HAYMARKET, Va. — Five members of Haymarket Baptist Church traveled to South Africa Oct. 2-16 to work among the varied people of the Eastern Cape. The group was led by Haymarket’s associate pastor of Christian education, Matthew Hensley. Team members…
HERITAGE: Thanksgiving at Farmington
There have been many Thanksgiving days and other times of solemn and joyful gatherings at the old plantation known as Farmington in rural King and Queen County about 50 miles north of Richmond. The family will return for Thanksgiving 2009….
OUT LOUD
“Obviously the severing of relationship after so many years is unfortunate and gives the world-at-large another reason to conclude that Baptists care more about putting people out than gathering them in.” Julie Pennington-Russell The senior pastor of First Baptist Church…
Church management guidebook released at annual meeting
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Nearly 150 people received copies of the newly-published Church Management Guidebook at a Nov. 17 luncheon hosted by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s support services team. The luncheon was held during the annual meeting of the Baptist…
Camp Piankatank dedicates three new lodges to enhance retreat setting
HARTFIELD, Va. — Camp Piankatank celebrated the construction of three new lodges with a dedication service and open house on Nov 15. The new structures differ substantially from their predecessors in their larger sizes and in their increased functionality. Planners…
Advocate believes Christian-run prison would be constitutional
DALLAS (ABP) — A Baptist minister hoping to open the nation's first faith-based prison says he is confident it will pass constitutional muster. Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Nov. 18 saying…
Wiley Drake lifts call for ‘imprecatory prayer’ against President Obama
BUENA PARK, Calif. (ABP) — A former Southern Baptist Convention officer who made headlines in June when he said on national radio that he was praying for Barack Obama to die now says he wants to see the president live…
Group says proposed Okla. Christian prison likely unconstitutional
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A church-state watchdog group says a faith-based prison being proposed in Oklahoma would likely be unconstitutional. Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Nov. 18 advising the state not to…
SECOND OPINION: Teaching laypeople about preaching — and rediscovering its beauty
If I were being completely honest, I would tell you that the whole idea was a little, tiny bit self-serving. Having recently completed my doctor-of-ministry degree in preaching, I, strangely enough, managed to maintain my passion for the subject even…
LifeWay’s ‘Bible Navigator X’ reaches out to video gamers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Attention video gamers: The Bible is coming to an Xbox near you. LifeWay Christian Resources recently announced plans to introduce an Xbox 360 application featuring the complete Holman Christian Standard Bible. Due out in December, "Bible…
ACLU sues Tenn. school district for repeatedly promoting religion
ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (ABP) — Tennessee's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Nov. 16 accusing the Cheatham County Board of Education of ignoring more than four decades of court decisions interpreting the separation of church and…
New domestic-poverty stats a wake-up call, Baptist ethicists say
WASHINGTON (ABP) — New government numbers revealing that, in 2008, nearly one in six Americans lived in households that struggled to afford food ought to be a wake-up call for Christians, according to two Baptist ethicists. An annual USDA report…