As Virginia Baptist youth leader across the state are gearing up for the annual YouthEnCounter, to be held July 31-Aug. 1 in Richmond, some are looking at last spring's Regional Youth EnCounter as a model for additional youth resources. Over…
OUT LOUD
“I looked on the church paper as a voice to influence the church rather than just a mouthpiece reflecting what was happening in it. It needs to be a trumpet giving a good sound and having a powerful influence.” Kenneth…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for July 10, 2008
STAFF CHANGES • Ray Farrow, to Mine Road Church, Spotsylvania, as pastor. • Eric Pelter, to Mount Hermon Church, Mineral, as pastor. • Paul Beith, to Pioneer Church, Richmond, as pastor. • Dax Bostic, to Corinth Church, Council, as pastor….
What changes in the SBC?
There are few conventions like a Southern Baptist Convention. Many things are voted on, but our nonbinding resolutions will not enslave its members. Not all of our Christian friends can make that claim. Our new president stated that “radical change”…
Need balanced view of media
Why would the Religious Herald publish an article like “Pass the Popcorn” [May 29] that contains a secular view of entertainment media without balancing that view with spiritual commentary from respected Christian leaders and teachers? The article “Pass the Popcorn”…
DOLLARS & SENSE
When you are driving keep in mind this cost savings tip: Never exceed the legal speed limit. Primarily they are set for your traveling safety; however, better gas efficiency also occurs. Traveling at 55 mph gives you up to 21…
Churches breaking sacred silence in a hookup culture
CLEVELAND (RNS)—Some of Antonio James' classmates laugh when they learn the 15-year-old has pledged not to have sex until he marries. It's not just male bravado that puts pressure on the 6-foot-1, 219-pound football player to be sexually active. “There's…
FAITH SHAPERS: Teaching tricky topics: Where does God live?
Have you ever thought about how confusing it must be for children when we talk about where God is? Although we rarely sit them down to talk about God's location, they pick up ideas from things we say. We tell…
Third World faith: The new center of Christianity
Laughter, tambourines and native instruments fill the air of a tiny apartment as a small group of Christians gather for fervent worship. Despite the oppression they have experienced under Islam and the Soviet system, these Central Asian Christians dance and…
Survey finds U.S. faith is more nuanced than most might think
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Think you know what Americans believe about religion? Think again. Seven in 10 Americans who follow one particular faith believe many “religions” can lead to eternal life. Despite the intense attention paid to evangelical and Catholic voters in a…
Baptist student missionary killed in Peru bus accident
ST. LOUIS (ABP) — Southern Baptist student missionary Gregory Gomez IV died July 5 in a bus crash in Peru. The 22-year-old Gomez was serving as a short-term field worker with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board. According to…
Helms, ultra-conservative icon, steeped in moderate Baptist life
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Jesse Helms, the Baptist former senator who battled communist oppression but backed right-wing dictators and opposed abortion while appealing to racist sentiment, was a polarizing figure who was lionized by some conservatives and vilified by many…