LONDON (RNS) One of Britain's top Anglican bishops has infuriated Muslim leaders by claiming that Islamic extremism has turned parts of the nation into “no-go” areas for non-Muslims. Writing in London's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, the Pakistani-born bishop of Rochester, Michael…
SECOND OPINION: Who is master of the house?
In recent discussions about Baptist identity, the phrase “spiritual master” has been seen as a roadblock to Christian liberty. And why not? “Master” sounds so, well, oppressive. Perhaps you are familiar with William Ernest Henley's poem Invictus (i.e., “Unconquered”). It…
Virginia church property fight costs $2 million
RICHMOND (RNS) — The court battle over church assets between the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and 11 breakaway congregations has already cost both sides more than $2 million, according to representatives. The secessionist Anglican District of Virginia has spent about…
Free to profess
Last week, on Wednesday, Jan. 16, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom turned 222 years young. It was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly on that date in 1786. Virginia had just passed through a paradigm shift, moving from a…
Vietnam Baptists to hold first national meeting
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (ABP) — Baptists in Vietnam reached a milestone when they held their first legal national conference Jan. 10-12. An estimated 400 people from 13 southern provinces and cities were expected for the meeting in Ho…
OUT LOUD
“It is not a sanctuary that will help us reach a new generation.” Robert Jeffress The pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas was discussing plans to replace the 1891 sanctuary which launched the careers of legendary Baptist pastors George…
SECOND OPINION: Race, sex, class and presidential politics
It was not until I got to Union Theological Seminary in New York as a doctoral student in Christian ethics that I received my first serious dose of race/class/sex talk. Sometimes it seemed like every course, even every class session,…
Death penalty opponents find new allies among evangelicals
CARRBORO, N.C. (RNS) — Stephen Dear has spent the past 10 years waging an uphill battle to abolish the death penalty in the American South — with virtually no help from the region's powerful evangelical ministers. But unlike in years…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for January 24, 2008
RECOGNITON On Nov. 18 following a Thanksgiving meal, the members of McCabe Memorial Church in Martinsville honored one of its faithful members, Marietta Smith, with a presentation of a plaque for her devoted Christian service to its music ministry. McCabe's…
The Luke 4 mandate: Christians answer call to social action
DALLAS (ABP) — For some Christians, listening to the news is like hearing a prayer list. More than 2 million people displaced in Sudan. More than 1.5 million Iraqi children left homeless. Residents of Louisiana still rebuilding two years after…
Caring for the poor: Whose job is it — church or state?
DALLAS (ABP) — Care for people Jesus called “the least of these” requires response from both congregations and government, according to specialists who focus on ministry to the poor and on church-state relations. As participants in both church and state,…
Baptist man from Oklahoma works in Darfur, other global hot spots
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (ABP) — On day 27 of a 40-day fast in a cabin in Michigan, God called Kevin Turner to ministry — specifically in war zones, disaster areas and places where Christians are persecuted. Since then, he's had quite…