Rod Miller had been named director of Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center. Miller, who has been acting director of Virginia Baptists' conference center near Lynchburg since September 2003, was elected by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's executive committee during its…
California judge rules in favor of same-sex marriage
SAN FRANCISCO (ABP) — A California trial judge has said a state law banning same-sex marriage violates the California Constitution. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer ruled March 14 that a state law — first passed by California legislators…
INDIA & VIRGINIA BAPTISTS: Visit to India changes one’s perspective
By Kristen Fogg In our wealthy American society the words “back to school” refer to a time of consumerism at its finest. Parents shell out hundreds of dollars buying their children new clothes, new shoes, new backpacks, new notebooks, new…
Eminent Baptist theologian Stanley Grenz dead at 55
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (ABP) — One of the world's best-known Baptist theologians died suddenly and unexpectedly March 12. Stanley Grenz, a professor at the evangelical Carey Theological College in Vancouver, died shortly after experiencing a “massive brain hemorrhage,” according to…
Baptist World Alliance will vote to accept Virginia, Texas conventions
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — The Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will be recommended for full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, the group's membership committee reported March 9. British Baptist Alistair Brown,…
Words from the past: Like all state conventions, the BGAV is autonomous
Membership in the Baptist World Alliance is contingent on member bodies not being an integral part of any other Baptist denomination in their countries. That requirement posed no problem for Virginia in its quest to join the BWA even as…
BWA will vote on Virginia, Texas membership
By Robert Marus The Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will be recommended for full membership in the Baptist World Alliance, the group's membership committee reported March 9. British Baptist Alistair Brown, who sits…
Gay pride week clouds ties between Virginia Baptists, Averett
Ties between the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Averett University, already strained from a dispute last year over homosexuality, suffered another setback when one of the school's student organizations hosted a gay pride week on campus Feb. 21-26. The…
Tsunami aid groups seek to apply Baptist generosity for long term
(ABP) — Tsunami disaster relief is not a race between the tortoise and the hare. It's more like a relay effort by the two. According to Baptist groups that remain deeply involved in helping victims of the catastrophe, the sprint…
Baptist NCC leader issues cautions for Christian tsunami relief
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A Baptist minister who is a Sri Lanka native has issued a set of guidelines for Christians doing relief work in the wake of the Dec. 26 South Asian tsunamis. Shanta Premawardhana, the director of interfaith relations…
Senate ready to pass bankruptcy bill despite Christian opposition
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A bill that would make it much more difficult for many middle-income Americans to get out of debt appeared on its way to passage in the Senate March 10. The “Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act…
Church historian Walter Shurden to be honored by Baptists Today
MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Church historian Walter Shurden, founding executive director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies, will receive the fifth annual Judson-Rice Award from Baptists Today. Mercer President Kirby Godsey will present the award on behalf of the…