DALLAS—When maintaining a sanctuary with a long history, congregations must look long into the future, according to Keith Crouch, Baptist General Convention of Texas church architecture director. Spencer Elliott Calvary Baptist Church, New York City Decisions about maintaining a historic…
Vestal: New collaboration shows ‘reconstruction of Baptist family’
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — The Baptist “family” is undergoing “something of a reconstruction” these days, according to Daniel Vestal, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. After decades of infighting within and isolation between various Baptist denominations, an unprecedented opportunity…
Revival of the arts
FALLS CHURCH (ABP)—Architect Larry Cook believes “any building completely devoid of art is devoid of spirituality.” The Virginian is one of a growing number of architects who welcome the return of symbolism and spirituality to church buildings. After decades of…
Baptist World Alliance welcomes peace letter from Muslim scholars
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A letter asking for peace between Muslims and Christians received a warm welcome from leaders of the Baptist World Alliance Oct. 17. Signed by more than 130 Muslim scholars, theologians and clerics, the 29-page tome asked for…
Bluefield College celebrates 8th annual Baptist Heritage Day
BLUEFIELD—Bluefield College celebrated its history Oct. 3 with an annual Baptist Heritage Day ceremony on campus, featuring a keynote address from an authority on Baptist life, Boyce Brannock, president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. For the eighth consecutive…
FIRST PERSON: 225 years for Northwest church
CHESAPEAKE — Rarely does a church celebrate a 225th anniversary. One such church is Northwest Baptist Church in Chesapeake. This church predates the Portsmouth Baptist Association by nine years. Dating back to 1782, when the church was called North Upper…
Christian men gather on National Mall
WASHINGTON—In numbers that were far fewer but with a faith that was nonetheless fervent, evangelical Christian men gathered in the shadow of the Washington Monument Oct. 6 for a day of spiritual renewal that recalled a much larger meeting of…
SBC president addresses Lynchburg congregation
LYNCHBURG—On Wednesday evening, Oct. 10, West Lynchburg Baptist Church hosted Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page in a special worship service in what Page called his first visit to Virginia since his election. Speaking to a crowd—including some from other…
EDITORIAL: Pastor-church relations
I remember how clear and cold it was on that New Mexico morning as I sat sipping coffee with two pastors at the Glorieta Conference Center. At the time, in the mid-1980s, I was editing The Deacon, a publication of…
Evangelicals are moving into power, authors say, but ends can be unclear
WASHINGTON (ABP) — There's no question that in the last few decades evangelical Christians have asserted their growing power in America's public life. The question, according to two new books, is: By what methods, and to what end? Former Washington…
Yale panel: Separation of church and state misunderstood by many
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (ABP) — The separation of church and state is part of what makes America great — and America is plagued by “total ignorance” about what it means, according to panelists at a Yale Divinity School event. However,…
Spirituality in architecture gets boost from revival of arts
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — “Any building completely devoid of art is devoid of spirituality,” says architect Larry Cook. The Virginian is one of a growing number of architects who welcome the return of symbolism and spirituality to church buildings….