“Roger Williams was quite eccentric and a very annoying man who I would not want to hang out with for more than 10 hours or so, but he's kind of the hero of my book.” Sarah Vowell The author described…
BGAV REPORTS: Annual Meeting Program
Annual Meeting Theme: “Who's My Neighbor?” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27, NRSV)…
Unto the hills
Southwest Virginia is big and bold and bodacious. Until the taming influence of Interstate 81, that ribbon of asphalt which makes straight the rough passages, Southwest Virginia was protected from the outside world by its own rough terrain. Even so,…
BGAV REPORTS: 2009 Proposed Budget
FAITH SHAPERS: The Lord’s Supper
Communion is a reverent, mystical event that takes us back to the very roots of our faith — and kids find it fascinating. Children always notice when adults get serious about something, and they want to be involved in special…
Study: Religious people more generous, helpful — but only with two conditions
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Reli-gious people are more helpful and generous than others — but only on two conditions, according to a new study published in the prestigious journal Science. University of British Columbia psychology researchers Ara Noren-zayan and Azim Shariff…
Dual citizenship
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The forbidden idea of churches and other tax-exempt organizations endorsing political parties or candidates has started to sound like a good one, in recent decades, to many conservative evangelicals in the United States. In fact, a group…
Report calls U.S. church giving ‘lukewarm’
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Amer-icans spent nearly twice as much on first-day sales of the video game “Grand Theft Auto IV” as the Southern Baptist Convention and its International Mission Board would need to share the gospel with all the world's…
Religious ‘test’ for public office? Yes and No
American Christians may pledge loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. But behind the closed curtain of the polling booth, many violate the spirit of the constitutional prohibition on any religious test for public office. And several church-state experts insist that's not…
Churches try to meet need of developmentally challenged kids
DAMASCUS, Md. (RNS) — On Sunday mornings at Damascus Road Community Church, when most children are dismissed from the sanctuary for Sunday school, another set of children and adults head to “The Haven.” Up to four dozen people gather in…
Baptist criminal-justice activist applauds Ga. stay of execution
ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — An American Baptist minister who advocates criminal-justice reform hailed as a “miracle” the latest stay of execution for a black man convicted of murdering a white Georgia police officer nearly 20 years ago. Alan Bean of…
Faculty, students, alumni want voice in Baylor presidential search
WACO, Texas (ABP) — Baylor University’s faculty, alumni and students want a vote in choosing the school’s next president, according to statements approved by representative bodies of each group. The statements reflect continuing controversy over leadership at the Texas school,…