A Lutheran task force on Jan. 13 recommended no change to church rules that ban gay clergy and same-sex unions, saying a majority of the church does not support “wholesale change” to existing gay policy. But the 13-member panel of…
How do you explain the unexplainable?
Guest Editorial for Jan. 20, 2005 A few years ago, I met a sweet, earnest, kind man whose name, if I remember correctly, was John. John is a thirtysomething, born-again, church-going, Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christian. Not too long before I met…
China moves against sex-selection abortion
The Chinese government has announced it will act to eliminate sex-selection abortion and end the imbalance between male and female babies. China Daily reported Jan. 7 the world's most populous country, which reached 1.3 billion in population the day before,…
Involving emerging leaders
Guest Editorial for Jan. 13, 2005 Jimmy Draper, president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, recently discussed with Facts & Trends magazine why he's concerned about the SBC's declining baptisms and interested in greater denominational involvement by…
The roll call
Heritage Column for Jan. 20, 2005 Last week this column told about the farewell address of Andrew Broaddus, a Baptist statesman of the early 19th century. In his message delivered before the Dover Baptist Association in 1833 and repeated in…
Relief ministry planned for Florida
Virginia Baptists' disaster relief ministries is sponsoring a trip to Florida Feb. 7-11. Participants will organize into work teams and help rebuild houses damaged in hurricanes last fall. The Virginia Baptist Mission Board is encouraging Virginia Baptist Men organizations to…
Virginia Baptist leader named state’s first agriculture secretary
Robert S. Bloxom, a longtime Virginia Baptist lay leader, has been named the state's first secretary of agriculture and forestry by Gov. Mark Warner. If confirmed by the General Assembly, Bloxom will be the first to hold the cabinet-level post…
Myers leaves campus ministry position
Michelle Myers, who has been the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's campus-based minister for the Ridge and Valley region since 2002, has resigned to move to North Carolina, where her husband has assumed a full-time pastorate. Wellford Tiller has been named…
Poll: curtail Muslim rights, say 44% of Americans
Nearly half of all Americans would curtail the civil rights of Muslim-Americans in some way, according to a new survey. In the name of combating potential terrorism, 44 percent of respondents to a Cornell University survey said they agreed with…
Study: religion on TV has more negative slant
A study of television's treatment of religion has found that matters of faith are addressed more in broadcast networks' shows, but mostly in a negative manner, the Parents Television Council has announced. The Los Angeles-based council worked in conjunction with…
Cut opened door for BWA fundraising, says McCall
While Morris Chapman says the fact retired Southern Baptist Convention leaders are now raising money for the Baptist World Alliance from SBC churches is “astounding and regrettable,” one of his predecessors as SBC chief executive, Duke McCall, says Chapman and…
Former seminary president Roy Honeycutt dies
By Trennis Henderson Roy Honeycutt, retired president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Dec. 21, one day after suffering head injuries in a fall at his home in Louisville, Ky. He was 78. Honeycutt, a noted Old Testament scholar, was…