Amish school reopens after shooting. Amish children entered their new school in Lancaster County, Penn., exactly six months after a gun-toting neighbor walked into their old schoolhouse and shot 10 students, killing five. The Amish demolished the old schoolhouse to…
Virginia Tech students gather at Baptist ministry center
Blacksburg, Va., is a wounded city. With 26,000 students, Virginia Tech is the dominant presence in the town usually bustling with students crisscrossing the campus and spilling over into the streets of the burg. Not Monday. JIM WHITE Although barraged…
Corporate setting offers chaplain chance to be ‘presence of Christ’
GLEN ALLEN — Tyson Foods Inc. in Glen Allen invests in its team each day to achieve the highest level of quality and production possible. In the process, the company sets an example for others to follow. Alan Tyson, director…
Virginia Tech students gather at Baptist ministry center
Blacksburg, Va., is a wounded city. With 26,000 students, Virginia Tech is the dominant presence in the town usually bustling with students crisscrossing the campus and spilling over into the streets of the burg. Not Monday. Although barraged with requests…
Grieving students, others pack VT’s covocation
The day after a student gunman killed 32 students and professors on the campus of Virginia Tech, thousands more than expected attended a solemn convocation to honor the dead and comfort the grieving. The day was sunny and mild but…
Wade announces plans to retire as Texas Baptist executive
DALLAS (ABP) — Charles Wade, who led the Baptist General Convention of Texas through major changes in its governance and a reorganization of its staff, has announced plans to retire as executive director Jan. 31, 2008. Wade told BGCT employees…
RIGHT OR WRONG: What should I tell my preschooler about Santa Claus?
You actually have asked two separate “right or wrong” questions. One concerns whether it is right or wrong to tell a “little white lie” to a child if it brings happiness. Parents avoid telling their children the absolute truth all…
The church in parenthesis
When pastors leave congregations, their former churches often face what could be termed a punctuation crisis.Some mark the departure with a period, as the end of a sentence—either for the minister or the congregation. Others approach it with a question…
Missouri Baptist executive fired in closed-door session
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP and BP) – David Clippard, embattled executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, was fired April 10 by the convention's Executive Board. Following a second closed-door meeting about Clippard's leadership within six months, Executive Board members…
Are some people born to be religious?
NEW ORLEANS (RNS)—A recent debate at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary was titled “The Future of Atheism,” but the heart of the dialogue explored a related question: Can mankind's age-old belief in God be explained purely as a stubbornly recurring…
Praise in the Park set for July
Members of Linden Heights Baptist Church in Staunton are making plans for the fifth annual Praise in the Park. The kickoff will be Sunday, July 1. Gospel concerts will continue every Tuesday night during July and August. The free concerts…
Trustees, McKissic make peace
Texas pastor Dwight McKissic and his fellow trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have apparently decided to make peace, despite their previous public disagreements. In a March 27 statement, trustee chairman Van McClain said board leaders and McKissic had “jointly…