By Art Toalston, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) -- Russell Moore spoke and Donald Trump took notice in one of his Twitter posts today (May 9). Trump's tweet came the morning after Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, criticized the presumptive Republican nominee on CBS' "Face the Nation" and, two days earlier, in a New York Times online op-ed. "@drmoore Russell Moore is truly a terrible representative of Evangelicals and all of the good they stand for. A nasty guy with no heart!" Trump tweeted at 5:05 a.m. May 9. Trump's tweet quickly stirred diverse reactions among outspoken Southern Baptists, from pro-Trump pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas to several Baptist leaders who affirmed Moore's comments. Moore was one of several "key conservatives," as described by Face the Nation host John Dickerson, interviewed on the Sunday morning talk show. Moore said character matters as much now as it did during "the previous Clinton era," an era when, as Moore has said on previous occasions, conservatives were outraged over former President Bill Clinton's sexual behavior in the White House. Some conservatives "now are not willing to say anything when we have this sort … [Read more...]
Poultry vs. Pinhead: New York City’s mayor says boycott Chick-fil-A
By Todd Starnes, FoxNews NEW YORK CITY (Christian Examiner) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and members of the New York City Council are calling for a city-wide boycott of Chick-fil-A – urging citizens to refrain from eating plump juicy chicken breasts tucked between hot buttered buns. “I’m certainly not going to patronize them and I wouldn’t urge any other New Yorker to patronize them,” the mayor told DNAInfo.com. Councilman Daniel Dromm was even more blunt – accusing the Southern restaurant chain of spreading a “message of hate.” Chick-fil-A opened its first New York City restaurant in 2015 – followed by a second location in April. The mayor’s remarks came after it was announced a third restaurant would be opening in Queens – which happens to be the district represented by Councilman Dromm. So why does the mayor and the city council have a problem with Chick-fil-A – the unofficial chicken of Jesus? Well, Chick-fil-A is owned by a devoutly Christian family. Back in 2012 company president Dan Cathy ruffled feathers by telling a reporter that he believed marriage is between a man and a woman. And Sweet Lord Almighty, but the militant LGBT activists and leftwing lawmakers have been squawking ever since. “What the ownership of … [Read more...]
Trump’s Indiana win draws support; Cruz, Kasich exit GOP presidential run
By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) -- Donald Trump's striking victory in Indiana May 3 apparently settled the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but it did little to resolve the divisiveness among conservatives and evangelical Christians over his controversial candidacy. The brash billionaire triumphed easily in the latest primary over both of his rivals for the GOP nomination, leaving him seemingly with no opponents and an open path to the nomination barring a stunningly dramatic development. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced Tuesday night he was suspending his campaign, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced he was dropping out of the race Wednesday afternoon late. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont upset Hillary Clinton in the Democrats' Indiana primary but still faces an overwhelming challenge to win his party's nomination. Trump's candidacy has produced strong resistance from some conservatives and evangelicals -- resistance that apparently will continue in the general election. Using the hashtag #NeverTrump on Twitter, objectors have made no-vote promises based on his inconsistent and even harsh policy positions on such issues as abortion, religious liberty and immigration; autocratic inclinations; … [Read more...]
Two pro-life bills head to Governor Edwards’ desk for his signature
BATON ROUGE -- Two key pro-life bills in Louisiana Right to Life's 2016 Legislative Package overwhelmingly passed the Louisiana Senate May 3. The Women's Enhanced Reflection Act (HB 386) and the Compassionate Burial Options Act (HB 618) will soon head to Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk for his signature. Authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann (R-West Monroe), HB 386 would increase the current time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours. The bill passed the Senate floor by a 34-4 margin and now heads back to the House of Representatives for technical concurrence before going to Gov. Edwards, who has expressed his support for the legislation. "Reflection periods longer than 24 hours are common across major decisions people must make in America, including getting married, signing a mortgage, and more,” said Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace. “It is appropriate to allow women to have extra reflection time before abortion because of the magnitude of the decision in a woman's life. As testimony has shown, many women regret their abortion decision and now wish they had been given a longer reflection period. "We must also remember that abortion … [Read more...]
Join Us Thursday to Pray for our Nation
By Pastor Steve Horn, First Baptist Lafayette Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. As we approach this day, I am grateful for all of the prayer gatherings that will happen across the United States of America. In the Book of Acts, people are said to be praying 31 times. Of these 31 times … 14 times an individual is said to be praying. 2 times two or more people in a small group are said to be praying. 15 times it is the church gathered in prayer. Half of the references to praying in the book of Acts are references to corporate praying! We see in Acts that there were appointed times and places for prayer. We see that the church prayed for power, wisdom, boldness to share Christ, in times of crisis, for missionaries, for pastors, and for each other. When the Early Church encountered a crisis, they didn’t pout, panic, protest, sign a petition, or organize a boycott. Instead, they prayed. Bob Russell, retired pastor of Southeast Bible Church in Louisville, KY, recounts the story of how his church once bought the building next door to the leading abortion clinic in Kentucky. They did some crisis pregnancy counseling out of this building, but mainly they prayed. As a result, in 18 months, the abortion clinic closed! It is … [Read more...]
