So you want to spend the weeks prior to Easter exploring spiritual disciplines but aren’t sure where to start? In his book The Sacred Way, writer and theologian Tony Jones offers an easily accessible approach to spiritual practices developed by…
Unfamiliar practices may bring unexpected benefits to churches
Introducing unfamiliar practices to church members can be challenging, but congregations often are far less resistant than expected, according to some pastors who have tried it. “I think people are hungry for ritual, especially those who don’t come from a…
What’s the skinny on Lent?
An odd word, Lent. Most European languages refer to the 40-day preparation period prior to Easter with some form of the words “forty” or “fast.” English-speakers, on the other hand, adapted a Teutonic or Anglo-Saxon (no one knows quite sure…
U.S. denies visas to about 1,000 hoping to attend World Congress
HONOLULU — As many as 1,000 people who had registered for the Baptist World Alliance’s Congress this year were unable to attend because they were denied visas by the U.S. government, leaders of the global Baptist organization said July 28….
Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry are told their voices can change the world
RICHMOND, Va. — There's a scene from the Oscar-winning film Precious — the story of a black teenager sexually abused by her father but trying to change her life by going to school — where she tells her class that…
EDITORIAL: Meditations from the Sea of Galilee
The big engine sputtered to a stop and the pilgrim-laden wooden boat glides silently to a stop in the blue water. The only sounds are made by the gentle waves lapping playfully at the hull. Along with the others on…
Virginia Baptist pastor discovers ways to deal with depression
RICHMOND — Kirby Smith has his life back. After years of struggling with clinical depression — what he calls “a hell on earth” — the Virginia Baptist pastor has discovered in both medical and psychological treatment a way to deal…
EDITORIAL: Does Darfur still matter?
The dusty roads of Sudan are a long way from Mainstreet, Virginia. Separated by thousands of miles, a chasm of ideology and an ocean of blood, most Virginia Baptists have been slow to recognize and even slower to respond to…
Illinois Baptist pastor killed in service
A lone gunman entered the sprawling First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill., Sunday morning, March 8, during its 8:15 a.m. service and after exchanging words with the pastor who had stepped down from the pulpit to greet the man, he…