Leaders from a prominent American Muslim group have denounced reported comments by the Missouri Baptist Convention's executive director claiming that “Islam has a strategic plan” to take over the United States. Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Washington-based Council on…
Are our churches getting what they need?
Business knows. If you fail to train people adequately they will fail to perform. Dow Jones understands this double failure isn't good for the bottom line. The military knows. Troops who don't understand how to use and fix sophisticated technological…
More support for Bluefield
Let me begin by thanking the Baptist General Association of Virginia for its past support of Bluefield College; not only in money, but in many other ways. It has indeed been a blessing. Recently I learned that a new funding…
Bluefield benefits Virginia Baptists
This year Virginia Baptists contributed $300,000 to Bluefield College. Next year that amount will be cut by more than 50 percent (“Virginia Baptist Mission Board takes show on the road,” Herald, Oct. 19). What do we do with the money…
The marriage amendment
I view with curiosity and bewilderment an amendment to “protect the institution of marriage” in the Commonwealth. As a former pastor of 26 years, a current professor of marriage and family life at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, as a…
Almost Baptist!
Growing up in Georgia, I devoured collards, cornbread and the columns by Louie D. Newton in the weekly issues of The Christian Index, the Georgia Baptist newspaper. Newton was a well-known pastor, former editor of the Index, and a denominational…
Africa comes to Richmond
Calvin Birch looked from the muzzle of the rifle to the face of the angry man who pointed it at him. He stammered, “I can't just leave her here!” The dead woman in his arms had been hit by a…
Women at ‘Get Away’ urged to ‘live beyond words’
Over 1,000 women made their annual pilgrimage to Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center for the Women's Get-Away and Rally/Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia annual meeting. There they encountered a movement of the spirit second to none as they focused on…
Ala. church ejected from association for hiring female associate pastor
An Alabama Baptist church has been ejected from its local association for hiring a female associate pastor—which may be a first of sorts. The Mobile Baptist Association voted Oct. 19 to withdraw fellowship from Hillcrest Baptist Church in Mobile. Associational…
Arkansans pass task force report
Messengers to the 153rd annual meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention approved a ministry task force report that includes recommendations to regionalize executive board ministries, increase the percentage of Cooperative Program funds forwarded to Southern Baptist Convention causes, and…
New Mexicans see record number
Perhaps more people attended the annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico this year than any year since it was founded 94 years ago. The 2006 convention was the first since New Mexico Baptists elected Joseph Bunce as…
Miss. approves record budget
Messengers from the Mississippi Baptist Convention's 2,114 churches approved without opposition a record Cooperative Program budget of more than $33 million during their annual meeting Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The $33,188,934 budget for 2007 represents an almost 6 percent increase over…