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…
SECOND OPINION: How do we best help Haiti recover?
How that Haiti is completely wrecked, how does anyone fix it? With tremors still shaking the island nation that has never recovered from its own birth pains, the world’s nations are sending tons of food and barrels of water to…
OUT LOUD
“I know some people won’t agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe. I’ve always been very convicted of [his views on abortion] because that’s the reason I’m here,…
All churches in 20 Virginia associations complete ACP
Virginia Baptist leaders are acknowledging the 20 district associations affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia in which all churches completed the 2009 Annual Church Profile (ACP). Leaders also have praised the contact persons who collected the information. Each…
Ministry helps wounded pastors stay in the pulpit
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) — The 2008 murder of 35-year-old Mashonda Griffin in her home was a blow to her fellow church members — especially when they learned one of the people charged in her death was a former parishioner…
Is forgiveness always appropriate for Christians? Yes, but …
Sermons on forgiveness often emphasize the Lord’s Prayer — “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” But should Christians always forgive, regardless of circumstances? Is granting forgiveness always appropriate? “Yes, but …,” four Christians…
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…