Recently, as I was nearing the end of my weekly walk through the Religious Herald, I came across Drexel Rayford’s opinion piece in which he charged the Baptist General Association of Virginia with having a “Galileo moment.” I confess that…
OPINION: Whispering the sacred songs
A few weeks ago I had the rare opportunity to sing next to my daughter during Sunday morning worship. She loves to sing, and reads well for her age, but she is not capable of reading fast enough to sing…
LETTER: History of discrimination repeats itself
I usually find the opinion column by Lisa Cole Smith to be “cutting edge” and quite insightful. Her “Missing the forest for the trees” is no less so, except for her statement that (as Virginia Baptists) “we missed an…
Poll: More than one-third of Americans see signs of end times in extreme weather
WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a third of Americans believe the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence that we are in the “end times” described in the New Testament — a period of turmoil preceding Jesus’ Second Coming and…
OPINION: Emmanuel, God with us — no matter what
The lectionary epistle reading for last Sunday contained this well-known verse from Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice!” In light of the school shooting that took place in Newtown, Conn., Friday morning, Paul’s words almost seem…
Volunteers from Tappahannock, Va., church make impact with $100 given for ‘Kingdom Assignment’
TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — Has your pastor ever given away $5,000 in cash following a Sunday worship service? It happened on Sept. 30 at Beale Memorial Baptist Church in Tappahannock, Va., when 50 volunteers were handed a crisp $100 bill by…
LETTER: There is a guiding principle regarding Old Testament laws
There’s no doubt about it, Drexel Rayford is correct in that today Galileo is remembered and Cardinal Bellarmine is not remembered [For the BGAV, a Galileo moment]. Cardinal Bellarmine was not very wise in his ignoring of fact and his probable…
OPINION: The unlit candle of joy
Today was the Third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy. A group of International students from Virginia Commonwealth University had been invited to light the Advent candle. They processed slowly down the aisle as the youth girls’ ensemble sang….
OPINION: Being free to respond to evil with love
Today, Friday, Dec. 14, a horrible tragedy is unfolding. As I write this they won’t say how many but a large number of students and staff have been murdered at a Connecticut elementary school. As I listen to the reporter…
Ginter Park declines to withdraw from BGAV, acknowledges its affiliation will end Dec. 31
RICHMOND — Ginter Park Baptist Church has declined a request to withdraw membership from the Baptist General Association of Virginia following the Richmond congregation’s ordination of an openly gay man to the ministry this fall. The church’s official response brings…
For ministers in early years, CBF’s Fellows program helps them lead ‘from who they are’
It might be having an understanding person to talk to. It might be help putting frustrations into perspective. Or it might be a gentle reminder that nobody, not even the pastor, can do everything — and probably shouldn’t try. But…
For ministers in early years, CBF’s Fellows program helps them lead ‘from who they are’
It might be having an understanding person to talk to. It might be help putting frustrations into perspective. Or it might be a gentle reminder that nobody, not even the pastor, can do everything — and probably shouldn’t try. But…