Virginia

Chuck Colson, the Prison Fellowship founder and evangelical Christian who died on April 21 after struggling with an intracerebral hemorrhage, will be buried privately with full military honors at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia.

The 80-year-old Southern Baptist, who served as an aide to former President Richard Nixon and was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal in 1974, will also be remembered at a later service at Washington National Cathedral, RNS reported. During his military career, Colson served as captain in the Marines.

"There will be a public memorial service at the National Cathedral, pending working out some scheduling," noted Michelle Farmer, a spokeswoman for Prison Fellowship. "We anticipate that that will be in the coming weeks but no dates have been set in stone at this point." more >>

Mars Hill Church founding pastor Mark Driscoll responded to controversy over being chosen as a guest speaker at Liberty University in Virginia by poking fun at the apparent inaccuracy of a blogger who claimed the megachurch pastor was not welcome at the campus.

Driscoll is scheduled to speak at the campus on the topic of "The Rebellious and the Religious" during the daytime on Friday. On Friday evening and on Saturday, he and his wife will teach from their book, Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together, as part of their ongoing tour to help promote the book.

"The trouble started with a Southern Baptist blogger . . . yes, you should have seen that one coming," Driscoll wrote in his blog post on Monday titled, "An Official Response to The Kerfuffle At Liberty University." more >>

Virginia-based Liberty University's decision to invite Mark Driscoll, founding pastor of Seattle megachurch Mars Hill and a somewhat controversial figure among Evangelical Christians, as a guest speaker has stirred controversy, especially after a blogger with ties to the conservative Christian school claimed trustees told him Driscoll was not welcome on campus.

Liberty University announced that Driscoll would speak on campus on April 20, 2012. The charismatic pastor, known for a direct, unique preaching style, is on a tour promoting a book he co-wrote with his wife called Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together. The bestseller is considered risqué by some conservative Christians, who claim the couple is revealing way too many details about their sexual life. One critic has gone so far as to claim Driscoll is "obsessed" with sex.

But as a blogger, familiar with the university's movers and shakers, writes, the school board's trustees and other decision-makers are apparently not too enthusiastic about having the controversial pastor on campus. more >>

A Navy jet crashed into an apartment complex in Virginia Beach, Va., Friday afternoon, injuring at least six people – including the two pilots – but no fatalities have been reported.

The two pilots flying the F/A-18 jet avoided a "massive fireball" scenario by dumping fuel before the crash.

"By doing so, he mitigated what could have been an absolute massive, massive fireball and fire," said Bruce Nedelka, the Virginia Beach EMS division chief, to The Associated Press. "With all of that jet fuel dumped, it was much less than what it could have been." more >>

Organizers of an upcoming conference that will feature 100 human rights groups say an important purpose for the gathering is to further the success of Invisible Children, Inc.'s Kony 2012 campaign of bringing people together for a common cause.

Regent University School of Law's Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law will host its first "Media and the Law: Seeking Justice for the Least of These" conference at the school's campus in Virginia Beach, Va., on March 29-31.

"The wildly successful Kony 2012 social media campaign demonstrated that artists, human rights advocates and legal professionals can work together to confront issues surrounding human trafficking, the legal protection of children, and international religious freedom," organizers of the event said in a statement from the school's law center. more >>

A Virginia high school honor student who was at first denied credit by her school district for her community service work performed at a church has been reinstated into the honor society chapter, but not before officials were served with a lawsuit by a Christian legal alliance.

The Alliance Defense Fund said that the Fairfax County School Board's community service policy discriminates against students who volunteer with religious organizations.

ADF has not dropped the federal lawsuit even though the district has since reconsidered its decision and credited the unnamed 17-year-old student for her community work. more >>