RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — A ceremony honoring retired Baptist state newspaper editor R.G. Puckett for a lifetime of journalistic achievement is scheduled May 1 at Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. Puckett, who worked as a Baptist journalist longer than…
North Carolina CBF names leadership development coordinato
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina has called Ka’thy Gore Chappell as leadership development coordinator. Chappell was introduced March 25 during the evening worship service of the state CBF general assembly at First Baptist Church…
Annual contributions from BGAV churches in 2010 are listed
The Baptist General Association of Virginia treasurer's office has released a detailed summary of Cooperative Missions gifts for the period Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2010, from churches affiliated with the BGAV. Questions about the report may be directed to the treasurer's office…
More U.S. colleges adding Muslim chaplains
ITHACA, N.Y. (RNS) — When Jainal Bhuiyan attended Cornell University, he and his fellow Muslim students were mentored and led in religious prayers by a collection of Muslim professors, graduate students and staff. “That was our network that filled the…
Pastor facing possible deportation prepares for court, will seek pardon
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) — A Hispanic Baptist pastor arrested last summer by immigration authorities won't find out until September whether he will be deported for a crime committed in 1995. Hector Villanueva, pastor of Bautista la Rocha in Siler City,…
HERITAGE: The final act
The first offering taken at the new Park View Baptist Church in Portsmouth was for missions. There were 57 charter members and on the day of constitution in 1899 the congregation gave $5.50 for foreign missions. On Sunday, April 3,…
BOOK REVIEW: Bonhoeffer’s questions ring true for 21st century Christians
What Would Bonhoeffer Say? By Al Staggs (Parson’s Porch Books) Al Staggs is an itinerant performance artist who has been dramatically interpreting Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Walter Rauschenbusch, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Clarence Jordan and Thomas Merton for decades. He’s a theologian who,…
VITAL SIGNS: A church for those who wander
The book of James closes with a most interesting assertion: “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will…
OUT LOUD
“To impugn our motives (that we are selling out the Bible for the pottage of popularity), to reduce our concerns about love and justice to sentimentality, to dismiss us with the ‘L’ word and a questionable narrative surrounding it, and…
Tennessee amends anti-Shariah bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Tennessee lawmakers are rewriting a bill that described Islamic law as a threat to U.S. security and seemed to equate peaceful Muslim practices with terrorism. State Sen. Bill Ketron and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny,…
Christians question conventional wisdom on divorce stats
It’s been proclaimed from pulpits and blogs for years-Christians divorce as much as everyone else in America. But some scholars and family activists are questioning the oft-cited statistics, saying Christians who attend church regularly are more likely to remain wed….
Controversial Florida pastor presides at burning of Quran
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (RNS) — The controversial Florida pastor who halted plans to burn a Quran on the 9/11 anniversary last year oversaw the burning of the Islamic holy book March 20 after it was found “guilty” during a “trial” at…