RICHMOND, Va.—Need a good excuse to golf? How about for a great cause? The residents of Virginia Baptists’ four retirement communities hope golfers will swing into spring at the Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation’s annual golf tournaments that will benefit the…
LETTER: Concern about speaker
At first I thought the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia had an ad on your back page about a leadership conference [March 5], but it says Virginia Baptist Mission Board. I lived through the “Baptist Wars,” and my jugular is…
Atheists rally in D.C. in bid to show political force
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Atheists and nonbelievers gathered on the National Mall March 24 in a bid to show politicians, voters and even themselves that they have grown into a force to be recognized and reckoned with. “We are here to deliver a…
Retreat to focus on meditation, spiritual practices
RICHMOND, Va.—A three-day retreat this month will offer both laypersons and ministers a balanced rhythm of prayer and meditation, cognitive learning and practical physical work. “Unforced Rhythms of Grace” is set for April 23-25 at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center…
Bluefield graduate key in effort to stop sex abuse
BLUEFIELD, Va.—The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, a coalition committed to ending sexual and domestic violence, recently named Bluefield College alumna Judy Casteele as one of the industry’s “Top 30 Most Influential People.” In celebration of its 30th…
HERITAGE: A famous shootout and the Baptists
It has been exactly 100 years since the infamous shootout on March 14, 1912, involving the Allen family at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville, Va., in which five persons were killed. It happened in the packed courtroom immediately after…
EDITORIAL: ObamaCare might go away but the problem won’t
Although it may not be decided fully until June, soon we will have a good idea of how the Supreme Court will rule on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise called ObamaCare. At this point in its deliberations…
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Religious freedom ambassador adapts to role
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Nearly a year into her stint as the State Department’s point person on religious freedom, former Baptist minister Suzan Johnson Cook has traveled to eight countries and seems to have moved beyond questions about her lack of…
Seminary rallies support for gay-marriage ban
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (ABP)—Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary devoted a special chapel service March 28 to rally support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in North Carolina. Keynote speaker Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and…
CBF initiative brings hope to nation’s poorest counties
The Lakota of Bridger, S.D., now have fresh eggs available in their neighborhood at about half the cost, and young women in Helena, Ark., are learning business and leadership skills while earning an income to help their families. Although the…
More poor in U.S. than 50 years ago
They gather at dawn at day-labor centers or designated parking lots where contractors hire workers. Some stop on their way to pick up a cheap breakfast taco at a convenience store, buying their meal from an employee earning minimum wage….