WASHINGTON (RNS) — Few historical characters rival Jezebel for negative stereotypes. Today, “she's a household word for badness,” one scholar said. Culturally, she's portrayed as a brash, sexually provocative woman wearing too much make-up, another observed. So in her new…
Florida Baptists say alcohol disqualifies leaders from service
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (ABP) — Only teetotalers will be allowed to serve as trustees of the Florida Baptist Convention's agencies and boards, as a result of a vote at the convention's annual meeting. With no discussion and less than half…
Richmond church sends team to assist in Peru
RICHMOND — “Everything began suddenly when a group of persons from Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond proposed a volunteer missions trip to Perú to help persons affected by the earthquake that hit the provinces of Pisco and Chincha, south…
Proposed BGAV budget for 2008 alters funding for schools, colleges
RICHMOND — Virginia Baptists will be asked this week to approve a 2008 budget that offers a new way to fund their educational institutions. The changes are part of the proposed Baptist General Association of Virginia budget of $14,360,000 —…
Arkansas Baptists narrowly reject opening on communion, baptism
VAN BUREN, Ark. (ABP) — Arkansas Baptist State Convention leaders narrowly rejected an attempt Nov. 7 to remove a peculiar constitutional provision on communion and baptism that historians say is rooted in a 19th-century Baptist controversy. Messengers to the body's…
SECOND OPINION: A truly evangelical Baptist future
In moving this summer from Union University to Mercer University I transitioned from a school that moves in the orbit of the Southern Baptist Convention to an institution that moves in the orbit of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. And so…
IMB trustees censure Burleson, bar him from board activities
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (ABP) — In a rare move, trustees of a Southern Baptist Convention agency voted Nov. 6 to censure one of their own and effectively bar him from carrying out the duties of his office. However, reform-minded Oklahoma pastor…
Generations
For nearly 180 years, across five generations, the Religious Herald has arrived uninterrupted in the homes of the Ryland family of Virginia. Samuel Peachey Ryland subscribed when the first issue of the Herald came off the press in January 1828….
IMB attorney says board has power to suspend trustee
RICHMOND (ABP) — Although the Southern Baptist Convention is the only group with power to unseat a trustee of one of its agencies, the International Mission Board's attorney said Nov. 8 the board has the legal power to effectively bar…
A devastating 1969 hurricane spawned Virginia Baptists’ far-reaching disaster relief ministry
During the night of Aug. 19-20, 1969, the remnants of Hurricane Camille inundated parts of southwest Virginia's Nelson County, producing devastating floods and mudslides. For Virginia Baptists' disaster relief ministry — and for key leaders of the ministry such as…
Encountering God at the river: Piankatank to expand vision
Imagine having your morning devotional in a comfortable room with a large window overlooking an exquisite coastal river vista complete with an island and miles of shimmering water. The Camp Piankatank Commission has been working for several years to make…
BOOK REVIEWS
The Shiloh Stories: Historical Narratives from the Shiloh Baptist Association By Various Writers (Shiloh Baptist Association) In his preface to this volume, director of missions Lanny Horton summarizes the historic nature of the association of churches he serves. “Much of…