RICHMOND — The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded grants totaling $40,000 to six Virginia Baptist ministry partners according to Ronald C. Hall, president and CEO of the foundation. “We are able to award these dollars due to the Christian stewardship…
New statute not needed, says Virginia Baptist committee
RICHMOND — The Baptist General Association of Virginia's religious liberty committee released a statement this week concerning Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom. The full text is: Religious liberty is again under attack. Now it is Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom….
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
Heritage Center announces essay contest. The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies reminds all high school juniors and seniors of the third annual Roots and Wings Young Scholars Essay Contest. Entries for the contest should be postmarked by April 15…
EDITORIAL: Aunt Ida tells Bluebell to focus
Dear Jimmy, Since you know all about Bluebell Baptist and some of the tricks we've pulled through the years, you won't be surprised by this letter except in how it ends. It all started when Brother Bobby announced this mornin'…
HERITAGE: Going home
Last month this columnist spoke in a “Virginia Baptist” church in a very far corner of Southwest Virginia. Actually, my speaking engagement was at First Baptist Church of Dalton, as in Dalton, Georgia. In 2006 the Georgia church joined the…
SECOND OPINION: Don’t fiddle with Jefferson’s statute
Stephen Strehle is way off base in his Dec. 18 Religious Herald essay calling for the repeal of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and substituting a new one. The U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were…
OUT LOUD
“The Vatican's model for the papacy is still the absolute monarchies and royal courts of the past. That model simply will not work today.” Tom Reese The professor at the Woodstock Theological Center was commenting on the Pope's handling of…
Obama’s anti-torture directives place activists in good news/bad news posture
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Religious opponents of torture expressed simultaneous approval and concern about a series of executive orders by President Obama upending his predecessor's policies on detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects. On his second full day in office, Obama…
Canadian courts to test the boundaries between polygamous & same-sex unions
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (RNS) — A landmark court case will test whether Canada's decision to legalize same-sex marriage also justifies the practice of polygamy. The defense lawyer for a British Columbia man who openly admits to having multiple wives will…