Our pastor recently called for us to be model citizens. Then, the pastor said, “Be sure, though, you sacrifice your political party's platform on the altar of the gospel, and not vice-versa.” I'm left with the question, “What can I…
BAPTIST BRIEFS
Buckner International, BGCT forge immigration ministry. The Baptist General Convention of Texas and Buckner International are partnering to create the first nationwide effort for local, church-based ministry to help immigrants become U.S. citizens. Through their new Immigration Service and Aid…
Scholar mulls the possibilities of U.S. relations with Muslims
WASHINGTON (RNS)—What if, Akbar Ahmed asks, America had limited its military response to 9/11 to liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida? What if, instead of invading Iraq and waging a global war on terror, the United States had expanded…
Baptist papers, ABP create new media venture
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) —The Religious Herald has joined three other Baptist communication organizations to form a new media venture that will collaborate on expansive websites, print publications and other media options for Baptists. The partnership, tentatively called NeoVox, currently includes…
Anti-Muslim bias skyrocketed in U.S.
WASHINGTON (ABP)—Complaints of anti-Muslim bias in the United States shot up by 25 percent in 2006 as compared to the previous year, according to a survey by an Islamic group. The annual report of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, titled…
News About Virginia Baptists and their ministries for July 12, 2007
STAFF CHANGES • Hilton Jeffreys, to Bethel Church, Salem, as pastor, effective July 22. • Jared Neal, to Airlee Court Church, Roanoke, as pastor. • Roger Collier, to Harmony Grove Church, Topping, as pastor. • Dwight Hargrove, to Zion Hill…
Complaints of church politicking up in 2006
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Complaints about improper politicking by tax-exempt organizations went up 43 percent in the 2006 elections compared to 2004, according to a report by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS was asked to investigate 237 cases involving churches and other…
U.S. Hispanic believers prefer ‘Spirit-filled’ worship in Spanish
WASHINGTON (ABP)—His-panic believers in the United States prefer “Spirit-filled religious expression” and gravitate toward a “distinctively ethnic” worship experience, opting to go to church with other Hispanics and speak Spanish when they get there, according to a recent report by…
Trust level in religion at near-record low
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Americans trust the military and the police significantly more than the church and organized religion, a new Gallup Poll reveals. Only 46 percent of respondents said they had either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in…
FAITH DIGEST
Polluted lower Jordan River an endangered site. The lower portion of the Jordan River is so polluted, the World Monuments Fund has designated it an “Endangered Cultural Heritage Site.” The international body for the protection of monuments recently placed the…
Future of missions: What about career missionaries?
As churches and individual Christians demand more hands-on, practical connection to missions, some Baptists are questioning whether a missions-by-proxy approach—churches supporting professional career missionaries sent by large denominational agencies— has a future. Count Ken Hall, president of Buckner International, among…
Future of Missions: Technology changes the way missionaries work
NEW YORK (ABP)—Most Baptist missions leaders agree technology has changed the face of missions. What they don't agree on is what it has changed the most. Some claim centralized integration of information has radically reshaped the mission process. Others think…