The Don’ts of Graduation
By Waylon Bailey, Pastor of First Baptist Covington Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of speaking to the 2016 graduates of First Baptist Church in Covington at their Senior Banquet. I told the more than 250 parents, grandparents, siblings, and graduates I was surprised at two things. First, how quickly they grew up and, second, how old their parents were getting. I spoke to the group about “The Don’ts of High School Graduation.” While there could be many don’ts for high school graduates, these are the ones I chose. First, don’t be a statistic. Did you know that 65% of graduating church kids don’t go back to church? Maybe they do later own, but most don’t attend church during their college years. They do this for several reasons. Some are simply lazy; others don’t have anybody to prod or prompt them. Some have never had to seek out of a church and therefore don’t know how to go about the process. New college students can make a difference if they will not let themselves become part of that negative statistic. Second, don’t be lazy. Laziness never gains respect. At work or in college hard work and “giving it your best” garners respect and appreciation. These are not the times for Christians to be lazy; it is the time … [Read more...]
Missionary slain in Jamaica was Iowa Southern Baptist
By David Roach, Baptist Press KINGSTON, Jamaica (BP) -- An Iowa Southern Baptist was among two American missionaries killed in Jamaica April 30 in what appeared to be a violent attack. Randy Hentzel, 48, a member of First Family Church in Ankeny, Iowa, was serving with the Pennsylvania-based Teams for Medical Missions when he was slain in a remote, rural area of Jamaica along with fellow missionary Harold Nichols, 53. The two men went for a motorcycle ride at approximately 8 a.m., and Hentzel's body was found hours later beside a motorcycle in some bushes, according to a news release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Nichols' body was found the next day in a separate area. St. Mary parish, where the deaths occurred, is a region known for violence, according to media reports. Nichols was a member of East Randolph (N.Y.) United Methodist Church, Teams for Medical Missions told Baptist Press. John Heater, executive director of Teams for Medical Missions, told the Des Moines Register, "We do not know who would do this or what their motivation was. These men greatly loved the people of Jamaica and were greatly loved in return." The Jamaican Constabulary Force said in a May 2 release it is "doing everything possible to identify … [Read more...]
Strack featured as Louisiana College’s keynote speaker Saturday
By Norm Miller, Louisiana College News PINEVILLE --Louisiana College’s 160th Commencement service will feature keynoter Jay Strack, author and minister from Orlando, Fla. Strack’s topic: “The History of the Future.” Attendees must have a ticket to be admitted to the May 7 event that begins at 10 a.m. Strack has more than 40 years as a dynamic speaker among leaders in business, education and religious sectors. He has addressed more than 15 million people in 30 countries in churches, as well as stadiums such as the Georgia Dome, Astrodome, Super Dome, Reunion Arena, and the Olympic Village Stadium in Moscow. He is a graduate of Charleston Southern University, and has known Dr. Rick Brewer, LC’s president, for 35 years. Charleston Southern University took a chance on the former drug addict, giving Strack a semester to prove himself. In spite of being labeled a “trouble student” (with ADD and dyslexia), he earned degrees in religion and psychology. “I went from totally unmotivated to a doctorate degree,” he said. Strack is a licensed and ordained Southern Baptist Minister, who served as senior pastor of a mega-church for five years at the age of 26, and later became a prominent evangelical evangelist. He has spoken 26 times at … [Read more...]
2016 SBC program schedule
NASHVILLE (BP) -- The schedule for this year's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting program was released this week by the SBC Executive Committee. TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 14, 2016 8:15 Opening Worship -- Julio Arriola, Convention music director; global worship pastor, Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas 8:25 Welcome and Call to Order -- Ronnie Floyd, SBC president; senior pastor, Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas Announcement of Committee on Committees, Credentials Committee, Tellers and Resolutions Committee 8:30 Scripture -- David Prince, pastor of preaching and vision, Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky. Prayer -- Sean Boone, lead pastor, New Beginning Christian Fellowship, St. Louis, Mo. 8:35 Registration Report and Constitution of Convention -- Jim Wells, SBC registration secretary; Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo. 8:38 Committee on Order of Business Report (First) -- Andrew Hebert, chairman; lead pastor, Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, Hobbs, N.M. 8:43 Appreciation of St. Louis Volunteers -- Ronnie Floyd 8:45 Welcome to St. Louis -- Joe Costephens, pastor, First Baptist Church, Ferguson, Mo.; Kenny Petty, church planting strategist, PlantMidwest; senior pastor, The Gate Church, St. Louis 8:50 … [Read more...]
John Avant announced as Pastors’ Conference nominee
By Staff, Baptist Press ST. LOUIS (BP) -- John Avant, pastor of First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tenn., will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, according to an announcement by fellow Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines. Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., stated in an April 27 announcement to Baptist Press: "I have known John Avant for over 30 years. We were in the Ph.D. program together at Southwestern Seminary in the 1980s. We both served as pastors of Southern Baptist churches in Texas at that same time. He is a man of Christ-like character. He has experienced personal revival as well as revival in his churches. He is a devoted husband and father, a Gospel preacher, a loving pastor, a soul winner and a servant leader. "Having served as the president of the SBC Pastors' Conference myself in 2005," Gaines said, "I am fully aware of the responsibilities of that position, and I am confident that Dr. Avant will do a wonderful job serving all Southern Baptist pastors." A former vice president for evangelization at the North American Mission Board, Avant has pastored seven churches in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. Gaines said Avant "is known for the … [Read more...]
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