RICHMOND, Va. – The top executives of two Virginia Baptist groups have joined other religious leaders in calling for federal recognition of six Native American tribes in the state. In an open letter released Aug. 17, about 30 Christian, Jewish…
ANALYSIS: Legal status of mosque project clear; pluralism’s status not
WASHINGTON (ABP) — One thing is settled in the controversy over building an Islamic cultural center near the former World Trade Center site in New York: There is no legal impediment to the facility rising there. A sign at a…
Controversial theologian, seminary professor Clark Pinnock dies
HAMILTON, Ontario (ABP) — Clark Pinnock, an influential theologian whose spiritual pilgrimage led from a fiery fundamentalism as a young professor to an openness that caused some to brand him a heretic, died Aug. 15 of a heart attack. Pinnock,…
Judge throws out Missouri funeral protest law aimed at extremist church
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A federal judge ruled Aug. 16 that a Missouri law banning protests at or near funerals is unconstitutional. In 2006 Missouri passed a law prohibiting picketers within 300 feet of a memorial service. It was…
VITAL SIGNS: Jason’s upside-down world
If asked to identify a favorite New Testament character, most of us go with the predictable and obvious: Barnabbas, Mary, Nathaniel, Peter, Lydia, Timothy, Phoebe. You know the list. Let me remind you of an obscure character who can highlight…
OUT LOUD
“To those Americans who happen to be Muslim, I say: Please do not think that the hatefulness of a few visible ‘Christians’ represents the views of all the rest of us. Some of us are just as appalled by what…
HERITAGE: Maholo
"Aloha” is the most often-spoken word in Hawaii. Said with enthusiasm, it signals love and affection and can be used both as a greeting and a farewell. It was a word frequently on the lips of a Virginia Baptist minister…
Richmond churches tackle tasks at Bluefield College
The team after an afternoon outing to a nearby park in West Virginia. BLUEFIELD, Va. — Black enamel paint and a team of 31 inexperienced youth with paintbrushes were an interesting combination as three Richmond-area churches partnered for a week…
EDITORIAL: New state motto: ‘We’ll do anything for money’
As a conservative politician, Governor Robert McDonnell leans heavily on the Christian right. But it appears that of late his family values are being trounced by his political values. In answer to the dilemma of providing funding to build needed…