First SBC chaplain named as Army’s deputy chief of chaplains
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| On to D.C. Chaplain Brigadier General Douglas Carver and his wife Sunny will make their new home in Washington, D.C., where Carver has been appointed as the United States Army’s 22nd Deputy Chief of Chaplains, the first Southern Baptist selected for the post. Photo by Jim Veneman |
But when he grasped the hand of Chaplain Major Steven Mark Jones, his face filled with emotion as he felt the weight of a coin pressed into his palm. Jones presented the exiting chaplain with his own personal coin which displays the verse “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11), a fitting tribute to a man who is leaving his current role not for retirement or civilian life, but for his next assignment as deputy chief of chaplains for the United States Army.
Sting (born-again Steve Borden) draws fans to LifeWay store
MONROE, La. (BP)--It's one thing to meet your hero. It's another to hear your hero talk about his.
‘Hardball’ is latest forum on Christians in public policy
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| Hearing her point TV “Hardball” host Chris Matthews listens as Bobbie Patray of Tennessee Eagle Forum speaks during a moral values panel discussion at Nashville’s Two Rivers Baptist Church. Photo by Bill Peoples |
Pennybacker, executive director of the Clergy and Laity Network that describes itself as opposing “the cynical rhetoric of the conservative right,” told a “Hardball with Chris Matthews” audience in Nashville, “We’ve begun to understand that we are a religiously diverse country and that we have different understandings of the nature of God and we can’t inflict this on each other.”
Church hosts ‘Hardball’ debate over religion in U.S. politics
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| ‘Hardball’ goes to church Bobbie Patray, president of the Eagle Forum of Tennessee, makes a point during a panel discussion on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" at Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville. Flanking Patray are Two Rivers pastor Jerry Sutton (right) and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. Photo by Bill Peoples |
Focusing on the role of religion in American politics, the show's panelists offered a wide spectrum of views on such topics as the role of evangelicals in today's pluralistic society, the recent Supreme Court decision to ban the Ten Commandments from all courtrooms and the right to life, both at birth and at death in regard to the Terri Schiavo case.
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| Land & Matthews SBC ethics leader Richard Land dialogues with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews as author/speaker Tony Campolo listens. Photo by Bill Peoples |
Welcoming the studio audience before the show began, host Matthews relayed his experience at the recent Billy Graham crusade in New York and shared how impressed he was that such a diverse group of people was brought together by the elderly evangelist. "I don't discount the importance of religion in politics," Matthews said. "We're used to saying 'never argue politics or religion'; tonight we're doing both."
FIRST-PERSON: Today’s relevance for ‘relevance’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--We’ve all heard the old adage: "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime."
LifeWay Stores’ top manager invigorated by ‘divine moments’
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| Starting the day Stephanie Hodges (right) shares a morning devotional with (from left) co-workers Ashley Medley, Laura Castleberry and Marilyn Gregory at the LifeWay Christian Store in Paducah, Ky. Hodges is the national chain’s “Manager of the Year.” Photo by Kent Harville |
“We laugh a lot here,” store manager Stephanie Hodges said with a big smile. The group reflects the character of the town they live in: cozy, family-like, bighearted. They finish their devotional with earnest prayer for God to bring what they call divine moments -- ministry opportunities only He can arrange.
Small things make a difference, 12-year-old charity founder says
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Katie Vacanti-Mitchell turned 12 last April. She loves the color purple, plays softball and soccer, and teases her two younger brothers one minute then mothers them the next. Katie considers herself pretty ordinary.
Chuck Norris tells how God’s plan was bigger than his own
ATLANTA (BP)--Most would say Chuck Norris has reached the pinnacle of success. A six-time world karate champion, he starred as the hero in more than 23 films and wrote and produced his popular television series, "Walker, Texas Ranger." But success couldn't rescue the Norris family the night they faced a life-threatening crisis.
‘On fire for God’: 13,000 attend Centri-KID camps
LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)--Gasping for breath after finishing a series of relay games to gather clues, 10-year-old Jena Gray tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. She and her friends peered intently at a pile of index cards strewn together on the grass in the field. They quickly figured out the password and ran up a steep hill to an auditorium door. Knocking, they excitedly called out the word for access inside: “God!”
Centri-KID counselor finds calling through camp experience
LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)-–Jeremy Sandefur sits on the floor surrounded by 10 pre-teens in a room with posters announcing the name of their group –- “Moldy Pizza.” For the rambunctious 11-year-olds in his care, this is their week at camp. For Sandefur, this is his ninth. He admits he’s tired, but his face and energy level say otherwise to the kids.
