ARLINGTON — Ken McFarlane Smith, former president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, died Jan. 20. Smith, an attorney and member of First Baptist Church of Clarendon in Arlington, was BGAV president in 1977. He also has served as…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
Our pastor-search committee said they want to find a person of integrity. That is such a loose concept. Just what does integrity look like, so we can recognize it in candidates for our church? Your pastor-search committee will need depth,…
Reaching out to the poor
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EDITORIAL: Pewboy makes up his mind
Pewboy folded the morning paper and placed it on the counter with one hand while raising a cup of coffee to his lips with the other. Despite being largely misunderstood by many of his coworkers, he was glad to be…
Bishop under fire for comments
LONDON (RNS) One of Britain's top Anglican bishops has infuriated Muslim leaders by claiming that Islamic extremism has turned parts of the nation into “no-go” areas for non-Muslims. Writing in London's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, the Pakistani-born bishop of Rochester, Michael…
SECOND OPINION: Who is master of the house?
In recent discussions about Baptist identity, the phrase “spiritual master” has been seen as a roadblock to Christian liberty. And why not? “Master” sounds so, well, oppressive. Perhaps you are familiar with William Ernest Henley's poem Invictus (i.e., “Unconquered”). It…
Virginia church property fight costs $2 million
RICHMOND (RNS) — The court battle over church assets between the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and 11 breakaway congregations has already cost both sides more than $2 million, according to representatives. The secessionist Anglican District of Virginia has spent about…
Free to profess
Last week, on Wednesday, Jan. 16, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom turned 222 years young. It was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly on that date in 1786. Virginia had just passed through a paradigm shift, moving from a…
Vietnam Baptists to hold first national meeting
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (ABP) — Baptists in Vietnam reached a milestone when they held their first legal national conference Jan. 10-12. An estimated 400 people from 13 southern provinces and cities were expected for the meeting in Ho…
OUT LOUD
“It is not a sanctuary that will help us reach a new generation.” Robert Jeffress The pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas was discussing plans to replace the 1891 sanctuary which launched the careers of legendary Baptist pastors George…
SECOND OPINION: Race, sex, class and presidential politics
It was not until I got to Union Theological Seminary in New York as a doctoral student in Christian ethics that I received my first serious dose of race/class/sex talk. Sometimes it seemed like every course, even every class session,…
Death penalty opponents find new allies among evangelicals
CARRBORO, N.C. (RNS) — Stephen Dear has spent the past 10 years waging an uphill battle to abolish the death penalty in the American South — with virtually no help from the region's powerful evangelical ministers. But unlike in years…