By Jenny Pope Most churches greet the rush of the back-to-school season with special worship services and promotion Sundays, but one Houston church stays grounded with an annual project that has now helped protect the feet of more than 100,000…
Glorieta leaseholders seek injunction
By Ken Camp An Arkansas couple who own a house on land leased from Glorieta Conference Center has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking a temporary restraining order or injunction to prevent the transfer of property from LifeWay…
The birds, the bees and the Baptists
By Ken Camp The fear of offending diverse church memberships understandably causes many pastors to shy away from open discussions about sexuality, said Christian ethicist David Gushee. “I would fault churches for their silence on these issues, but having witnessed…
SBC ethicist addresses online porn
By Bob Allen The temple prostitutes that tempted some in the New Testament church in Corinth have been “digitalized and weaponized” today in the form of Internet pornography, Southern Baptists’ top spokesman for moral concerns warned seminary students Sept. 5….
Children’s ministry certification enhances churches’ work with the youngest in the congregation
RICHMOND — For nearly a decade the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s children’s ministry certification has impacting churches across Virginia. Begun in 2005, the certification courses are designed to help prepare those “interested in a lifetime commitment to ministering to children…
Committee appointed to select candidate for Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia executive
RICHMOND — An eight-member search committee has been named to find a new executive director/treasurer of Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia. Pat Wright The committee, which held an organizational meeting in early August, was named by WMUV’s board of trustees,…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Transitions ON THE MOVE Tito Madrazo, to Woodland…
Beyond the birds and the bees
Christian ethicist David Gushee understands why many church leaders shy away from open discussions about sexuality. Pastors fear offending members. Diversity of age, values and life experiences among members make consensus difficult. “I would fault churches for their silence on…
Baptist leaders urge caution as U.S. considers military strike in Syria crisis
(ABP) — Baptist leaders in Europe and the United States urged caution amid rising support for military intervention in Syria over what the U.S., France and Great Britain say is clear evidence that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have used banned…
Christians in Middle East say U.S. attack on Syria would be detrimental
NEW YORK (RNS) — As the Obama administration considers a strike in response to recent chemical attacks, the head of a global evangelical group said Sept. 4 that Christians in the Middle East oppose military intervention in Syria. “There is…
Whether infants go to hell when they die prompts Baptist editor to weigh in on Calvinism
ATLANTA (ABP) — A Baptist state newspaper editor has questioned whether the report of a Calvinism study committee implies that some high-profile Southern Baptist leaders believe that infants who die before reaching the so-called “age of accountability” are destined for…
Values Voters place Emergent Church in same danger category as communism, Islam
(RNS) — Christian conservatives who think Satan is using communism and Islam to bring down America can add a new “adversary” to the list: the Emergent Church movement. A portion of the upcoming Values Voter Summit in Washington will stray…