By Bob Allen An activist who advocated for victims during the Roman Catholic sexual-abuse scandal in the United States in 2002 says evangelical leaders publicly rallying behind a minister accused in a lawsuit of covering up sex crimes against children…
SBC leader appears in immigration ads
By Bob Allen The incoming head of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said May 30 that immigration reform will take a high priority in his new role. “Just and fair immigration reform … will be a…
Social media aid disaster response
By Jeff Brumley Until recently, faith-based disaster-relief agencies continued to rely heavily on e-mail and telephone to coordinate their efforts and communicate their needs to donors and volunteers. But recent disasters in Oklahoma and Texas have seen those agencies rely…
Churches drop Boy Scout ties
By Bob Allen What opponents to the Boy Scouts of American dropping its ban on gay youth warned would be mass exodus is underway, as churches across the country are ending sponsorship of troops because they regard the new, inclusive…
Richmond Baptist Association engages consultant to mediate tension among its churches
RICHMOND — The Richmond Baptist Association will consult with a Winston-Salem-based conflict resolution organization in an attempt to ease tensions among its more than 60 churches spawned by disagreements over homosexuality. The RBA executive committee voted May 16 to retain…
10 years after merger, suburban D.C. church still focusing on people, not ‘brick and mortar’
ANNANDALE, Va. — Each year thousands of churches sense they could better fulfill their God-given mission together than separately and explore new ways to join forces for the advancement of God’s kingdom. That’s the story of United Baptist Church in…
OPINION: Art, existential questions and the heart of the church
It is time to bring the power of the arts to the heart of the church. The arts are one of the most powerful means by which we explore the human experience. Through the arts we mine the deep existential…
SBC leaders stand by accused colleague
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist leaders in a movement that goes by names including the “New Calvinism” and “young, restless and Reformed” voiced support for a friend and colleague accused in a Maryland lawsuit of collusion in what is being…
Slavery’s blot still stains city, panel says
By Robert Dilday Like many American cities, Richmond, Va., has reduced the more visible signs of rancor among different races, but racial reconciliation remains elusive, said a panel of activists and observers of Virginia’s capital. The panelists shared their views…
Scholar says faith prompted Emancipation
By Robert Dilday A “profound spiritual odyssey” prompted Abraham Lincoln’s forging of the Emancipation Proclamation, one of “the most revolutionary documents ever signed by an American president,” a prominent religious historian told a conference on racial reconciliation. “Not much attention…
Despite ‘challenging year,’ chaplain service continues spiritual leadership role in Virginia prisons
RICHMOND — The picture window in the new office of the Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia overlooks the courtyard at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center, giving Randy Myers and his staff a view of a fountain and tranquil greenery….
HERITAGE: Class Reunion
They were together once again — teacher and pupil. It had been a long time. Bettie Woodson Weaver had been the fourth-grade teacher and Lauranett L. Lee was one of her very special students. In 1969 Chesterfield County’s public schools…