Free Republic

Citing federal regulations, the Missouri National Guard has refused to show up for an hour-long meet-and-greet with kids at a small Baptist church in the rural southwest corner of the state.The kerfuffle went down during this summer’s vacation Bible school at Bible Baptist Church in Carthage, Mo., reports Fox News.Vacation Bible school is sort of a rite of passage in the region — as common locally in the summertime as fireworks on the Fourth of July and sticky, sunny days.For this year’s version, part of the Bible Baptist Church’s theme was “God’s Rescue Squad.” So, on Monday, some paramedics stopped...

Three boys attended church programs every week of the summer MONTGOMERY, AL – Mothers around the nation rejoiced earlier this month as children grudgingly made their way back to school. But for Sandy Eaton, this year’s celebration was oh so much sweeter. “I finally did it,” Eaton said, tipping her head back and shaking it at the sky with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just, you have no idea how many long years this has taken.” Eaton is celebrating because, for the first time, she managed to find VBS programs for her three school-age boys every week of...

“Jesus: The Way, the Truth, the Life” (John 14:6)Jesus, said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This was the theme verse for our Vacation Bible School this past week, and thus it is the text for our message this morning. If anyone is on a “Quest for Truth,” this is the Gospel Truth. But the fact is, none of us by nature is on a quest for truth. Fallen sinful human beings have turned their back on the truth, because we have turned our back on God....

The importance of children in a marriage for making that relationship work is plummeting, and a children's organization says churches apparently are reflecting that change in priorities, with tens of thousands fewer congregations now offering vacation Bible school. The concerns are being expressed by officials at National Children's Day, who promote the second Sunday in June as Children's Day each year. Since its beginnings in the 1920s, when Standard Publishing of Cincinnati became the first publisher to create a full-scale vacation Bible school program, the institution has been part of many communities' summertime outreaches. However, new studies show that the...

PHOENIX (BP)--Nearly all churches were involved in some way in evangelism during the past year, though many churches place a low priority on increasing their community outreach, according to research released by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Research released in the January/February edition of LifeWay’s Facts & Trends magazine examines the level of involvement of U.S. Protestant churches in evangelism and community outreach, as well as what obstacles hold them back from being even more involved. The study, conducted for Facts & Trends by Ellison Research of Phoenix, is a representative sample of 811 Protestant senior pastors...

Mainline denominations have struggled for years in the area of church growth. Actually, most of them have been far better at shrinkage. Dave Shiflett's book Exodus describes Americans racing from liberal churches for conservative Christianity found in a variety of places, not the least being Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox Church, the Southern Baptists and other evangelical traditions. The shrinking dynamic continues apace as once formidable denominations have, according to Shiflett, turned "Holy Writ on its head: what was once forbidden becomes acceptable, if not celebrated; admonitions toward holy living suddenly become hate speech." The mainliners have, in many instances, become...

Will the next generation of evangelicals believe in God? This seems like a ridiculous question. After all, our evangelistic tracts begin by announcing that God loves the sinner, and has a wonderful plan for his life. Our evangelistic programs train us to ask others what they would say to God should He ask them why He should allow them into His heaven. Our discipleship materials offer to help us in the task of “Experiencing God.” Our theologians have contended against Protestant liberalism for the Bible as the very Word of God. Some current rumblings in evangelicalism suggest, however, that the...

Imagine walking into an Episcopal Church and seeing kids learning how to pray to Allah. Kids and adults got the chance to learn about different faiths this week at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rome during Vacation Bible School with a twist. This year the church taught their members, and members of other congregations, about other faiths and how they relate to Christianity. The World Peace Village looked at Islam on Thursday night. The week-long event also investigated Buddhism, Native American beliefs, Hinduism, Judaism and briefly touched on Christianity. “It’s a study to promote peace and understanding and tolerance of...

NEWSLifeWay’s Asian-Themed VBS Material Draws Protests Bob Allen11-27-03 “Far-out Far East Rickshaw Rally—Racing to the Son™ is a VBS race that will have kids dashing through the streets of Tokyo, climbing Mt. Fuji, and diving for pearls,” says a promotion of LifeWay Christian Resources’ 2004 Vacation Bible School curriculum on the company’s Web site. But some Asian Americans are taking offense at the use of stereotypes in Southern Baptist churches like rickshaw races, kimonos, chopsticks, takeout boxes and karate uniforms.“While LifeWay’s attempt at incorporating diversity into their curriculum is admirable and appreciated, the resulting product is grossly misguided and inappropriate,”...

<p>I got the hot news tip around 2 p.m. Thursday.</p> <p>Actually, it was a cold tip. Freezing, in fact.</p> <p>A bunch of Vacation Bible Schoolers at Lighthouse Baptist Church would eat Grant County's longest banana split that very evening. The caller, Pastor Ron Hon, thought the newspaper might be interested in taking a photograph.</p>

Item: Mosque Blast Blamed On Explosives Making Activity - Vacation Bomb School? By - William A. Mayer [to the tune of the Batman theme song] Na, na, na, na, na, na , na, na, na, na, na, na , na, na, na, na - BOMB-SCHOOL Na, na, na, na, na, na , na, na, na, na, na, na , na, na, na, na - BOMB-SCHOOL BOMB-SCHOOL...BOMB-SCHOOL...BOMB-SCHOOL... Hello class, this is Mohammed Ibrahim Jabazz Jabar Jihadi and welcome, welcome, welcome to BOMB-SCHOOL!. Allah be praised that we may reek in his beneficence and inherit his divine wind. Let us all...