LYNCHBURG, Va. — Virginia Baptists will consider in November a proposal to renew ties to Averett University, a 152-year-old school in Danville, Va., whose relationship with the state’s Baptists was severed in 2005 in a dispute over homosexuality. The Virginia…
How to conduct a basic church security survey
Walk around your church. Stand at each entryway and look closely in every direction. Think like a thief or a criminal. Are you surrounded by suburbs, or is your church now located within a business community? No matter your site,…
Proposed Virginia Baptist budget almost $1 million lower than current
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ 2012 ministry budget will be almost $1 million less than their current one, if they adopt a proposal next month at the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The proposed $12.4 million…
U.S. Supreme Court says World Vision can hire only Christians
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a lower-court ruling that the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision can fire employees over religious doctrine. The high court declined without comment Oct. 3 to review an August 2010 ruling by…
Haitian leader released unharmed
CAP-HAITIAN, Haiti — The Haitian Baptist leader who was kidnapped early Sept. 29 was released unharmed later that day without a ransom payment, the Baptist World Alliance reported Sept. 30. Emmanuel Pierre, general secretary of the Baptist Convention of Haiti,…
Best-selling pastor Rob Bell is off to L.A. to write more books
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (RNS) — Megachurch pastor Rob Bell, whose best-selling book raised evangelical eyebrows by questioning traditional beliefs on hell, knew it was time to address the “giant, glowing, loud” elephant in the room on Sunday morning, Sept. 25. What’s…
White House condemns death sentence for Iranian Christian
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The White House condemned Sept. 29 the conviction of a pastor sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity in Iran. Youcef Nadarkhani, 34, pastor of the Church of Iran, was tried and convicted of apostasy…
Some British Christians outraged as BBC drops B.C./A.D. dating method
LONDON (RNS) — Some British Christians are incensed after the state-funded BBC decided to jettison the terms B.C. and A.D. in favor of B.C.E. and C.E. in historical date references. The broadcaster has directed that the traditional B.C. (Before Christ)…
VIEWPOINT: The sociology of Sunday school
These days, clergy and laity, professors and students alike generally agree that basic knowledge of the Bible is fast disappearing among Americans conservative, moderate and liberal. Indeed, in recent years I have occasionally received notes from undergraduate and graduate students…