NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Voters in five states cast their ballots Nov. 4 on measures dealing with life issues, but pro-lifers came up short in all five cases. California and South Dakota voted down ballot initiatives concerning abortion while Colorado…
Virginia Baptists entrusted to ‘pay it forward’
Who could have imagined that a category 5 tornado that nearly leveled an entire Kansas town would become a stewardship opportunity for Virginia Baptists? The tornado that destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kan., on May 4, 2007, with winds of…
Evangelicals say they’re not going anywhere
Faced with a Barack Obama presidency and Democratic gains in Congress, evangelicals are planning their next steps in a transformed political landscape, with hopes for some common ground and plans to continue fighting for social issues that had mixed results…
EDITORIAL: Expecting treasure at the annual meeting
I have been surprised and even occasionally shocked to hear the reasons some give for not attending the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Some cite family responsibilities that tether them to home as the reason they…
Southern Baptists in Congress return to D.C.
WASHINGTON (BP) — No Southern Baptist members of Congress lost their seats in voting Nov. 4. Both senators and all 23 representatives who are members of Southern Baptist churches and were on the general-election ballot gained victories. Two members of…
SECOND OPINION: On giving
As we are all well aware, we are in the midst of a global economic crisis. The world is facing a financial maelstrom and so too are churches and religious bodies, including all the partners in the Baptist General Association…
Dobson claims election sets pro-lifers back years
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — Focus on the Family founder James Dobson said Nov. 6 that Barack Obama's election could set America's pro-life movement back 35 years. In the first of a two-part broadcast on his radio show, Dobson admitted…
OUT LOUD
“The fact that this [election] could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America's says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious ‘opportunity democracy' it has spawned. After much struggle, we as…
American Muslims relieved, hopeful at Obama election
After months of balancing their support for the presidential candidate with concerns that their allegiance could do more harm than good, millions of relieved American Muslims cheered the election of the son of a Muslim immigrant whose middle name is…
Return to Baltimore
Faithful readers of this column know that my alter ego is William E. Hatcher, a noted 19th-century Baptist minister. They have followed my Hatcher portrayals and know his connections with everything Baptist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries….
Re-energized religious left delivers for Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — After the election of Democrat Barack Obama as president, you might expect religious progressives to start polishing their resumes for prominent Washington posts. But liberal faith leaders said they have little interest in securing White House sinecures,…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
I have just been terminated from a church staff. The personnel committee that asked for my resignation said they could do that because the state carries “at-will” employer-employee guidelines. Do I have any legal recourse? The short answer is “no,”…