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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Archives for 2021

Kennedy votes to send disaster aid to Louisiana and extend flood insurance, Senate passes

By Jess Andrews, Office of Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has voted in support of a short-term funding bill that would send disaster aid to Louisiana and extend the National Flood Insurance Program without raising the debt limit. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday, Sept. 30, which now moves to the House of Representatives. “If you even glance at the storm damage levied on Louisiana over the last year, you know our people need disaster relief," Kennedy said. "I’m thankful the Senate did the right thing by voting to send aid to our state, extend the flood insurance program Louisianians depend on and keep the government open." Senate Republicans attempted to pass a bill similar to Thursday's legislation on Sept. 27, but Democrats blocked that move before eventually removing the debt ceiling provision from their funding bill and bringing that measure for a vote today. Kennedy has explained the need for disaster aid and criticized the political gamesmanship that originally led Democrats to tether that aid to lifting the debt limit. Video of Kennedy’s comments made on Sept. 27 is available here. … [Read more...]

LC revival: Wilton urges students to become ‘new’

By Baptist Message staff PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Don Wilton challenged Louisiana College students, during the campus revival service Wednesday, Sept. 29, to examine their own relationship with Christ and surrender all to Him. Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C., based his message on Colossians 1:25. He emphasized to the students that they could experience the same transformation that the apostle Paul experienced in his encounter with Christ. He also offered that each follower of Jesus will experience the fullness of God’s Word if they surrender their life to Him. “Do you know Jesus,” Wilton asked the students gathered inside Guinn Auditorium. “It begins with your relationship with Christ. Maybe today you need to give your heart to Jesus. Pray that simple prayer. Just do it.” Wilton was the featured speaker for the revival services, Sept. 28-30, which resulted in numerous decisions for Christ. Campus faculty will follow up with the students and disciple them. The decisions come as 30 students already have professed their faith in Jesus during the fall semester through the “Awakening” worship services featuring evangelist Curtis Zackery of Franklin, Tenn.,  Aug. 14-16 and the “Arrival” … [Read more...]

CRT: Three problems that evangelicals must navigate

By Ron F. Hale In times of headlong cultural change and confusion, secular philosophies tend to taint our biblical values and virtues. Distinguishing fact from fiction becomes harder. This is even harder when new media-driven narratives automatically put you in a defensive posture as an oppressor of others due to the color of your skin and gender. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]

ERLC trustee: Moore, Prince plotted to trigger a crisis at SBC ‘to produce political ends’

By Chris Turner and Lonnie Wilkey, Tennessee Baptist & Reflector NASHVILLE, Tenn. (B&R) — Former Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission President Russell Moore and then-ERLC board chair David Prince committed a “blatant deception” by consciously concealing from ERLC trustees information that was eventually leaked to the press ahead of the 2021 annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting and that was intended to “trigger a polity and trust crisis among SBC messengers.” The claims were made in a letter obtained by the Baptist and Reflector and written by Jonathan R. Whitehead, attorney and ERLC at-large trustee. It was sent Sept. 17, 2021, to Ronnie Floyd, president/CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, Bruce Frank, chair of the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force, and Julie Myers Wood, attorney with Guidepost Solutions, the third-party firm hired to investigate the SBC’s handling of sexual abuse claims. And regarding the SBC’s sexual abuse crisis, Whitehead also states that ERLC staff was itself resistant to sexual abuse reform initiatives, writing that ERLC staff believed that the SBC and ERLC could “never satisfy” some of the victim advocates, namely Christa Brown who called for the SBC to initiate a sexual offender … [Read more...]

Children’s home opens new recreation center

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MONROE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries has opened a new recreation center that not only will provide a place to swim, play basketball and enjoy birthday parties but will offer healing to the many children on campus. “This place will be special because it will be filled with joy and laughter of our children,” LBCHFM President and CEO Perry Hancock said during his remarks at the dedication ceremony, Aug. 20. “For them, that is more than special. Most of them have experienced neglect. Many have faced abuse. But here, they will be able to relax and enjoy life. And while they are playing, God will be at work healing their minds and hearts.” The 18,300 sq.-ft. Children’s Recreation and Activity Center includes an indoor pool, gymnasium, and gift room (Christmas and birthday surprises are processed and stored here), and replaces the former gymnasium and pool, which were more than 60 and 40 years old, respectively. Though the project was announced in 2018 and set to open in 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes and unexpected rising construction costs delayed the dedication until this year. The recreation and activity center … [Read more...]