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…
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,…
Religious ‘test’ for public
office? Yes and no
WASHINGTON (ABP) — American Christians may pledge loyalty to the United States 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…
Constitution aside, why should churches avoid partisanship?
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 of pastors…
‘Values’ distinguish both
candidates and voters
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (ABP) — “Values voters” — a term popularized by conservative evangelicals after the 2004 elections — may bring a wide array of values to the polls. Here’s a rundown of the two presidential candidates’ views on a number…
Texas pastor warns against conservative ‘takeover’ of BGCT
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — A Baptist pastor says moderates should be on guard against renewed attempts by fundamentalists to gain control of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Paul Kenley, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Lampasas, Texas, penned…
Global Christians signing on to meet Micah Challenge
NEW YORK (ABP) — A reported 119 million Christians around the globe stood up for action to end poverty Oct. 19. Observed the Sunday closest to the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Micah Sunday aims to…
Newly deployed soldiers benefit from chaplain’s experience in Iraq
ATLANTA (ABP) — “How do you plan to stay in touch with your family while you’re deployed?” Army chaplain James “Jim” Kirkendall frequently asks young soldiers. It’s one of the many topics Kirkendall addresses during personal visits with military personnel…