Connecticut became the third state to allow same-sex marriage after its Supreme Court ruled Oct. 10 that it is unconstitutional to deny the legal benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. The 4-3 decision outraged conservative groups, who are…
SECOND OPINION: No-name Christians
Acts 11:19-26, the story of the church at Antioch, touches me at the deepest level. This passage teaches about nameless individuals who went to Antioch to share the story of Jesus. As a result of their work and that of…
Pittsburgh diocese votes to leave Episcopal Church
The Diocese of Pittsburgh voted Oct. 4 to split from the Episcopal Church, becoming the second diocese to leave the national church over differences on homosexuality and the Bible. A wide majority of clergy and lay people — 240 voted…
OUT LOUD
“We see it now in the collapse of the great banks: this money disappears, it is nothing. And so all these things, that seem the true reality to count on, are realities of secondary importance. He who builds his life…
For Italian Baptists, a struggle for liberty
Virginia Baptists have a long partnership with Italian Baptists, with whom they have much in common. This article by an Italian Baptist leader sheds light on his country's attitude toward religious liberty. The issue of religious freedom in Italy is…
Tortured suffer lasting effects in body & soul, experts say
ATLANTA (ABP) — Nearly two decades ago, Dianna Ortiz says, Guatemalan security forces abducted her and took her to a clandestine prison where she was gang-raped; burned more than 100 times with cigarettes; forced to cut another woman with a…
Disputed Iran dinner fails to deliver on dialogue
NEW YORK (RNS) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dined with 300 religious and political leaders Sept. 26, but the event that drew condemnation and protest offered far less dialogue than advertised. What was promised as a discussion of how religion…
Red-letter Christians can transcend partisan politics, Campolo insists
WACO, Texas — Red-letter Christians committed to taking Christ's teachings seriously have the potential to transform society in a way that moves beyond partisan politics, author and educator Tony Campolo told an ethics conference at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary….
Virginia Baptist volunteers join Texas Baptists to provide assistance after Ike
LIBERTY, Texas — Less than 72 hours after Hurricane Ike made landfall, a convoy of Virginia Baptist disaster relief units pulled into the parking lot of First Baptist Church, Liberty, Texas. By the next afternoon, Sept. 16, almost 100 Virginia…