STAFF CHANGES • Dennis Smith, to Jeffersonton Church, Jeffersonton, as pastor. • Donnie Owen, resigning as pastor of Bethesda Church, Boydton. • Brian Williams, to White Stone Church, White Stone, as interim pastor. • Bob Smith, to Bagby Memorial Church,…
At church cafe, eat what you want, pay what you can
HIGHLAND PARK, N.J. (RNS)—At A Better World Cafe, it’s not exactly “all you can eat.” It’s more like whatever you can pay. The church-affiliated restaurant offers customers an innovative new dining option—choose the size of your portion, then pay what…
Seminary president labels Southern Baptist mission strategy ‘heresy’
LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP) — The president of Liberty Theological Seminary has labeled a method used by Southern Baptist missionaries to spread the gospel in Muslim lands deceptive and heretical. In a podcast interview on the SBC Today blog, Ergun Caner…
Relief groups walk delicate line on spreading gospel, providing aid
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When night falls in Port-au-Prince, thousands of homeless Haitians find shelter beneath weatherproof plastic sheets emblazoned with the logo of Samaritan’s Purse, a group that’s zealous to spread Christianity worldwide. The 20-by-20-foot sheets offer a tangible way…
FAITH DIGEST
Billy Graham tops pastors’ list. Evangelist Billy Graham was named by American pastors as the United States’ most influential living preacher, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research. The study, conducted last November, interviewed more than 1,000 Protestant pastors…
Virginia Baptists to field Haiti medical teams as snow postpones relief efforts
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists will field two medical teams this month to aid victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake and qualified volunteers are being sought to fill them, a disaster relief leader says. The announcement comes as contributions for relief…
Forgive us our trespasses: Christians called to ministry of reconciliation
At age 8, Chris Carrier was abducted, stabbed multiple times with an ice pick, shot in the left temple at pointblank range and abandoned in the Florida Everglades. Miraculously, he survived the ordeal, although the bullet to his head severed…
UCC spokesman says decision to air Tebow Super Bowl ad is ‘arbitrary’
CLEVELAND (ABP) — A spokesman for the United Church of Christ says CBS’s decision to air a purportedly anti-abortion ad featuring Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow during the Super Bowl shows favoritism to some religious viewpoints over others. Focus on…
Swiss aren’t only ones who resist mosque construction
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When Switzerland recently voted to ban construction of minaret towers at mosques, some observers interpreted it as an expression of European xenophobia that never would find a home in multicultural America. But to say it couldn’t happen…
Virginia church makes Galveston more livable in hurricane’s wake
GALVESTON, Texas — A team of Virginia college students used their winter break to make a couple of Galveston homes a bit more livable. Virginia Baptist students made this house in Galveston a bit more livable. More than a year…
Baptist Center seeks applicants for Heritage Fellows program
RICHMOND, Va. — The Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies is seeking applicants for the 2010-11 class of Heritage Fellows, a program of intensive training in Baptist history and heritage. The program is open to Baptist students who will be…
Martin Marty offers no easy predictions for Baptists’ next 400 years
WACO, Texas — Nobody can predict with certainty what the next 400 years hold for Baptists — or for any religious denomination, church historian Martin Marty told a gathering at Baylor University. But Marty, professor emeritus at the University of…