[img_assist|nid=8151|title=2012 SBC Annual Meeting|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=567|height=640]By Staff, Baptist Press   MARIETTA, Ga. (BP) – In his final monthly video as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Bryant Wright offers a preview at www.Pray4SBC.com of the annual meeting in New Orleans, noting that unengaged, unreached people groups and church planting will be the main focuses.   “As we prepare for our convention, I want you to know that I’m very excited about coming together with so many of you in New Orleans this year. It obviously will be a historic convention,” Wright said, referring to the anticipated election of the SBC’s first African American president, Fred Luter.   The June 19-20 convention also will have a clear theme of Jesus: to the Neighborhood and the Nations, Wright said.   “We want to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our neighborhoods and our local mission fields where our churches are planted but also realize as we do that we also want to go to the nations,” Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., said.   At last year’s annual meeting in Phoenix, more than 600 churches went forward to commit to embracing an … [Read more...]

By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter   [img_assist|nid=8153|title=Being Involved|desc=Anna and Adam Horsely swing their young foster son. A recent conference at First Baptist Kenner described how churches can equip parents to be the spiritual leaders in their children’s lives.|link=none|align=right|width=455|height=640]KENNER – One reason children abandon their faith as adults is that parents have relegated spiritual instruction to the church, said Donna Peavey, keynote speaker to Building a Spiritual Foundation for Your Child, the first in a planned series of summits equipping parents to be the spiritual leaders in the home.   The recent conference at First Baptist Church of Kenner was co-hosted with First Belle Chasse and sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Peavey is associate professor of Christian education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.   “Parents want to be spiritual leaders, but some don’t know how,” said Karla L. McGehee, summit co-founder and co-director. McGehee said the church should play a supplemental and supporting role to parents as they lead their children to faith.   “We want to train parents to be the spiritual giants in their children’s … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Baptist Message Editor   President Barack Obama announced on May 9 that he favors the government recognition of same-sex marriage. One day earlier, North Carolina voters passed a constitutional amendment stating that only marriage between one man and one woman would be recognized in the state.   With the juxtaposition of these events, one of the most divisive sociopolitical issues of modern times has been forced center-stage in American discourse. Along with the renewed discussion has come several misconceptions.   One misconception is that North Carolina, along with 31 other states, has banned gay marriage.   In actuality all voters in the Tar Heel State did was to establish that the only legally recognized marriages in their state will be those that take place between a man and a woman.   I do not know anywhere in America that homosexual couples cannot wed. There are churches in every state that will conduct gay weddings and bless same-sex unions. Homosexual couples are free to marry, but 32 states have voted to not legally recognize those unions.   Another misconception is that a majority of Americans are in favor of legalizing homosexual … [Read more...]

By James B. Law, Senior Pastor First Gonzales   I was putting my final thoughts together on this column when Pastor Charles L. Worley’s rant against gays and lesbians went viral on the Internet.  Collective outrage and censure rightly followed his merciless rhetoric.   Worley’s words have aggravated a conversation that was already shrill between gay activists and those who oppose them. Pastor Worley’s comments have not been helpful in lifting the hate-filled stereotypes leveled against evangelicals by gay activism.   The gay agenda in America has been an incredible success story if gauged by advances in acceptability and influence. Gay activists Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen reveal the simplicity of their strategy when they wrote  in their book After The Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s,  “Almost any behavior begins to look normal if you are exposed to enough of it.”   Gay activism has been relentless in pressing the issues throughout culture, and gay ideologies now have permeated virtually every fabric of American life.   What is remarkable is how over the last 40 years, less than 2 percent of the American population has been able to … [Read more...]

