Caroline Gwathmey Jones of King and Queen County, Va., was at once family-proud, place-proud and church-proud. She enjoyed sharing stories about the history of the Gwathmeys and the family seat, Canterbury; about her county and its long and illustrious part…
TRENDING: New Zealand clues — Charismatic but not Charismania
“For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5) Here’s a touchy topic for most U.S. Baptists: If what is happening in New Zealand Baptist life is a clue to what might be coming next here…
VITAL SIGNS: High anxiety
Anyone feeling anxious? A better question: anyone not feeling anxious? God’s people in the 21st century suffer a serious malady. We mouth the words of faithfulness while we live lives dominated by anxiety and frustration. For every time we parrot…
VIRGINIA BRIEFS
Bluefield launches social network. New Bluefield College students are getting to know one another, even before they step foot on the BC campus, thanks to a new social network called BC Bound. Designed by the college’s admissions office, BC Bound…
NORTH CAROLINA BRIEFS
Hispanic pastor facing deportation. A Hispanic Baptist pastor arrested last summer by immigration authorities will find out Sept. 2 whether he will be deported for a crime committed in 1995. Hector Villanueva, pastor of Bautista la Rocha in Siler City,…
OUT LOUD
“This Shariah law business is … just crazy. And I’m tired of dealing with the crazies. It’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.” Chris Christie The Republican governor of New Jersey…
OPINION: News from D.C. you may have missed
Tumultuous debate over the debt ceiling largely overshadowed something of extraordinary importance that happened recently in Washington. Participants from more 300 colleges gathered at the White House to participate in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. They convened…
WINN RECOMMENDS
Allah: A Christian Response, Miroslav Volf (HarperOne) Theologian Miroslav Volf grew up in war-ravaged Croatia, a nation wrecked by ethnic and religious violence between Christians and Muslims. As a result, this question of how Christians interact with Muslims comes from…
KINGDOM VISION: The most basic need
One of the most famous quotes by the great American-born writer, Henry James, is “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Miscellany
Let’s take a break from our soup to nuts journey that began two years ago. Rather than writing about another leg in that overall process of planning, funding, and building your church project, this month’s column will be devoted to…
OPINION: The BJC at 75
I am finishing up a student internship with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. This year the BJC celebrates its 75th anniversary as a religious organization devoted solely to the protection of our first freedom. With offices located across…
Baptist chaplain on USS Enterprise wants shipmates ‘to see God in me’
NORFOLK, Va. — Baptist chaplain Fred Holcombe Jr. pastors a flock numbering 3,500 to 5,800 people — the population of a small town. But this “town” is more than 18 stories high, 1,123 feet long and takes up 4 1/2…