BLUEFIELD, Va.—Capital improvement projects were the topics of discussion when Bluefield College’s board of trustees gathered on campus for its annual spring meeting in April. During the two-day session, the BC governing body gave the go-ahead for renovations to Lansdell…
N.T. Wright asks: Have we gotten heaven all wrong?
NEW YORK (RNS)—The oft-cliched Christian notion of heaven—a blissful realm of harp-strumming angels—has remained a fixture of the faith for centuries. Even as arguments will go on as to who will or won’t be saved, surveys show that a vast…
Chuck Colson’s memorial steeped in prison themes
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Prison Fellowship founder and former Nixon aide Chuck Colson was memorialized May 16 at Washington National Cathedral in a service steeped in Scripture and prayers about prison and redemption. Colson, who died April 21 at the age of 80…
N.T. Wright asks: Have we gotten heaven all wrong?
NEW YORK (RNS)—The oft-cliched Christian notion of heaven—a blissful realm of harp-strumming angels—has remained a fixture of the faith for centuries. Even as arguments will go on as to who will or won’t be saved, surveys show that a vast…
BPFNA seeks conflict transformation
By Bob Allen Directors of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America voted recently to authorize funding for conflict transformation training in Sudan/South Sudan and the Philippines and to assist with creation of a Baptist Peace Fellowship of Latin America…
Pastor punts sermon over Obama
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist mega church pastor shelved his prepared Mother’s Day sermon and instead led 6,000 worshippers in prayer over President Obama’s May 9 statement that he supports gay marriage. “This past week we had a historic…
Documentary awards reflect successful faith and public policy engagement, say two Virginians
Awards recently given to two religious documentaries produced by the Baptist Center for Ethics reflect successful efforts to engage the public on important faith-based policy issues, say two Virginians who serve on the BCE’s board of directors. Gospel Without Borders…
Oldest African-American convention holds meeting
RICHMOND, Va.—Several hundred ministers and laypersons are in Richmond, Va., this week for the annual meeting of the Virginia Baptist State Convention, which is holding its 145th annual session May 14-17. Leonard Smith Leonard Smith, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist…
Shorter librarian’s job in jeopardy
By Bob Allen A gay librarian has become a reluctant symbol for opponents of Shorter University’s new “personal lifestyle statement” that must be signed by faculty and staff who want to remain at the Baptist-affiliated school in Rome, Ga. A…
Study charts impact of Eagle Scouts
By Ken Camp The Boys Scouts of America long have noted the conspicuous presence of Eagle Scouts among astronauts, military officers, top athletes and high-ranking elected officials. But a nationwide scientific survey involving researchers from Baylor University provides the first empirical evidence…
Pastor religious freedom panel pick
By Bob Allen President Obama announced plans May 11 to reappoint African-American Baptist leader William J. Shaw to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Shaw, immediate past president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., was appointed in…
Romney heads to Liberty to woo evangelicals
LYNCHBURG, Va. (RNS)—Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who struggled to gain the support of evangelicals during the primaries, will deliver a commencement address May 12 at Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the country. The Republican…