Most Republicans doubt Darwin. Republicans are far more likely to doubt the theory of evolution than Democrats, a new Gallup Poll revealed. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans say they doubt humans evolved from lower life forms over millions of years; only…
Render to Caesar
It may look dead, but it's really just evolving—even though its members might not like that word. And it may be developing into something its founders wouldn't recognize. That's what some experts say about the future of the Religious Right…
BAPTIST BRIEFS
Three S.C. firemen had ties to SBC churches. At least three of the nine Charleston, S.C., firefighters killed June 18 in a furniture store blaze were connected with Southern Baptist churches in the area. Capt. William “Billy” Hutchinson, 48, was…
Following Scripture not easy recipe for political choices, ethicists insist
RICHMOND (ABP)—Abortion is the most pressing moral issue of the day, said Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican candidate for president, at a recent GOP debate. So much so, the Catholic senator continued, that he doesn't think his party can…
WMU focuses on missions, ministry
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — Prayer took center stage as Woman's Missionary Union leaders, missionaries, and Southern Baptist agency leaders spoke at the union's annual meeting June 11, held prior to the Southern Baptist Convention gathering. In her address, union president…
Pulpit politics run risk for churches
DALLAS—Churches engaged in partisan politics risk losing not only their tax-exempt status, but also their credibility, several experts in church-state relations agree. Churches and religious organizations—like other IRS 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations—are free to speak out on social, moral and…
Ruth Graham buried in private ceremony
MONTREAT, N.C. (BP) — Hundreds of friends and family members packed the Montreat Conference Center June 16 to remember Ruth Graham and hear all five of her children — as well as her husband in an unscheduled moment — recount…
Call them ‘red-letter Christians’ or progressive evangelicals; they’re a growing political force
NEW YORK (ABP)—In what is shaping up to be a faith-filled race for the presidency, Republican and Democratic candidates have pulled out all the stops—hiring religion gurus, conscientiously attending church, discussing the intimate details of their prayer lives on national…
News About Virginia Baptists and their ministries for June 28, 2007
STAFF CHANGES • Samuel Barnhart Sr., to Second Church, Falls Church, as senior pastor. • Jim Trautz, resigning as pastor of Lake Drummond Church, Chesapeake. • Archie Goldie, to Sterling Park Church, Sterling, as interim pastor. • Larry Biermann, to…
Southern Baptists grapple with global warming, doubt causes
SAN ANTONIO (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention rejected scientific claims that humans are to blame for global warming and dismissed the governmental efforts to reverse it. Messengers to the annual SBC meeting also stood by their resolution committee's decision…
Youth Encounter 2007: A year of transformation
RICHMOND — With transformation as its theme, Virginia Baptists' 20-year-old Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) has been transformed and is now Youth EnCounter 2007. The new YEC features a new name, new location, new schedule and more quality programming to transform…
Charlottesville pastor receives Bronze Star for meritorious service as Army chaplain
RICHMOND — For more than 200 years, since the establishment of the nation during the Revolutionary War, chaplains have provided spiritual nourishment to American soldiers in battle. In recent decades, they've worked in an increasingly treacherous environment, in order to…