Historical drama Pressure clears the air on speaking truth to power

Heritage Column for January 12, 2006 By Fred Anderson The death last fall of Rosa Parks, an icon of the civil rights movement, brought back memories of my own. Like anyone who ever lived in the South in the days…

Although now back home in Livermore, Calif., disaster relief chaplain Naomi Paget is still moved by her experiences in the Gulf Coast region during the past two months. Following are selected entries from personal reflections she recorded during her temporary…

A Roman Catholic tradition that has been around since the Middle Ages may soon be no more. Limbo, the place somewhere between heaven and hell reserved for unbaptized babies, was discussed among 30 top theologians last month at the Vatican…

The outpouring of private charity to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and two sister storms now ranks as the most generous in American history, surpassing donations after Sept. 11, according to researchers who track philanthropy. Americans have donated about…

Pioneer Baptist ethicist Foy Valentine died suddenly Jan. 7 of an apparent heart attack, family members said. He was 82. A native Texan and Dallas resident, Valentine was executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention's former Christian Life Commission in…

Lonnie Latham, pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa, Okla., was arrested the night of Jan. 3 in Oklahoma City for “offering to engage in an act of lewdness” according to charges published in various wire reports. In an…

Religious leaders have condemned comments by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson of Chesapeake implying that God’s “enmity” had caused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s recent stroke. “Sharon was personally a very likable person and I am sad to see him in…

A retired Virginia Baptist pastor is seeking experiences of mission volunteers to be compiled into a resource for churches. Ray Allen, retired pastor of Blacksburg Baptist Church in Blacksburg and a mission volunteer himself, is collecting “interesting, inspiring or humorous”…

The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies is seeking applicants for the 2006-07 class of Heritage Fellows. The Heritage Fellows program provides an opportunity for Baptist sophomores and juniors, attending Virginia schools, a chance to learn about some aspect of…

Virginia Baptists’ gifts to disaster relief totalled more than $2.5 million in fiscal 2005, but the generous outpouring contributed in part to a budget shortfall of almost $665,000 last year, according to the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s treasurer’s office….

By Betty N. Surrency Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Lead Like Jesus Longtime friends Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager and co-founder of Lead Like Jesus, and Bob Buford, founder of Leadership Network and author of HalfTime…

By Darrell Fletcher Field Strategist, VBMB Whenever I think about bivocational ministry, I remember a pastor friend of mine. For several years he pastored a country church along the Clinch River. At the same time, he milked cows twice a…