Fifty years ago most children received some exposure to the Judeo-Christian faith tradition in the tax-supported public schools. My faintest recollection is that my school had opening exercises with the pledge to the flag, some Bible verses and a prayer….
South of the border
Several Virginia Baptists — including this columnist — found their way south of the border to Mexico City for the recent gathering of the Baptist World Alliance. In a sense, I once again was following in the footsteps of my…
At the front door
Hazel Mallory died Saturday, June 24, from cancer. Her funeral was on Wednesday, June 28, at Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond. For 31 years Hazel Mallory sat at the front door of Virginia Baptist life. As the administrative assistant…
Surprise ending!
Virginia Sanders sleeps beneath a painting of her long-time home on Sabot Street in Richmond's West End. The painting and plenty of memories remind her of the days when she was a busy homemaker with a professor-husband and four active…
A long friendship
The days around Memorial Day weekend 2006 will long be remembered as the visit to Virginia by a delegation of some 25 Chinese from the China Christian Council, who were hosted by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. For several years…
A vision fulfilled
Last week this column told the background of assemblies in Virginia Baptist history. The column managed to get as far as the critical meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia in November 1950 when “Eagle's Eyrie”—a large expanse of…
A vision to fulfill
There is a grainy old photograph which pictures the very first assembly at Eagle Eyrie, the Virginia Baptist assembly and conference center near Lynchburg. The photograph shows a stark contrast between architecture and people. It was taken inside English Hall,…
The devil’s revival
William E. Hatcher, the popular preacher of the 19th century whose persona this columnist frequently assumes, told the following story in his autobiography. It is a fascinating revelation of a time that is no more. The only part of the…
On God’s Hill
About a century ago a strong-willed and highly-articulate visionary named Nannie Helen Burroughs, a native Virginian, persuaded her fellow African-American Baptists to establish a school for girls and young women. She dreamed of a self-help educational institution which would provide…