RICHMOND — With transformation as its theme, Virginia Baptists' 20-year-old Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) has been transformed and is now Youth EnCounter 2007. The new YEC features a new name, new location, new schedule and more quality programming to transform…
Women in ministry report highlights progress, obstacles simultaneously
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While moderate and progressive Baptists continue to grow in their theoretical support for women as pastors, their churches remain far behind in practice. That's one conclusion from the second annual “State of Women in Baptist Life” report,…
Charlottesville pastor receives Bronze Star for meritorious service as Army chaplain
RICHMOND — For more than 200 years, since the establishment of the nation during the Revolutionary War, chaplains have provided spiritual nourishment to American soldiers in battle. In recent decades, they've worked in an increasingly treacherous environment, in order to…
Author, at ‘post-partisan’ event, says churches must develop pluralism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Sharing, responsibility and teamwork figured prominently into Eboo Patel's speech June 27 at the New American Foundation. Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, wasn't teaching proper playground etiquette; he was discussing the importance of establishing…
The legacy of Miss Lu
Lucretia O. Litchfield of Petersburg died a wealthy woman on June 14. She was rich beyond measure in the values that make life sparkle, in the relationships that make life worthwhile, and in the years which made her life long…
Analysis: Courts only slightly less open to church-state suits after Hein case
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Church-state experts said the Supreme Court, in a June 25 decision that limited taxpayers' ability to sue the government over violations of religious freedom, didn't go as far as it could have. However, they agreed, the ruling…
EDITORIAL: SBC reflections
As I returned home from the Southern Baptist Convention, I brought with me three overriding perceptions. First, I was shocked that only 8,618 messengers gathered for the Southern Baptist Convention—and that only 331 Virginians from both the BGAV and the…
CBF leaders endorse Baptist Covenant as aligned with group’s ‘core values’
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABP) — Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorsed the New Baptist Covenant June 27, saying the mission of the diverse Covenant coalition is consistent with the Fellowship's core values. The New Baptist Covenant, launched by former president…
Do the math on abstinence education
Just in time for a Capitol Hill battle over abstinence education funding, a curious report was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in April. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., a Washington D.C. think tank, conducted the study…
Pundits urge pastors to be political, not partisan, in the pulpit
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Participants in a conference on “The Minister and Politics” got their plates filled with passion June 27, as a series of speakers spoke to the issue of “How to be political without being partisan.” The need to…
Pastors challenged to link faith, society in their sermons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Prophecy is not about gazing into the future. It's about passion for a better world right now, speakers at a celebration of preaching stressed. While many think of the prophets of the Bible primarily as predictors of the…
USCIRF decries Pakistan’s abuse of blasphemy laws
WASHINGTON (BP)—Incessant persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan is generating increased concern from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. A recent news release from the USCIRF expressed outrage over the Islamic country's abuse of its blasphemy…