“I naively believed that speaking for peace as a pastor would make sense. ” Frederick Boyle The United Methodist pastor is facing fines and jail times for violating government restrictions by traveling to Iraq in 2003 to protest the pending…
Great preaching resource
I highly recommend God's Stories, by Fred Anderson, as one of the very best preaching resources I've come across in a long time. This past Sunday I used one of the stories as a spoken call to worship, and had…
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…
Americans fluid in their religious affiliation, Pew study reveals
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new study of more than 35,000 adult Americans by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life captures the depth and breadth of religious America — 78.4 percent Christian, 4.7 percent members of other faiths and…
FAITH DIGEST
Amazing Grace takes top honors. Amazing Grace, the big-budget film that traced the life of abolitionist William Wilberforce, won Most Inspiring Movie of 2007 and Best Movie for Mature Audiences at the 16th annual Movieguide Faith and Values Awards in…
Follow the money
Most observers of congregational life agree — a person can tell a lot about a church by looking at its budget. But exactly what conclusions can be drawn about a church's priorities remain an open question.tory “It's a question I've…