Virginia Baptists' disaster relief ministry will offer critical incident stress management (CISM) training June 16-18 at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center. The training is one of the requirements for crisis care chaplains who are deployed during disasters. It is also…
Muslims praise new film on Crusades
By Helena Andrews Despite initial controversy surrounding The Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott's new film about the Crusades, it is getting generally positive reviews from Muslims in the United States and in Arab countries. “It was really nice to go…
Monument finds home in Alabama church foyer
The 5,280-pound granite Ten Commandments monument that cost Roy Moore his job as Alabama's chief justice has found a permanent home at his church in Gadsden, Ala. The monument ended its nationwide tour and was installed last month in the…
Bluefield student is new BSU president
Bluefield College student Matt Brooks will be leading Virginia Baptist college students on mission and in ministry in the coming year. Brooks has been elected statewide president of the Virginia Baptist Student Union. A junior from Jefferson City, Tenn., Brooks…
Panel to study discrimination by evangelicals at Air Force Academy
A top Pentagon official has ordered the appointment of a special task force to investigate “lingering allegations” about religious discrimination at the Air Force Academy toward cadets who are not evangelical Christians. The announcement, following several months of allegations about…
Eastern Baptist Seminary to be renamed for Palmer
To honor the legacy of former president Gordon Palmer, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary will change its name to Palmer Theological Seminary July 1. Eastern, located in suburban Philadelphia, is one of 10 seminaries related to American Baptist Churches USA. Palmer,…
Longwood BSU raises money for missions
Every year, Baptist Student Unions across Virginia band together to raise money for Virginia Baptists' collegiate summer missions program. This program places college students in ministries in Virginia, around the country and around the world. Students have served in Africa,…
Judge says sex-ed program violates First Amendment
A federal judge has temporarily halted a sex-education program in a suburban Washington, D.C, school district, saying it violates the First Amendment's free-speech and religion clauses by promoting only one view of homosexuality. On May 5, United States District Judge…
Congress likely to address immigration system
Expect to see change in United States immigration policy during this congressional session. Three types of legislation are being considered in Congress-an agriculture jobs bill, new guest-worker legislation and the Dream Act, which would help non-citizen students fund a college…
Pete Parks resigns to accept chaplaincy
Pete Parks, Virginia Baptists' campus-based minister for the Tidewater region, will resign July 31 to assume a chaplain residency position at Norfolk Sentara Hospital. He is endorsed as a chaplain by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Parks has held his position…
N.C. pastor resigns after conflict over national politics
By Tony Cartledge Embattled pastor Chan Chandler announced his resignation during a business meeting May 10, surprising both supporters and detractors at East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville N.C. Chandler, 33, had been pastor of the church for two and…
Citizens can shape immigration policy, says Baptist activist
Carmelita Hernandez believes one person can make a difference, even when it comes to big issues like shaping United States immigration policy. And a new law proposed by the Bush administration may offer proof. Hernandez, a member of Iglesia Bautista…