“Whoever controls the words that are used in translation ultimately controls how we are able to think about theological issues. The words open or close doors for our understanding of God. And ultimately, the words determine who has status in…
Christians are as susceptible as anyone to Internet rumor-mongering. What does that say about us?
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Thanks to the Internet, some gullible American Christians can engage in one of their favorite hobbies — digging up the metaphorical corpse of Madalyn Murray O’Hair and rhetorically flogging it — more easily than ever before. Even…
FAITH SHAPERS: The payoff
I mentioned previously that I have been taking my daughter Abby to the nursing home. This has turned out to be a spectacular success. She not only looks forward to these visits but also stays on the lookout for helping…
Missouri Baptists give board more authority in lawsuit
RAYTOWN, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention broadened authority of its Executive Board to resolve ongoing lawsuits against five formerly related entities at the convention's 175th annual meeting Oct. 27. Messengers at First Baptist Church in Raytown, Mo., voted…
BGAV REPORTS: 2010 Proposed Budget
2010 Proposed Virginia Baptist Cooperative Missions Budget 2010 Proposed Virginia Baptist Cooperative Missions Budget (continued)
Lilly-funded McAfee program to help grads serving in first churches
ATLANTA (ABP) — A $1 million grant is funding a new center at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology that aims to create a new paradigm for transitioning new ministers from the academic setting into the realities of local-church ministry….
U.S. religious groups square off over bill imposing new Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON (ABP) — With a key vote looming in the House of Representatives, religious leaders weighed in on both sides of the debate over new sanctions against Iran. Thirty-four conservative religious leaders, including the Southern Baptist Convention's top lobbyist, wrote…
HopeTree provides a new academic home for some Roanoke Valley students
SALEM — Students formerly attending the Roland E. Cook Alternative Education Center in Roanoke County have found a new home, academically speaking. On Oct. 8, Roanoke County Schools and HopeTree Family Services agreed to a five-year contract in which HopeTree…
20 cents for 20-somethings: Making sense of stewardship for young adults
You’ve finally graduated college! Now your most pressing reminder of those university days is the looming debt of student loans. But fast forward into the years just ahead. You need a car! But what can you afford? You’re getting married!…
Charles Ryland, former BGAV, president, dies
WARSAW, Va. — Charles Hill Ryland, a former president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia with deep roots in Virginia Baptist life, died Oct. 22 at age 95. Ryland, a longtime member of Warsaw Baptist Church, was BGAV president…
Did Huckabee rely too much on faith in commuting prisoners’ sentences?
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABP) — The Dec. 1 police shooting of suspected cop killer Maurice Clemmons has renewed allegations that, as governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee paid more attention to preachers and professed jailhouse conversions than prosecutors and parole boards…
Historical resources to be available at Virginia Baptist annual meeting
RICHMOND — Two new resources of the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies will be available at the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. “The Swirling Center: Prospects for Diversity in the Church” is a three-disc DVD…