Next week, on Friday, April 11, the University of Richmond inaugurates its ninth president, Edward Ayers, who is an historian by profession. Ever since its humble yet hopeful beginnings, the University of Richmond (as academy, seminary, college and, since 1920,…
Still hospitalized, prayer lifts student duo
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) — David Wilson and Matt Kelley were among hundreds of Union University students who experienced the 10 seconds that it took for a tornado to devastate the campus. That night, Feb. 5, they found themselves trapped with…
SECOND OPINION: Can we at least talk about it?
I'm one of the few leaders in Baptist life with the freedom to talk openly and honestly about the complex theological, moral, pastoral, and public policy issues raised by homosexuality without destroying myself professionally. Because I hold a tenured professorship…
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Southwestern
FORT WORTH, Texas (ABP) — A federal judge has ruled that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's decision to fire a female Hebrew professor was akin to a church's decision to fire its pastor — and therefore outside the purview of the…
OUT LOUD
“Sen. Richard Lugar … is [a] member of our congregation, and I would hope that he would never be held accountable for everything I have said in the last 15 years. Why is there any assumption that a person in…
News about Virginia Baptists and their Ministries for April 3, 2008
STAFF CHANGES • Jerry Neaves, to First Church, Harmony Village, as pastor. • Robert Wayne Marker, to Jahnke Road Church, Richmond, as part-time outreach/associate pastor. • Bob Turner, to Ravensworth Church, Annandale, as associate pastor. • Lindsay Comstock, resigning as…
When the preacher loses his cool, should church members take a hike?
The now-familiar images of Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, calling down God's wrath on America raise questions for Christians: What place does rage have in the pulpit? And when should worshippers show their…
Huckabee, in Ouachita visit, gives campaign-trail insight
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (ABP) — Describing some aspects of his recent presidential campaign as “just incredible fun,” former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee recently paid a brief visit to his alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University. Huckabee, who served 10 years as Arkansas'…
Supreme Court to revisit decency standards
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will revisit limits on on-air vulgarity in the court's first case on unsavory speech in almost 30 years. After Cher and Nicole Richie used expletives during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard…
‘Peace Committee’ for state proposed by Mo. layman
REPUBLIC, Mo. (ABP) — As battles between conservatives continue to roil the Missouri Baptist Convention, one prominent layman in the state is proposing a miniature re-creation of the infamous Southern Baptist Convention “Peace Committee.” But the convention's president — cautioning…
RIGHT OR WRONG
More and more, when I treat people as I believe a Christian should, other people dismiss my actions by saying something like, “That's so PC” — politically correct. Even Christians seem to reject Jesus' statement, “Love one another.” How should…
Fundamentalism & militancy: Beliefs alone not to blame when faith turns violent, scholars say
ATLANTA (ABP) — Every faith group has its extremists, but not all extremists turn violent. What makes the difference? While most religious violence follows common patterns, faith seldom turns violent except in response to social oppression, say experts who study…