Dear Jimmy, I guess bein' a retired farmer is a lot like bein' a retired preacher. You just can't seem to quit. It gets in your blood. Ya might even say it's a callin', farmin' is. Why, ever seed planted…
Theologian N. T. Wright packs the house
FALLS CHURCH — “I am trying to call people back to the Bible they didn't know they had,” declared British theologian N.T. Wright during a lecture sponsored by the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. Braving rush hour traffic in…
EDITORIAL: In crisis mode
I'm not crazy about the smell of burning wires. Especially at 30,000 feet. Recently on a flight segment from St. Louis to Cincinnati the distinctive odor of burning wires assaulted my olfactory senses. Wanting to believe it was my imagination…
‘Photo-evangelism’ shown to be effective new missionary tool
LYNCHBURG — When Ralph and Tammy Stocks answered the call to the mission field, they assumed that their ministries would lead people to Christ. But neither of them imagined that one of their best evangelism methods would be family photos….
Virginia author interprets Anne Frank in poem
CHESAPEAKE — One might wonder why a Christian woman in Virginia would feel compelled to write a book of poetry about a little European Jewish girl who died more than half a century earlier. “I've even had Jewish people ask…
EDITORIAL: How far should understanding go?
If you are like me, you have grown weary of hearing the comments of Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Still, something about his comments and the story are so compelling that I can't leave them alone. I understand that…
When the preacher loses his cool, should church members take a hike?
The now-familiar images of Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, calling down God's wrath on America raise questions for Christians: What place does rage have in the pulpit? And when should worshippers show their…
March 9: A significant Sunday for three Virginia Baptist churches
RICHMOND — On the same day, First Baptist Church of Richmond called Jim Somerville as pastor, Second Baptist Church of Richmond installed Craig Sherouse as its pastor, and First Baptist of Newport News said good-bye to its pastor, Randel Everett,…
Kessler called to head empowering leaders team
RICHMOND — After the executive committee of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board approved the action, executive director John Upton announced that Kenneth Kessler will join the mission board staff as the team leader of the empowering leaders team. In 2004,…