by Laurence Hammack | May 6, 2012 | Religion
LYNCHBURG — Here on the training grounds for Christian lawyers, they’ve built an exact replica of the courtroom where the U.S. Supreme Court presides. The mahogany bench, the nine high-backed chairs that sit behind it and the red curtain backdrop provide...
by Laurence Hammack | Sep 18, 2011 | Religion
Somewhere in Giles County, at the center of a conflict between the words of God and those of the U.S. Constitution, is a high school student known as Doe 1. The student used the pseudonym when filing a lawsuit last week that challenged a display of the Ten...
by Laurence Hammack | Aug 21, 2005 | Religion
Eleven years ago, a parishioner accused a Catholic priest of sexually abusing her in the confessional of their Covington church. The woman who made the allegation against the Rev. Edward C. Moran said the church promised her that he would never lead another...
by Laurence Hammack | Jul 16, 2005 | Religion
MIDDLEBROOK — A layer of soot still coats the sanctuary. The white ceiling is stained dark gray by smoke. Anti-gay graffiti remains spray-painted on the brick walls of St. John’s Reformed United Church of Christ. One week ago, this Augusta County church...
by Laurence Hammack | Apr 18, 2004 | Religion
When the Rev. Dwayne Long picked up a rattlesnake in church last Sunday to show his faith in God, he was breaking a Virginia law that makes it a misdemeanor to handle dangerous snakes. A conviction could have cost him $250. His convictions, however, cost him his life....