RICHMOND — The picture window in the new office of the Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia overlooks the courtyard at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center, giving Randy Myers and his staff a view of a fountain and tranquil greenery….
Despite superficial changes, racial reconciliation in Richmond remains elusive, says panel
RICHMOND — Like many American cities, Richmond has reduced the more visible signs of rancor among different races, but racial reconciliation remains elusive, said a panel of activists and observers of Virginia’s capital. The panelists shared their views at the…
Lincoln’s religious influence in forging Emancipation Proclamation still evident after 150 years
RICHMOND — A “profound spiritual odyssey” prompted Abraham Lincoln’s forging of the Emancipation Proclamation, one of “the most revolutionary documents ever signed by an American president,” a prominent religious historian told a conference on racial reconciliation. “Not much attention has…
19th-century Baptist is ‘mirror to our time’ in exploring racial reconciliation, says educator
RICHMOND — The responses of Christians in the American South toward the institution of slavery and those it enslaved were inconsistent and complex — bequeathing a legacy which continues to complicate racial reconciliation 150 years after emancipation, said the president…
Mid-Atlantic disaster response teams on alert to respond to devastating Oklahoma tornado
Baptist disaster response teams in the Mid-Atlantic have been placed on alert as they monitor devastation in Oklahoma in the wake of a massive tornado which killed at least 25 people, many of them children. The storm pulverized Moore, an…
Delegation, collaboration and prayer are key to managing disasters, say Baptist relief managers
(ABP) — A devastating tornado in Oklahoma May 20 capped a busy year for Baptist disaster-relief coordinators, who have dealt with tornadoes ripping through Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, flooding in the Midwest and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas….
Supreme Court to consider whether sectarian prayers at government meetings at odds with Constitution
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed May 20 to hear a case centering on whether sectarian prayers at the beginning of official government meetings violate the First Amendment — an issue which has roiled county governing and school boards in…
Virginia county supervisors vote to hang copy of Ten Commandments in government building
ABINGDON, Va. — The board of supervisors in Washington County, Va., voted unanimously May 14 to hang a copy of the Ten Commandments on the wall of the county government building — a move which has drawn legal challenges in…
Virginia church aims to minister to children without one or both parents through 127JUNCTION
Following the mandate in James 1:27 for Christ’s followers to care for orphans in need, Community Heights Baptist Church in Southwest Virginia has initiated a ministry it calls 127JUNCTION to mobilize its members to care for the physical, emotional and…
Electronic reading is growing, and church libraries are taking note
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It’s a sign of the times. Technology is changing what and how people read. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans reading electronic books has doubled since 2009. With the…
Virginia Muslims and local community angry over Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial in the state
(RNS) — Officials and local residents of a rural Virginia county say they’re surprised and angered that the body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was buried in a local cemetery. Tsarnaev, 26, died following an April 19 getaway…
Galindo stepping down as dean at BTSR to assume new role at Columbia Theological Seminary
RICHMOND — Israel Galindo, dean and professor of Christian formation and leadership at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, has been named associate dean for lifelong learning at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., effective Aug. 1. Israel Galindo Galindo, who…