RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists have given more than half a million dollars for relief efforts in Haiti since the Caribbean nation was struck by a devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. Those funds will support the completion of several…
Virginia Baptist women ministers feast on food and Word at gathering
RICHMOND, Va. — Women ministers from across Virginia affirmed their role as nurturers — encouraging other women who feel called to ministerial roles — during the annual gathering of Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry April 15. “We are part of…
Association team adds room to South African church
SOUTH HILL, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ partnership with South Africa has provided the opportunity for many churches and associations to sponsor church plants with the Free State Baptist Association, one of seven regional associations of the Baptist Union of Southern…
Translators’ goal: Make the message clear and plain
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (ABP) — The preface to the King James Version of the Bible captures Barclay Newman’s respect almost as much as the holy words the translation contains. Barclay Newman And the longtime translator for the American Bible Society is…
After 400 years, does King James still rule?
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Supporters have called it “the book that changed the world.” Detractors have derided it as archaic and inaccurate. But few dispute the impact the King James Version of the Bible has made over the last four…
King James-only adherents apply inerrancy to 1611 Bible translation
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Like the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel’s “wheel in the middle of a wheel,” King James-only churches represent a resilient subculture within the subculture of American fundamentalist Protestants, some scholars insist. King James-only churches believe God preserved…
Whose ‘majesty’ were the KJV translators exalting?
WACO, Texas (ABP) — When many readers describe the 1611 King James Version of the Bible, the word “majesty” tends to enter the conversation. It’s no wonder, according to Laura Knoppers, professor of English at Penn State University. The translators…
Christianity a ‘translated religion’–into Living Word and written word
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Translation of Scripture grows naturally out of a central Christian theme — God making himself known by identifying with the commonplace, said Lamin Sanneh, professor of mission and world Christianity at Yale University. Today, dozens of…
Supreme Court permits taxpayer challenge to funding of Baptist home
WASHINGTON (ABP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a lower-court ruling allowing Kentucky taxpayers to sue over public funding of a Baptist youth home. The April 18 order left standing a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…
Senate confirms religious-freedom ambassador
WASHINGTON (ABP) – It took 10 months, but on April 14 the U.S. Senate approved President Obama’s nomination of a new ambassador at large for international religious freedom. Suzan Johnson Cook Obama originally nominated Suzan Johnson Cook, an American Baptist…
Some African-Americans bristle at ‘slave of Christ’ language
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For evangelical author John MacArthur, the best way to explain a Christian’s relationship to Jesus is what appears to be a simple metaphor — one often used by the Apostle Paul himself. “To be a Christian is…
Global south Christians love the Bible books Luther hated
WACO, Texas — Regions Martin Luther never knew have embraced biblical books the Protestant reformer never liked, author and educator Philip Jenkins said. “If Luther hated it, it goes down great in Africa,” said Jenkins, professor of humanities at Penn…