Greg Alexander has been named to a key collegiate ministry position at the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Alexander, who has been director of Baptist collegiate ministry for the Illinois Baptist State Association since 1996, will become collegiate and young adult…
New WMUV assistant executive director encourages laypeople to minister
Laura McDaniel has never waited for permission to carry out ministry. The Lynchburg woman learned that lesson while serving the local church. “If God calls you to ministry, why wait to be trained?” she asked. “If we all waited for…
Averett trustees acknowledge VBMB action, but are quiet on status of statement
Trustees of Averett University have acknowledged Virginia Baptists' approval of a jointly-developed statement which would dissolve century-and-a-half-old ties between the school and the Baptist General Association of Virginia. But Averett's trustees, who met April 15, have not revealed what action…
Virginia Baptists’ response to tsunami relief in India
Contributions from Virginia Baptists for the Indian relief project through March 31 with the following designations: • Southern Baptist Convention (IMB): $96,197 • Baptist World Alliance (BWAid): $39,261 • Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: $77,444 • Virginia Baptist Mission Board: $226,275 General…
Mission Board allocates funds to church, mission initiatives
During its meeting last week, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board allocated funds for a variety of church grants and for a number of mission projects around the world. Three churches received grants for start-up expenses: • Beacon Hill Missionary Baptist…
CBF receives anonymous $5 million donation
For the fourth year in a row, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has received a multimillion-dollar anonymous gift for global missions-this time $5 million. The majority of the gift will go to field personnel salaries, benefits, equipment and training, with additional…
Food and fellowship aids Christians’ faith
Having friendship and food at church leads to greater satisfaction among Christians, according to a study by the Gallup Organization. A survey of churchgoers showed people who report having strong friendships at church are 26 percent more likely to describe…
Lutheran denominations disagree about gay leaders
The president of the country's second-largest Lutheran denomination says the larger Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has taken an unbiblical approach in a report that recommends gays be allowed to serve in church leadership. At an annual meeting with ELCA…
Southwestern elects former Muslim as dean
Trustees of Southwestern Theological Seminary elected a controversial Muslim convert to Christianity as dean of the seminary's new undergraduate school, the College at Southwestern. Emir Caner, 34, was brought up to be a devout Sunni Muslim. His father, a leader…
Gay pride festival draws Jerusalem protests
Leaders of three major world religions are uniting in Jerusalem against a homosexual pride festival expected to draw thousands of people from around the world in August. Christians, Jews and Muslims are speaking out against the festival, which is set…
Armaggedon: Bad for the earth, but good for publishing
By Cecile S. Holmes Tim LaHaye believes it is yet to come. Hank Hanegraaff thinks some of it may have already happened during Christianity's first century. Their ongoing debate over the proper understanding of the fearsome prophecies in the biblical…
NBC’s Revelations skewed, Left Behind authors warn
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, whose Left Behind series made end-times theology a nationwide topic of discussion, have expressed wariness of NBC's apocalyptic mini-series Revelations, which premiered April 13. One of the series‚ main characters, Dr. Richard Massey, a skeptic…