Baptist News Global

Virginia Baptist is state’s teacher of the year

When the members of the Virginia Senate rose to their feet and applauded earlier this year to honor Debi Goforth as Virginia's teacher of the year, the elementary school librarian's thoughts turned to a small pouch she had been carrying…

Truck stop missionaries meet the needs of truckers

Anyone who has driven on Interstate 81 doesn't have to be told that 18-wheelers are more numerous than a pagan's excuses for not attending church. According to Laura Bullock, who represents the Virginia Department of Transportation to media representatives in…

Preparing a church for a pastor’s departure

Editor's Note: Recognizing that a number of pastors in Virginia will soon retire from active pastoral ministry, we began this series two issues ago with a foundational book review by Gary Chapman, who directs the Southwest Virginia Christian Leadership Network…

FIRST HAND: What I wish I had known before I became pastor

Early on in my ministry as a pastor, I asked a deacon to tell me about the congregation's future plans and vision. He replied, “Preacher, we'll do anything that you can get us to do!” That deacon may not have…

Virginia Baptist Foundation awards scholarships

The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded scholarships to 28 recipients for the 2006/07 academic year, according to Ricky R. Hurst, director of donor relations for the Foundation. The scholarship committee of the Foundation awarded these scholarships at its recent annual…

Burleson calls for SBC to investigate ‘manipulation,’ ‘coercion’ at IMB

Wade Burleson is calling for the Southern Baptist Convention to investigate “manipulation” and “coercion” by his fellow trustees of the International Mission Board. But the Oklahoma pastor backed down from his threat to publish details of those alleged abuses on…

Executive Committee amends target

The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has amended a recommendation that the convention encourage the election of SBC officers “whose churches give at least 10 percent of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program.” According to a May 26 Baptist…

CBF general assembly to answer Vestal’s challenge for social justice

This year's general assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship promises to answer the challenge Coordinator Daniel Vestal gave at last year's meeting—a challenge to face head-on the issues of poverty, social justice, diversity and mercy. According to Bo Prosser, the…

New N.C. policy would oust churches that tolerate gays

Leaders of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention have beefed up a policy designed to oust local churches that affirm homosexuality or even tolerate gay church members. Meeting in Asheboro, N.C., the convention's executive committee and board of directors both…

EDITORIAL: A great partnership

Partnership: (pärtnr-shp) — A relationship between individuals or groups that is characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility, as for the achievement of a specified goal. Throughout our 178-year history, the Religious Herald has been in partnership with Virginia Baptists. The…

A vision fulfilled

Last week this column told the background of assemblies in Virginia Baptist history. The column managed to get as far as the critical meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia in November 1950 when “Eagle's Eyrie”—a large expanse of…

Da Vinci hype?

I agree that Dan Brown's page-turner of a book is a work of fiction, but he makes a very disturbing declaration on the very first page, that there are certain facts of history (like Opus Dei and the Priory of…

Rise of American authoritarianism demands a choice, Perryman says

Shaving Dad goodbye

The Enhanced Games were another MAGA grift

It’s bad interpretation, not the Bible, limiting female pastors