STAFF CHANGES • Eric Durden, to Fairmount Memorial Church, Richmond, as pastor. • G. C. Hughes has concluded his ministry as pastor of Blackstone Church, Blackstone. • Don Williams, resigning as pastor of Calvary Church, Lynchburg, effective the end of…
6-day creation
Until last year, I would have agreed with Loren and Deborah Haarsma that “evolution is God's program for creating life” (“Couple urges truce in war between faith and science,” Herald, March 20). Then I learned about difficulties with evolutionary theory…
FAITHSHAPERS: Teaching tricky topics — The Trinity
Most people who teach students of any age can relate to that moment when they get stumped by an unexpected question. This seems to happen more often with children because they think so differently compared to adults. It is okay…
On prayer
When my wife and I visited the Middle East several years ago, we entered several mosques. In each we had to remove our shoes. I found that I could pray there, just the same as in my church. Both had…
Legal expert suggests how to manage mix of religion, politics
ABILENE, Texas — Religion and politics inevitably will mix — especially in the U.S. presidential campaign — but that does not mean Americans should sanction a free-for-all, church-state expert Melissa Rogers insisted. Rogers, director of the Center for Religion &…
CBF to commission 18 missionaries under new online cohort process
ATLANTA (ABP) – An innovative missionary-training process has produced 18 new Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missions personnel, who will be commissioned June 18 during the group's General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn. The appointees are the first to apply through CBF's new…
Longtime Baptist musician, seminary professor dies
ORANGE PARK, Fla. (ABP) — Longtime Baptist hymn writer and music professor Hugh McElrath passed away May 8 at his winter home in Penney Farms, Fla. He also resided in Louisville, Ky. He was 86. McElrath was a professor of…
Blogging Baptists: Blogs only latest battleground for historical Baptist contention
WASHINGTON (ABP) — One classic joke about Baptists is that wherever two or three are gathered, there are four opinions among them. The same can probably be said of bloggers, and Baptists seem to have taken to the blog medium…
Blogging Baptists: As many motivations for blogging as there are bloggers
DALLAS (ABP) — For some people, blogs are like a family reunion where people barely know each other. There's a lot of talking going on, but there's little agreement on much of anything. But for many of the increasing number…
Blogging Baptists: Guidelines for ethical blogging? Start with the New Testament
(ABP) — The New Testament book of James compares the tongue to raging fire and a wild beast that cannot be tamed. And the author of that book never was “flamed” on a blog, in a chat room or on…
Baptists mobilize relief efforts after Mother’s Day tornadoes
(ABP) – Various Baptist disaster-relief groups began mobilizing chainsaw teams and feeding units May 12 to assist victims of deadly tornadoes that tore across the Midwest and Southeast Mother's Day weekend. The storms claimed the lives of at least 22…
Children from FLDS compound praise Texas Baptist agency
SAN ANGELO, Texas (ABP) — Although Texas officials have taken some criticism for removing hundreds of children from a religious compound, the Baptist agency caring for them has earned praise from the most important people: the children themselves. Baptist Child…