By Bob Allen A gay Baptist minister arrested after trying to apply for a marriage license in Kentucky says he is optimistic that people opposed to same-sex marriage will change their minds over time, even in conservative places like the…
American Baptists take on gun violence
By Bob Allen Directors of American Baptist Home Mission Societies unanimously adopted a statement Jan. 23 recommending 10 measures aimed at combating gun violence in the United States. The measures, approved during a two-day retreat in Atlanta, include a ban…
Appalachian women struggling with poverty, lack of education find hope in new Bluefield program
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Women in Appalachia without access to higher education or whose circumstances have left them in poverty now have hope for a new beginning through a program developed at Bluefield College. The New Opportunity School for Women at…
Religious Herald nets $1.5 million gift
By Robert Dilday The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation has pledged $1.5 million to be distributed over four years to the Religious Herald, the news organization’s executive editor announced Jan. 28. “The generosity of the Baugh Foundation decision-makers enables…
Abuse cover-up alleged at SBC church
By Bob Allen A mother who says her son was molested more than 20 years ago by a then-staff member at one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s largest churches says the congregation’s leaders need to come clean about what a…
UK church movement takes root in US
By Robert Dilday Fresh Expressions, a movement which aims to help churches engage postmodern culture through new creative communities of faith, has taken the next step in its development with the launch this month of its first learning communities in…
Baugh Foundation pledges $1.5 million over four years to Religious Herald
RICHMOND — The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation has pledged $1.5 million to be distributed over four years to the Religious Herald, the news organization’s executive editor announced Jan. 28. “The generosity of the Baugh Foundation decision-makers enables the…
Broader view of evangelism could inspire more Christians to share their faith
By some estimates, more than 85 percent of Christian congregations in the United States include the word “evangelism” in their mission statements. But some Christian leaders claim surface commitment to what they call the church’s essential task isn’t reflected in…
Do pre-Christians need to feel they belong before they can believe and become?
It’s emblazoned on the sign outside Gayton Baptist Church in Richmond. Belong. Believe. Become. Those three verbs — in various word orders — crop up frequently in discussions on evangelism and a congregation’s role in it. For some, it’s a…
Baptists host Episcopalians, wine
By Jeff Brumley Baptists, communion and wine are words rarely used together. But they will be the next four Sundays as First Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, hosts an Episcopal parish for worship while the latter’s building undergoes renovations. The…
Vivian Nielsen, former DC Baptist leader, dies
By Bob Allen Vivian Nielsen, 86, a past president of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and leader in Washington’s Calvary Baptist Church, died Jan. 4 at Greenspring Village retirement community in Springfield, Va., after a battle with cancer. In…
Former DC Baptist woman leader dies
By Bob Allen Vivian Nielsen, 86, a past president of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and leader in Washington’s Calvary Baptist Church, died Jan. 4 at Greenspring Village retirement community in Springfield, Va., after a battle with cancer. In…