Surely, you didn't mean to publish author Lesley Hazelton's comments about her book, Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen. Hazelton is quoted as saying, “She was a magnificent, proud, powerful queen of Israel.” Jezebel may have been…
Does ‘Compass’ point kids in the wrong direction?
NEW YORK (RNS)—The holiday season means it's time for another Hollywood wintry blockbuster with a cast of talking animals, witches and an earnest child to point the way to truth and justice. But some Christians who applauded the Christian allegory…
Church leaders seek clarity about split between CBF, ABC benefits plans
ATLANTA (ABP)—A seven-year partnership between American Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which has allowed CBF-related churches to buy retirement and medical benefits, will end Dec. 31. The end of the partnership is leaving some church leaders confused about the…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for December 20, 2007
STAFF CHANGES • Russell “Rusty” Beck, to Parkview Church, Newport News, as pastor, effective Jan. 1. He has served as youth pastor at Parkview since 2003. • Peyton Wiltshire, to Two Rivers Church, King George, as pastor. • Bob Yeaman,…
FAITHSHAPERS: Pitfalls of punishment (2)
I had some idealistic younger days when I would argue that no child should be punished, but the days didn't last long. Even before I learned the hard way from my own children, I saw time after time the devastating…
SBCV marks 500-plus churches
HAMPTON (BP)—The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia convened Nov. 12-13 in Hampton, drawing nearly 1,200 people who marked the convention's surpassing the 500 mark in total churches. In a business session, messengers admitted 21 churches into…
Video violence and aggressive behavior linked, studies show
Repeated exposure to video violence—particularly interactive games —influences aggressive behavior more than drug use, poverty or domestic abuse, a University of Michigan researcher has asserted. In fact, the correlation between media violence and aggression is at least as strong as…
Mo. Baptists restrict church start funding
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)—A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. MBC Executive Board…
Set example, students urged at HIV/AIDS conference
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)—Today's young Christians are the church, not the church's future, and it's time they take seriously the Bible's call to care for “the least of these,” including those with HIV/AIDS, Francis Chan told students at a youth…