RICHMOND, Va.—A concentration in justice and peacebuilding will be available to master of divinity degree students at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond beginning this fall, in a collaborative effort a seminary spokesman said would help the school “live out” its…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Book says young Christians want more than politics
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Today’s young Christians aren’t interested in enlisting for the culture wars that created a brand of Christianity focused more on the ballot box than serving others, author and cultural commentator Jonathan Merritt says in a new book due…
Church aids homebound in Covington, Va., area
COVINGTON, Va.—“Help, I’ve fallen … and I can’t get up!” was a catchphrase of the early 1990s based on a line from a TV commercial portraying an elderly woman suddenly incapacitated at home. While the phrase has now become a…
Panel of young leaders to explore Baptist identity
RICHMOND, Va.—Exploring Baptist identity in the 21st century will be the focus of a panel of young Baptist leaders May 22 sponsored by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies. “Young Voices: A Conversation on Baptist Identity Today” is will…
Questions remain after Christian painter Kinkade dies
NEW YORK (RNS)—The unexpected death of Thomas Kinkade on April 6 prompted an outpouring of grief for the hugely successful painter of pastoral landscapes, but also raised questions about the troubled final years of an artist whose use of Christian…
CBF names Va. native as interim missions coordinator
ATLANTA (ABP)—Jim Smith, a Virginia native who serves as director of field ministries for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has been named interim coordinator of global missions beginning July 1. Smith will assume the interim role as Rob Nash, global missions…
Mark Driscoll’s visit to Liberty making waves
LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP)—Never a stranger to controversy, Seattle mega church pastor Mark Driscoll is causing a stir with an upcoming visit to Liberty University. The conservative Christian school in Lynchburg, Va., is next up on a tour by the founding…
Congregations ‘relearn what it means to be church’
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP)—Traditional churches must wake up and reinvent themselves if they are to remain—or become—relevant, some Christian leaders say. “We have to think the way missionaries think,” said Larry Hovis, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North…
What did Jesus do on Holy Saturday?
NEW YORK (RNS)—Every Christian knows the story: Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. But what did he do on Saturday? That question has spurred centuries of debate, perplexed theologians as learned as…
Baptist leaders meet with Russian Orthodox primate
MOSCOW—Despite significant theological differences, Baptists and the Russian Orthodox Church appear to share views on some moral issues, the primate of the Russian church told Baptist representatives—including Baptist World Alliance president John Upton—March 29. The meeting with Kirill I, patriarch…
Ken Medema concert to benefit Ministering to Ministers
RICHMOND, Va.—On April 29, Ken Medema brings his musical gifts, his skills at improvisation and his passion for social justice to First Baptist Church of Richmond, Va., for a concert benefitting Ministering to Ministers, a Richmond-based ministry to church staff…
Burmese family settles in Virginia, thanks to church
HANOVER COUNTY, Va.—Before the end of April, the Htoo family will be able to hang the welcome sign on their newly-constructed house just outside of Richmond, Va. Their new home in America is an answer to prayer for the family…