Baptist News Global

Reject conflict. Skip compromise. Embrace collaboration.

I grow tired of hearing politicians talk about achieving common ground without ever seeming to make real progress. I hear people from various political perspectives talk about achieving common ground while acting uncompromising about their positions that actually seem to…

10-member committee named to study Virginia Baptist Mission Boardâ€™s governance

RICHMOND — A 10-member committee to study the structure of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s governing board was named Jan. 8. Carl Johnson, the Mission Board’s chair who also serves as president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, unveiled…

2012 gifts from BGAV churches exceed 2011 by over $22,000, reach 98% of budget

RICHMOND — Churches affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia funded 98 percent of the BGAV’s 2012 budget, the group’s chief finance officer announced Jan. 8. Contributions to the BGAV’s Cooperative Missions budget totalled $12,163,511 last year, just shy…

Jean Woodward, former president of BGAV and WMUV, dies at 88

MOUNT VERNON, Va. — Jean Nelson Woodward, 88, died Jan. 7 in a hospice care center in Northern Virginia. For the past nine years she was a resident of Sunrise in Mount Vernon, Va. Woodward Woodward was president of…

LETTER: BGAV’s action creates new Baptist challenge

The Baptist General Association of Virginia’s precedent in response to Ginter Park Baptist Church’s ordination creates a brand-new challenge for Virginia Baptists. In acting to “disfellowship” from Ginter Park over its decision to ordain a particular member, the BGAV has…

OPINION: Instructions on living a life

A short poem by Mary Oliver: Instructions for Living a Life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. I wonder what it would be like to live with this as a motto for my year. Lisa Cole Smith I sometimes…

OPINION: The Golden Rule and gun violence

A few days following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Richard Land, recent head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was interviewed on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” The interviewer was…

OPINION: Football realignments and the church

Those who know me know that I absolutely love college football. I love the pageantry, the tradition and, of course, the tailgating. My most magical season reached its annual conclusion last week with Alabama’s rolling 42-14 victory over Notre Dame…

Tithe: More theory than practice?

Tithe: More theory than practice? Vicki Brown The issue of tithing — traditionally understood as 10 percent — has perplexed churchgoers for years. Interpretation and denominational practice usually set the tone for givers, often with tension between giving as law…

Does God or money shape a churchâ€™s ministry?

Does God or money shape a church’s ministry? Vicki Brown Ask a Christian whether God or money concerns determine how a church operates. Most likely, the response would be: “Of course, God does.” But John L. and Sylvia Ronsvalle believe…

EDITORIAL: The unoffended Christian

With the fiscal cliff narrowly averted, the nation’s attention was drawn to the gridiron as perennial powerhouse Alabama squared off against the Irish of Notre Dame for the national college football championship. As Bama’s Crimson Tide rolled mercilessly over the…

HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic

Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Transitions ON THE MOVE Brooks Gale, to Millfield…

Theologizing with Larkin Poe, 10 years after Reskinned

Ministry leader with tall tales wins GOP bid for Colorado governor

What Willy Rice once knew

What I learned July 5 at church