More and more people are talking about dealing with global poverty through “micro-enterprises.” Is there any merit to these ideas for alleviating poverty? Helping the poor is not an option for Christians. It is a biblical mandate. The Hebrew Scriptures…
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent
Moderator Jack Glasgow presides at Coordinating Council meeting. DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — Starting March 1, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will operate on a contingency spending plan that cuts staff salaries by 1 percent and reduces funding for theology schools and…
Survey finds religion a big deal in Mississippi, not so much in Vermont
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Want to be almost certain you’ll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi. Prefer the least religious state? Venture to Vermont. The importance of religion in people's lives varies from state to state. A recent Gallup Poll, based on more…
When it comes to religious fervor, it’s a small world after all, research shows
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Baptists in Tuscaloosa and Muslims in Tehran might not seem to have much in common, but Alabama and Iran agree on one thing—the importance of religion. Nearly identical percentages of people in both locations—82 percent of Alabamians and 83…
Faith Digest
Pope condemns Holocaust denial. In his first meeting with Jewish leaders since his controversial readmission of a Holocaust-denying bishop, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the “denial or minimization” of the Holocaust as “intolerable and altogether unacceptable.” The long-scheduled Vatican meeting took…
Columbia Church challenges members to ‘Spend Yourself’
Jim Baucom Although many pastors would be content if their churches met in three different congregations with 14 separate services using seven different languages, Jim Baucom, pastor of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, challenged the church leaders to “take…
FIRST PERSON: The price of coffee
Cindy Fisher FALLS CHURCH—“$2.19,” the cashier says after I place my order for a small iced coffee. I’m tempted to order an iced latte instead, but that would bump up the price by a dollar. I choose to stick with…
$10.1 million gift accelerates barracks building at FUMA
FORK UNION—Fork Union Military Academy has received a gift of $10.1 million, allowing the Virginia Baptist-affiliated school to begin construction on a new barracks facility—a project initiated three years ago. The donors are Jerry and Laura Jacobson of Sugarcreek, Ohio,…
Virginia Baptist Foundation awards grants to six ministries
RICHMOND—The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded grants totaling $40,000 to six Virginia Baptist ministry partners according to Ronald C. Hall, president and CEO of the foundation. “We are able to award these dollars due to the Christian stewardship of others,”…