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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Archives for 2021

Plagiarism scandal embroils SBC President Ed Litton

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor WASHINGTON (LBM) – National media outlets such as the Washington Times and Newsweek have reported a plagiarism scandal involving Ed Litton, pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, and newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Now, the Conservative Baptist Network, with a membership of 10,000 pastors and other church leaders, has issued a statement calling for Litton to resign. REPORTS The controversy erupted with an anonymous YouTube posting, June 24, of a comparison of sermons preached by Litton and J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and immediate past SBC president. The video montage shows several segments where Litton repeats word-for-word from different portions of a sermon on Romans first preached by Greear. Questions also have been raised about the theology presented in the sermons, which claim that God only “whispers” against sexual sin such as homosexuality. The fallout has been broad, with other media outlets following up with subsequent reports of plagiarism by Litton. Meanwhile, Newsweek reported, June 28, that “more than 140 videos were either unavailable or hidden across several playlists … [Read more...]

Lawmakers defect, Fairness in Women’s Sports fails

By Will Hall, Message executive editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – A critical bill that would have prevented biological males (as transgender women) from taking women’s sports team spots away from biological females was defeated, July 21, during a veto override session in the Louisiana House, when 10 representatives either defected or did not vote after having previously supported the legislation in the regular session. Sen. Beth Mizell (R), Senate president pro tempore and a member of First Baptist Church, Franklinton, authored S.B. 156 “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” as an attempt to level the playing field for women athletes. The bill was a response against the H.R. 5 “Equality Act” submitted in the U.S. Congress that would allow biological males to compete as females. It was passed at the federal level by the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. However, an executive mandate promoting transgender rights by President Joe Biden (D) calls for a review of federal policies that likely will produce the same result as passage of H.R. 5. REGULAR SESSION In the spring, the Louisiana Senate passed Mizell’s measure to guard against males on female teams, 29-6-4, and the House, too, 78-19-8. However, Gov. John Bel Edwards … [Read more...]

LBC seeks resolutions, nominees for committees, boards

By Staff, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) — Louisiana Baptists are invited to recommend candidates to serve on state convention boards and committees, and, are asked to submit resolutions for possible consideration by messengers at the 2021 Louisiana Baptist Convention. COMMITTEES The Louisiana Baptist Committee on Committees will be conducting its work early this fall to fill 17 openings on five state convention committees: Credentials; Moral and Social Concerns; Nominations; Order of Business; and Resolutions. Nominations should be sent not later than Aug. 17 to Jake Roudkowski, a member of First Baptist Church, Mandeville, who is the Committee on Committees chair. Please forward your recommendations via email, jaker@nobts,edu, or the U.S. Mail, Dr. Jake Roudkowski, 78689 Hwy. 25, Folsom, LA 70437. BOARDS The Louisiana Baptist Committee on Nominations will begin its work, also in early fall, to fill 22 vacancies on the LBC Executive Board as well as the trustee bodies of the Louisiana College, Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries, Baptist Message, and Baptist Foundation. Nominations should be sent not later than Aug. 17 to Philip Robertson, the pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church, … [Read more...]

The heart-cry of the embattled pastor

By Joe McKeever RIDGELAND, Miss. – “You shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things, for this is not my doing” (Numbers 16:28). “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and I have done all these things at Your word” (I Kings 18:36). What Moses and Elijah prayed, I pray. It is entirely in order for the Lord’s messenger to pray that the people to whom he was sent will recognize that God is God and fully in charge, and that he himself is the Lord’s servant, on mission from Him. During what was possibly the worst time of my life when a little group of self-righteous members clamored for my resignation and criticized every thing I did, that was my prayer. I was going through the fire, being tried as I rarely had. The prayer felt like the dying gasp of the weakest child in God’s family.  “Lord, let these people know there is a God in this place.  And that I’m your servant, just doing your will.” Did God hear the prayer?  Did He answer? I’m confident He did. He heard and answered in His own way, and to the extent that pleased Him.  And–don’t miss this–in His own time.  (Not always in my time!) That is not to say any … [Read more...]