WASHINGTON (RNS) — An evangelical businessman from Oklahoma has planned a multimillion-dollar, high-tech, interactive museum of the Bible. The plan was announced first amid 130 biblical artifacts exhibited at the Vatican Embassy and later at a conference at Baylor University…
Whose ‘majesty’ were the KJV translators exalting?
WACO, Texas — When many readers describe the 1611 King James Version of the Bible, the word “majesty” tends to enter the conversation. It’s no wonder, according to Laura Knoppers, professor of English at Penn State University. The translators King…
Christianity a ‘translated religion’ — into Living Word and written word
WACO, Texas — Translation of Scripture grows naturally out of a central Christian theme — God making himself known by identifying with the commonplace, said Lamin Sanneh, professor of mission and world Christianity at Yale University. “Translation into the common…
Some African-Americans bristle at ‘slave of Christ’ language
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For evangelical author John MacArthur, the best way to explain a Christian’s relationship to Jesus is what appears to be a simple metaphor — one often used by the Apostle Paul himself. “To be a Christian is…
Global south Christians love the Bible books Luther hated
WACO, Texas — Regions Martin Luther never knew have embraced biblical books the Protestant reformer never liked, author and educator Philip Jenkins said. “If Luther hated it, it goes down great in Africa,” said Jenkins, professor of humanities at Penn…
Diver searches for the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) — Even long before the times of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, Malta was the rocky knob at the western edge of the Roman Empire, the place where the leftovers of the Mediterranean Sea washed up and…
Eunoia, the Baptist campus ministry at UVA, wins creativity award
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Eunoia, the Baptist campus ministry at the University of Virginia, is one of seven winners of a UVA competition that showcases the creativity and innovation of the university’s undergraduates, officials announced April 18. {youtube}BbfYf7at7k8{/youtube} To compete for…
Donors pledge $500,000 in matching gift campaign for BTSR relocation
RICHMOND, Va. — Five anonymous donors have pledged to match up to $500,000 in contributions to Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond over the next year, to assist the school as it begins a process of moving to a new location…
Tornadoes keep Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministries busy in April
RICHMOND, Va. — Tornadoes kept Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministries on its toes during the first half of April, as severe weather caused damage in two widely-separated parts of the state — along the Chesapeake Bay and in the mountains…
Contributions from BGAV churches drop 7.8 percent in first quarter
RICHMOND, Va. — The Baptist General Association of Virginia ended the first quarter of 2011 with almost 8 percent fewer contributions from affiliated churches than in 2010, a financial officer reported April 12. Congregations gave $2,667,089 to Cooperative Missions between…
Baptist lecturer at Wake Forest defends religious freedom for Muslims
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (ABP) — A Baptist church-state expert criticized arguments used by opponents of building mosques in the United States that Islam is not a religion and therefore undeserving of protection of the First Amendment. Melissa Rogers, director of the…
Tornado destroys sanctuary of Deltaville, Va., church
DELTAVILLE, Va. — The sanctuary of Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville, Va., was destroyed by a tornado that touched down at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16 — just hours before the building would have been full of worshipers. The tornado,…