RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — David Clippard, the former Missouri Baptist Convention executive who earned national headlines when he said Islam has a plan to “conquer and occupy” the United States, was hired Dec. 10 by the Southern Baptist Convention's world-missions…
Leading insurer of churches won’t pay for property disputes
DES MOINES, Iowa (ABP) — One of the nation's three largest insurers of congregations has backed away from covering lawsuits filed as a result of church splits and denominational disputes. Since July, GuideOne Insurance of West Des Moines, Iowa, has…
Southeastern Seminary student charged with child sex abuse
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — Police have charged a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student with sexually abusing a 10-year-old child at an after-hours YMCA program, re-emphasizing the growing problem of sex abuse among Southern Baptist clergy. It's not the first time…
Rob Bell: Christians shouldn’t fear controversy over doctrine
LOUISVILLE, Ky (ABP) — Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., has become a controversial figure among evangelical Christians. On a recent stop for his lecture tour, “The Gods Aren't Angry,” in Louisville, Bell sat…
Former atheist shapes youth program through Baptist agency in Moldova
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Five weeks in North Carolina undid a lifetime of atheism for Tatiana Ceban. Nearly 14 years later, she is helping a Baptist agency craft a transitional living program for youth who have aged out of government-run…
Jezebel
Surely, you didn't mean to publish author Lesley Hazelton's comments about her book, Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen. Hazelton is quoted as saying, “She was a magnificent, proud, powerful queen of Israel.” Jezebel may have been…
Does ‘Compass’ point kids in the wrong direction?
NEW YORK (RNS)—The holiday season means it's time for another Hollywood wintry blockbuster with a cast of talking animals, witches and an earnest child to point the way to truth and justice. But some Christians who applauded the Christian allegory…
Church leaders seek clarity about split between CBF, ABC benefits plans
ATLANTA (ABP)—A seven-year partnership between American Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which has allowed CBF-related churches to buy retirement and medical benefits, will end Dec. 31. The end of the partnership is leaving some church leaders confused about the…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for December 20, 2007
STAFF CHANGES • Russell “Rusty” Beck, to Parkview Church, Newport News, as pastor, effective Jan. 1. He has served as youth pastor at Parkview since 2003. • Peyton Wiltshire, to Two Rivers Church, King George, as pastor. • Bob Yeaman,…
FAITHSHAPERS: Pitfalls of punishment (2)
I had some idealistic younger days when I would argue that no child should be punished, but the days didn't last long. Even before I learned the hard way from my own children, I saw time after time the devastating…
SBCV marks 500-plus churches
HAMPTON (BP)—The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia convened Nov. 12-13 in Hampton, drawing nearly 1,200 people who marked the convention's surpassing the 500 mark in total churches. In a business session, messengers admitted 21 churches into…
Video violence and aggressive behavior linked, studies show
Repeated exposure to video violence—particularly interactive games —influences aggressive behavior more than drug use, poverty or domestic abuse, a University of Michigan researcher has asserted. In fact, the correlation between media violence and aggression is at least as strong as…