilities commission received complaints about the…
Spiritual wisdom in 140 characters or less
(RNS) — The Dalai Lama has 5,702,736 followers on Twitter. How many people does he follow? Zero. Pope Benedict XVI plans to start tweeting on Dec. 12. His Twitter handle is @Pontifex, which means “bridge builder” in Latin. Benedict hasn’t…
VITAL SIGNS: Christmas lessons
Our current Christmas celebration habits are a uniquely post-World War II phenomena. Much of the excess we experience stands at odds with the way Western society approached the holiday only a few years ago. This shift has lessons for any…
Spiritual wisdom in 140 characters or less
(RNS) — The Dalai Lama has 5,702,736 followers on Twitter. How many people does he follow? Zero. Pope Benedict XVI plans to start tweeting on Dec. 12. His Twitter handle is @Pontifex, which means “bridge builder” in Latin. Benedict hasn’t…
Megan Dibble, daughter of longtime youth ministry strategist Ken Dibble, died Nov. 30
ASHEVILLE — Megan Elizabeth Dibble, 30, daughter of longtime Virginia Baptist youth ministry strategist Ken Dibble and his wife, Sherlyn, died Nov. 30. Meghan Dibble A native of Charlotte, Dibble was a graduate of the Collegiate School in Richmond and…
At strategic time for China, CBFVA aims to ‘build bridge’ with growing Christian churches there
RICHMOND — The dramatic growth of Christian churches in China is drawing the attention of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, which is aiming in its 20th anniversary year to “build a bridge” to the strategic nation and its millions…