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I am not convinced we should care about the rights of child molesters and rapists.

Here's what Baptist leaders hope will come out of the Southern Baptist Convention, here next week.

Got anything to add to the list?

Was Bishop Spong right? He says this will be harder to defend.

Fred Phelps is coming. So is Condi.

Heard Saturday as a group of Southern Baptists, including president Bobby Welch, head out to evangelize: "Give'em heaven!"

Seen at Crossover Triad on Saturday: Custom choppers with Christian slant to the design of the bike -- one with Star of David rims and scenes out of Revelation on the gas tanks.

"Churches do a lot of outreach," said photographer Jerry Wolford (look for his photos and a story by reporter Eric Collins at news-record.com on Sunday), who sees the perfect attention magnet for the young and old.

"Dude, just get your minister one of these things and all he’s got to do is put the tracks on the back seat and they will fly off."

Imagine the design possibilities:

Seen at The Carolina Faith
Riders Motorcycle Ministry's Triad Biker Day (benefiting Baptist Children's Home) at the Koury Convention
Center Custom choppers with Christian slant to the design of the bike -- one with Star of David rims and scenes out of Revelation on the gas tanks.

"Churches do a lot of outreach," said photographer Jerry Wolford (look for his photos and a story by reporter Eric Collins at news-record.com on Sunday), who sees the perfect attention magnet for the young and old.

"Dude, just get your minister one of these things and all he’s got to do is put the tracks on the back seat and they will fly off."

Imagine the design possibilities:

Seen at The Carolina Faith
Riders Motorcycle Ministry's Triad Biker Day (benefiting Baptist Children's Home) at the Koury Convention
Center . Custom choppers with Christian slant to the design of the bike -- one with Star of David rims and scenes out of Revelation on the gas tanks.

"Churches do a lot of outreach," said photographer Jerry Wolford (look for his photos and a story by reporter Eric Collins at news-record.com on Sunday), who sees the perfect attention magnet for the young and old.

"Dude, just get your minister one of these things and all he’s got to do is put the tracks on the back seat and they will fly off."

Imagine the design possibilities:

You might have seen strangers in teams knocking on doors in your neighborhood this weekend. Or you might have stopped at the Cowboy Church or the International Festival at Smith High School, or one of the 100 or so block parties across the Triad, where someone might have invited you to church. Well, they were all a part of Crossover Triad, the evangelism component to this year's Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Greensboro for the first time, and I learned at Calvary Baptist Church in McLeansville Sunday that more than 500 people "accepted Jesus as their savior."

Not able to make it to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting here in Greensboro?

That's OK. Check out their live webcast.

Those driving near the coliseum may have been surprised to see Jesus hanging out near the coliseum for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Alright, it was a PETA protester wearing a wig, beard and long, flowing robes, but he was drawing some attention around lunchtime Tuesday as he preached "Veggie Salvation."

PETA argues eating meat goes against the biblical teachings of love and compassion.

Dressed as Jesus, Eric Deardorff held a sign that said "Blessed Are The Merciful" at the corner of Lee and Chapman streets.

Drivers honked and passerbys both ignored and engaged the protesters in discussions.

"Reaction really has been great," Deardorff said. "People see our message of compassion and really agree with it."

Well, not everyone. One man walking by quoted Bible passages to counter the PETA protesters.

But that's why PETA was there, said Chris Link, a PETA campaign coordinator.

"We don’t preach to the choir," he said.

The Southern Baptist Convention meeting is also a captive audience for marketing and merchandising, and there was a "Price is Right" vibe in the portion of the coliseum that was offering products for Christians.

"T-shirts are all the way down to $5.97 for one more minute," a voice shouted over a loudspeaker.

LifeWay, a nonprofit agency which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, sets up space for their products and other vendors who work with them.

Everything is for sale, from bibles to steeples to pews.

It's a must-attend event, said Terry L. Butler, the vice president of operations for Carpenter Bus Sales of Franklin, Tenn. His company sells buses to churches.

"It's right up there with the best of the shows," he said.

Several colleges also had booths. It's a good opportunity to catch-up with alumni and market the school to families, said Daniel P. Caldwell, the vice president of church relations for William Carey College, which has three locations in Mississippi and Louisiana.

"You're doing two things at once and that's good," he said.

Considering their message, all was relatively quiet as the infamous Westboro Baptist Church made an appearance to protest the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting.

About 15 anti-gay protesters stood across from the Greensboro Coliseum on Lee Street holding defamatory signs to protest Wednesday's unveiling of a statue of the Rev. Billy Graham. Their signs, mostly held by children, slammed Graham, the SBC, homosexuals, American troops and the U.S.

The church and its members, which are based in Topeka, Kan. and not part of the SBC, have come under fire for its demonstrations at the funerals of soldiers.

Rev. Fred Phelps, who heads the church, was not at the protest as originally planed. He was traveling to Bismarck, N.D., to demonstrate at the funeral of a soldier, said his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, an attorney for the church.

