On the way to work one morning this week I was praying to God to let me hear his voice. I frequently get so distracted by all the other things in my life that I get fuzzy headed and feel…
OPINION: Signs we’re taking ‘no religious test’ seriously
The upcoming election will be an important one and certainly historic in at least one sense. In the 223 years of our republic, this will be the first time that no white Anglo-Saxon Protestant will appear on either ticket of…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
Transitions ON THE MOVE John Carroll, to First Baptist Church, Danville, Va., as pastor. Joe Edwards, to Gourdvine Baptist Church, Rixeyville, Va., as pastor. John Huelskoetter, to Beth Car Baptist Church, Madison, Va., as pastor. Aaron Brittain, to Talbot Park…
Allies or rivals? New book examines struggles in congregations between pastors and musicians
(RNS) — Eileen Guenther, the national president of the American Guild of Organists, reveals behind-the-scenes church struggles in her new book, Rivals or a Team?: Clergy-Musician Relationships in the Twenty-First Century. Guenther, an associate professor of church music at Washington’s…
Baptist ministers see online community as mission field
Teaser: Baptist ministers see both functional and missional value to streaming services and offering online fellowship. (ABP) — Jim Somerville pastors a Baptist congregation in Virginia that, thanks to the Internet, includes people living in Austria, India and Slovakia. And…
Motorcycle ‘thunder’ rolls again at Eagle Eyrie
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Despite threat of rain and the thickest fog in recent memory settling on the Skyline drive, 40 intrepid riders gathered at Eagle Eyrie for the third annual Thunder in the Hills motorcycle rally sponsored by the Virginia…
Pastors and musicians: allies or rivals?
(RNS) — Eileen Guenther, the national president of the American Guild of Organists, reveals behind-the-scenes church struggles in her new book, Rivals or a Team?: Clergy-Musician Relationships in the Twenty-First Century. Guenther, an associate professor of church music at Washington’s…
God and Caesar: What does it mean to be a faithful citizen?
Since the earliest days of Christianity, followers of Jesus have wrestled with the demands of dual citizenship — as citizens of God’s kingdom and of the nations of this world. Jesus established the principle: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s…
Online community seen as mission field
(ABP) — Jim Somerville pastors a Baptist congregation in Virginia that, thanks to the Internet, includes people living in Austria, India and Slovakia. And now, he learned recently, some guy in Iowa. “He said ‘I tune in online and consider…
Faith of presidential candidates raises questions for Christians
President Barack Obama holds positions on hot-button social issues that put him at odds with many evangelical Christians. His challenger, Mitt Romney, served as a bishop of a church that many evangelicals consider a cult. Add to the mix persistent…
Most pastors disapprove of pulpit endorsements
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nearly 90 percent of pastors believe they should not endorse candidates for public office from the pulpit, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research. However, the survey also revealed 44 percent of pastors personally endorsed candidates…
Resource offers guide to churches engaging the political process
WINSTON-SALEM — Just weeks before voters head to the polls in the closely fought presidential election, a resource developed by faith groups and civil liberties leaders offers guidelines to churches hoping to influence the political process without violating legal restrictions….