By Reggie Bridges, Pastor First Baptist Zachary   One of the most recognized principles in Christianity is commonly called the Golden Rule.   The term refers to Jesus’ words: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).   Within this “rule,” Christ encapsulated the basic ethic of treating people with respect and compassion. A wonderful guide for our relationships, framed in a memorable way!   Since Jesus’ declaration, many individuals have appealed to the Golden Rule to inform their ethical conduct, but in recent days, the Lord’s words have been employed to justify public policy.   As you doubt know, President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage recently in a news interview.   The President cited Scripture as the primary reason for his “evolution.”  Which biblical passage did he refer to?  You guessed it, The Golden Rule.   Somehow, the President made the interpretive leap from respect to acceptance.  In his view, affirmation of the Golden Rule necessitates the approval of gay marriage.   This pseudo-biblical approach to the issue has delighted … [Read more...]

By Eric C. Redmond, Senior Pastor Reformation Alive Baptist Church   The question of the black church’s response to President’s Obama’s revelation of  his views on same-sex unions should have a simple and direct answer. Congregations of the faithful might consider sending a letter to the president of this sentiment:   Dear Mr. President,   Your recent expression of your understanding of ‘marriage’ is troubling to us. There are no tenets that can be identified as Christian that allow for anyone to view homosexuality as acceptable.   The Christian faith holds to the Bible as the truth, for it has given ample evidence of being the very words of God to man.   It is the Bible that reveals marriage to be a union between a man and a woman; it is the Bible that reveals all homosexual activity to be sinful. Therefore we would reject your so-called Christian understanding of same-sex marriage as uninformed and false.   Wide is the gap between what you and we are teaching our children – the next generation of American workers and leaders. Christian parents have a responsibility to raise their children to fear the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).   Because the Bible reveals … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   Again this year, a group of about 50 Korean students between the ages of 8 and 16 are to participate in the American culture immersion event known as Camp USA.   They and their sponsors are to arrive Friday, July 20, at Alexandria International Airport, and will be in the area until Sunday, July 29, when they will travel to First Baptist Church of Ponchatoula for the second leg of Camp USA.   While in Cenla, the students will participate in Vacation Bible School, English culture classes, and a variety of fun events, says Coordinator Susan Duke, a member at Tioga First Baptist.   At this time, 25 host homes are still needed, in order to provide the Koreans with a view of America they couldn’t see any other way than by experiencing for themselves what life is like in an American home, Duke said.   Contact Duke at 318.640. 4760, 318.623.6675, or s.duke@tiogafbc.com for more information or to volunteer to share your home. … [Read more...]

By Kevin McFadden, Louisiana College   The conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention resulted from a battle primarily over the nature of the Bible.   Unlike every other denomination, the SBC returned to its historic position about the inspiration of Scripture.   However, Southern Baptists may “win the battle but lose the war” if we affirm a conservative doctrine of Scripture on paper, but fail to teach its meaning to our people. With this in my mind, my goal here is to explain the meaning of inspiration by reflecting on the doctrine’s classic text, 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (NIV).   What does Paul mean when he says Scripture is “God-breathed”? You may notice that some of our older English translations of 2 Timothy 3:16 say that Scripture is “inspired by God.”   The aforementioned older translation comes over into English from a Latin translation of the verse. Unfortunately for us, the English words “inspire” and “inspiration” are never used in modern conversation in the way they are used in Christian theology.   When Christians say that the Bible is … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, NOBTS   Question: A friend said that Jesus’ ministry may have only been a year long, but I’ve always heard that it was three years long. How long did the ministry of Jesus last?   Bill Warren responds: Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the New Testament doesn’t have any explicit statements about how long Jesus’ ministry lasted. So the length is determined by looking at the various references to events in Jesus’ ministry, with special attention being given to Jesus’ trips to Jerusalem. Based on this information, the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) only mention one trip to Jerusalem by Jesus during his ministry after his baptism and temptations. This is the basis that some use for talking of only a one-year ministry by Jesus.   But John mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus. John 2:13 mentions Jesus going up to Jerusalem before the Passover, with the cleansing of the temple following. Then in John 6:4, the Passover is noted as being near, so that makes two Passover references. The third reference in John 11:55 highlights the crowds going to the Passover and hoping to see Jesus there. This is the final Passover that culminates in Jesus being arrested and crucified (and … [Read more...]