I met some bloggers at the protest who did a lengthy interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper.

They said they'll be posting portions of their conversation.

I'm not sure if one or all of them were going to post the interview, but all three men - Kevin Bussey, John Stickley and Alan Cross --have blogs worth checking out.

All three are Southern Baptist bloggers who feel blogging is changing the face of the convention, so much so that Stickley was given a "newsroom observer" pass to the SBC's annual meeting, a first for bloggers.

As the candidates for SBC president were being announced Tuesday afternoon, the delegates were told they could vote for "Frank Page of North Carolina."

But wait. Page, who went on to win, is a Greensboro native. But he lives in South Carolina now.

So was he going for the home state vote?

Nah, reports our religion reporter, Nancy McLaughlin. The announcer just got his Carolinas mixed up.

I got a question from someone commenting on a blog posting:

"BTW, who is this Amy, and will Nancy be back? Just curious... "

I should have introduced myself. I'm Amy Dominello, a News & Record reporter who is helping Nancy with some of the SBC coverage. Joe Killian, another reporter, will also be posting to the blog while the SBC is in town.

And don't worry. Nancy is not going anywhere.

The arena at the Greensboro Coliseum was nearly empty for an afternoon break today at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting.

But those who stuck around got a sneak preview of the statue of the Rev. Billy Graham as it was being placed, positioned and polished for its grand presentation tonight. The statue depicts Graham next to a cross twice his size and those who wandered in watched as the top portion of the cross was connected to the rest of the bronze statue.

It was a difficult mission fraught with peril - if the top of the cross were to fall it would have also hit Graham's outstretched arm. But despite a few "slows" and "whoas" the statue was put together and polished as bystanders broke out cameras and camera phones.

"It’s always nerve-wracking to get a piece together," said Terrell O'Brien, the sculptor of the statue.

O'Brien said he was anxious for others to see it, but that will have to wait until later. A black curtain soon enveloped it and it's not scheduled to be raised until its official unveiling tonight.

UPDATE: Here is a link to the story that ran in today's paper on the Billy Graham statue.

Nancy McLaughlin reports:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who dines with heads of state from around the world, slightly blushed and chuckled aloud when asked about her inclusion in a recent men's magazine poll that asked men which woman they'd invite to dinner.

The list to choose from also included Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest women in the world, and Angelina Jolie, voted one of the sexiest.

"I was stunned," Rice told the News & Record in a lighter moment before speaking to more than 11,000 delegates, called messengers, of the Southern Baptist Convention. "I'm not sure I would choose me."

Her boss, President George W. Bush, was third on the list of men, as reported in Esquire’s July issue.

Rice's stats include: accomplished pianist, 15-year-old college freshman, expert on the former Soviet Union, first black woman secretary of state and former Stanford provost.

"I don't know - maybe they want to talk about foreign policy or music or my love for sports," said Rice, whose name has been mentioned as a future NFL commissioner. "Maybe it's the love for sports. That's what I think it probably is."

If you haven't seen the N&R's homepage, you may have missed it. But The Front Pew's very own Nancy McLaughlin scored an interview with Condoleezza Rice today.

You'll find an audio link to it here.

The 2006 Southern Baptist Convention is over but I've got plenty of behind-the-scenes tidbits for you. But first -- Men: Would Condi be your first choice? If not, who?

Introducing 'iBelieve.'

"The objection to the HPV vaccine isn’t based on science; rather, it comes from a biblically based squeamishness about premarital sex."

"It's amusing to observe the various organized religious groups meet, discuss, argue and then vote on what is and is not religion. I suppose religion by majority vote allows us to create God in the image that most suits our fancy. Then we can go smugly about our self-righteous business of condemning those who disagree with us. God has to have a good sense of humor to put up with us."

M.E. Hooper

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Residents of Benton County, in the northwest corner of Arkansas, are proud citizens of the Bible Belt. At last count, they filled 39 Baptist, 27 United Methodist and 20 Assembly of God churches. For decades, a local hospital has begun meetings with a reading from the New Testament and the library has featured an elaborate Christmas display.

Then the Wal-Mart Jews arrived.

Are we making a point of not getting to know each other?

Would you trust someone simply because he/she identifies with a religion?
"From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in "sharing their vision of American society." Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

You would think he'd have brushed up on them if only to properly introduce the bill...

Do we leave too many people out if everyone's talking about faith? Is this where Democrats should focus their efforts?

The space for a memorial marker for a decorated American soldier who was killed last year in Afghanistan stands empty at a veterans cemetery because his Wiccan faith is not one of 30 approved for designation by the federal government. Do you feel comfortable with the government judging what is an appropriate expression of faith?

I've read stories and discussions where some parents join houses of worship for the their kids. They really don't share beliefs, but they want to give their children options. Is this honest? What's the value?