It’s all about Christmas It’s Christmas. Pure, plain and simple, it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. For the spokespersons at the Baptist Joint Committee [“Is there a war on Christmas?” Herald, Dec. 15] and their cousins…
A new beginning
Heritage Column for January 12, 2006 By Fred Anderson The death last fall of Rosa Parks, an icon of the civil rights movement, brought back memories of my own. Like anyone who ever lived in the South in the days…
Stories of hope and survival still fresh in chaplain’s mind
Although now back home in Livermore, Calif., disaster relief chaplain Naomi Paget is still moved by her experiences in the Gulf Coast region during the past two months. Following are selected entries from personal reflections she recorded during her temporary…
Catholics consider abolishing Limbo
A Roman Catholic tradition that has been around since the Middle Ages may soon be no more. Limbo, the place somewhere between heaven and hell reserved for unbaptized babies, was discussed among 30 top theologians last month at the Vatican…
Post-hurricane gifts are record breakers
The outpouring of private charity to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and two sister storms now ranks as the most generous in American history, surpassing donations after Sept. 11, according to researchers who track philanthropy. Americans have donated about…
SBC ethics pioneer Foy Valentine dies
Pioneer Baptist ethicist Foy Valentine died suddenly Jan. 7 of an apparent heart attack, family members said. He was 82. A native Texan and Dallas resident, Valentine was executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention's former Christian Life Commission in…
Oklahoma pastor resigns after arrest
Lonnie Latham, pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa, Okla., was arrested the night of Jan. 3 in Oklahoma City for “offering to engage in an act of lewdness” according to charges published in various wire reports. In an…
Classified Ads for January 12, 2006
Full-time Pastor: First Baptist Church of Staunton is seeking a full-time senior pastor. We are a 150-year-old church with 270 resident members located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. We are an SBC and CBF-affiliated church. Send résumés and references by…
IMB seeks removal of blogging trustee, accuses Wade Burleson of ‘broken trust’
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board will seek to remove a member of their board, apparently for posting information about the board's deliberations on his weblog. Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson has been outspoken…
Alito faces more abortion questions, broaches church-state issues
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Despite further intense questioning on the third day of his confirmation hearings, Samuel Alito revealed little of his views on abortion or other controversial constitutional questions, including church-state relations, Jan. 11. Alito, currently a judge on the…
Fellowship relief efforts in Sri Lanka meet needs for housing, clean water
PALAI, Sri Lanka (ABP) — By restoring the water supply to a boys' orphanage in Sri Lanka — a project that took just three hours and about $30 — the orphanage now can house more boys, many of whom lost…
Samford trustees elect Westmoreland as school’s 18th president
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) – Samford University's board of trustees unanimously elected Andrew Westmoreland Samford's 18th president Jan. 10. Currently president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., which he has led since 1998, Westmoreland will replace Thomas Corts, who retires…