NEW YORK (ABP)—What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last year? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? Maybe a toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that matter….
Reaching the campus, one student at a time
FARMVILLE—It's no secret that one of the goals of Baptist Collegiate Ministries is outreach. At Longwood University we've integrated a new program into our activities hoping to attract new students with a non-threatening medium: videogames. This year we've started hosting…
Churches push Advent Conspiracy to teach real giving
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS)—The Christmas contradiction gives Pastor Rick McKinley a headache. Americans will spend about $475 billion this year on gifts, decorations and parties that many won't even remember next year. They will run themselves ragged—shopping, wrapping and celebrating. And…
BTSR offers class on missional church
RICHMOND—Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is offering a class next year on the missional church movement, open to both laypersons and clergy. “An Introduction to the Missional Church Movement” is a master of divinity level course and will be held…
For some, happy holidays means no gifts
AUSTIN, Texas (RNS)—Scrap the gift lists. Trash the wrapping paper. Blow off the mall. That's the mind-set of Americans who can't stomach exchanging holiday presents. They aren't grinches or scrooges. They just reject what they consider the wastefulness and stress…
Bluefield scholarship to aid ministers
BLUEFIELD—A Virginian's love for Christian ministry will result in more trained ministers, thanks to an endowed scholarship established in his memory at Bluefield College. Sheridan Williams of Max Meadows wanted to preserve the legacy of her husband, Elbert Williams, and…
Churches’ cooperation strengthen ministry in among students in China
MACAU, China — Eager hands reached for strips of paper. “This one goes next,” voices shouted as the group of Chinese students pieced the strips together to tell the story of Christ's birth. The problem: the story had been written…
That’s a wrap: Lakewood Manor’s Wilson is wrapping machine
RICHMOND—At this holiday gift-giving time, Stacey Wilson, Lakewood Manor's program coordinator, becomes a wrapping machine. She is not wrapping the presents for her friends and families but for the Lakewood residents. Lakewood Manor resident Peggy Warren (right) gets help with…
Need help understanding the Old Testament? Ask an African Christian
SAN DIEGO (ABP)—African Christians tend to understand and appreciate the Old Testament far better than their Western counterparts, author Philip Jenkins told a group of evangelical scholars. Jenkins, a professor of religious studies and history at Pennsylvania State University, spoke…
Child killed in Mexico after accident with Baptist volunteers
DALLAS (ABP) — A Baptist team of volunteers on their way to feed flood victims in Southern Mexico accidentally killed a child in a traffic accident Nov. 15. Members of Texas Baptist Men, a men's missions organization, were driving through…
Diverse group of Christians seeks better relationship with Muslims
WASHINGTON (RNS)—A wide range of Christian theologians and leaders have endorsed a document calling for increased efforts to work with Muslims for peace and justice. The move responds to an earlier call from Muslim leaders seeking common ground. The new…
Hillary Clinton pays a call on Rick Warren’s conference on HIV/AIDS
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (RNS) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., reached out to conservative Christians on Nov. 29 at a church-run AIDS conference where the presidential candidate fused her faith with the event's push to combat HIV and AIDS. “It's…