Baptists traditionally affirm the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer. Because we have access to God through Jesus Christ, our high priest, we don’t need any human intermediary between us and heaven. In practical terms, this theological conviction often…
Former students of Baptist school in Nigeria honor missionary Van Lear
RICHMOND, Va. — Twenty “old girls” got together Oct. 2 at Lakewood Manor, a Virginia Baptist retirement community, to honor a beloved teacher and principal, Marie “Polly” Van Lear, on her 87th birthday. “Old girls” is a term used by…
V3, a church multiplication movement, focuses on at Voice, Viral, Volume
RICHMOND, Va. — Over four years ago, with a vision for Kingdom expansion through church planting, a church planting think tank was initiated by John Upton, executive direcctor of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, and Stephen Welch, executive director of…
St. Paul’s reopens, protesters evicted
LONDON (RNS) — London’s historic St. Paul’s Cathedral reopened its doors to visitors Oct. 28 for the first time in a week, as authorities moved to evict hundreds of camped-out protesters. St. Paul's was closed for the first time since…
The District Church in Washington aims to reach Millennials in their context
WASHINGTON — On a recent Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit with Aaron Graham, lead pastor of The District Church in Washington, to catch up on the church since its launch in September 2010. Among its partners is…
Mississippi Baptists back ‘Personhood Amendment’
JACKSON, Miss. (ABP) – The Mississippi Baptist Convention is backing a constitutional amendment facing voters Nov. 8 that would declare a fertilized human egg to be a person, effectively branding abortion as murder. The state convention’s Christian Action Commission endorsed…
CBF finishes fiscal year 15 percent behind budget
ATLANTA (ABP) – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ended its fiscal year $2.1 million short of its 2010-2011 budget goal of $14.5 million in total revenues, controller Larry Hurst reported to the CBF Coordinating Council Oct. 21. Anticipating a shortfall, Hurst…
Texas pastors weigh in on Rob Bell controversy
AMARILLO, Texas (ABP) — Two Texas Baptist pastors weighed in on controversy over Rob Bell’s recent book questioning the traditional view of hell in a training session during the Oct. 24-26 annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas….
Church-state expert said minorities face biggest threats to religious liberty
WASHINGTON (ABP) – An advocate for the separation of church and state told a House panel Oct. 26 that what some Americans regard as imminent threats to religious liberty are in fact attempts to maintain a favored status for the…
Church deemed too Calvinist for Kentucky Baptist association
OWENSBORO, Ky. (ABP) – A Kentucky Baptist association denied membership to a church after a credentials committee found its confessional statement too Calvinistic, according to a report in the Western Recorder. Daviess-McLean Baptist Association voted 104-9 to deny membership to…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Disputes ‘revision’ of Lottie Moon’s death
The WMU of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Charles City, Va., takes issue with Regina Sullivan’s opinion in the Religious Herald regarding Lottie Moon’s sacrifice and death as being a myth. This article is on page 18 of the Aug….
Leaders hope new BTSR initiative with college will increase racial diversity
RICHMOND, Va. — Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond has formed an alliance with Saint Paul’s College, a historically African-American school with Episcopal ties in Lawrenceville, Va., which seminary leaders hope will enhance BTSR’s goals of racial diversity and ecumenical openness….