It isn't my practice, and I suspect it isn't your desire, for me to offer in this editorial section a pastoral pontification of some kind. I have ordinarily resisted the temptation to do so. But, during Holy Week, in preparation…
Some Southern Baptists decry timidity on environmental issues
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A group of Southern Baptists has launched a new initiative on the environment, saying that their denomination's past declarations on the issue have been “too timid.” “We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have often…
SECOND OPINION: Unity at the expense of truth
In his speech at the recent New Baptist Covenant celebration, John Grisham urged his hearers to spend as much time ministering out in the streets as they do in the church. No doubt this is in many ways an admirable…
Human rights faltering in Iran, say experts
WASHINGTON (BP) — Basic human rights, including religious freedom, have deteriorated under Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, witnesses testified in a Capitol Hill hearing. Iranian citizens have suffered “systematic oppression by the regime, … denial to freedom of religion, expression, politics…
A giving life
Iris Brammer loved people. She also loved books and she especially enjoyed bringing people and books together. Maybe such passion helps explain why the public library in Narrows, Va., bears her name. She worked in the Narrows library in Southwest…
Kidnapped Christians forced to ‘reconvert’
(BP) — Hindu extremists in northern India's Himachal Pradesh state kidnapped at least 60 Christian families in late February and pressured them to “reconvert” to Hinduism, despite a new law that prevents forced conversions. Lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh passed a…
OUT LOUD
“A sound theology of creation-care will consider human achievement (building dams, erecting skyscrapers, mining for fossil fuels, etc.) as much a cause for celebration of God's creative purposes as a picnic in a virgin forest.” David Hankins The executive director…
FIRST HAND: Busting the top four food myths
DALLAS (BP) — Have you noticed how complicated food is these days? Trying to select an item in a grocery store or restaurant can prove to be quite a head-scratching experience, especially if you are trying to choose a healthier…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
So many current and former pastors and other church staff people have been in the news lately involved in sexual and financial scandals. What kind of background checks can a search committee legitimately implement to attempt to keep these kinds…
Preching the lectionary
As I began my sermon preparation for our Sunday worship service this week, I felt strongly led to read the Scriptures listed in the lectionary for the third Sunday in Lent. As I read all of the Old and New…
Does God protect some disaster victims but not others?
JACKSON, Tenn. (RNS) — As Kristen Fabrizio felt the vibrations preceding the tornado that ripped across the campus of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., last month, she clung to her friends, who in turn clung to their faith. “You can…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for March 6, 2008
STAFF CHANGES • Timothy Corder, to Braddock Church, Alexandria, as pastor. • Linda Garrett,to Long Branch Church, The Plains, as pastor. • Roland McCraw, to Stone Mountain Church, Laurel Fork, as pastor. • Bill Rose,to Mill Creek Church, Lebanon, as…