By Archie England, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at NOBTS   Question: What was the responsibility of the Old Testament watchman – Ezekiel 33 – and is this task still operative today?   Archie England responds: God informed Ezekiel that Israel needed a watchman (Ezek 33:1-6). Good watchmen would see the coming danger and sound the alarm; bad watchmen would fail to see or sound the early warning. Whereas God would require the blood of all who perished from the negligent watchman, the diligent watchman would not be held accountable.   God appointed Ezekiel as a watchman. And that made sense, because Ezekiel lived during the final turbulent days of Babylon’s invasion and conquest of Israel. But God’s task for Ezekiel was not watching for the coming Babylonians. No! God required Ezekiel to sound a prophetic warning against sin. To illustrate why this warning is necessary, Ezekiel addresses two particular groups of sinners, the thoroughly wicked and the mostly righteous. The first group has nothing but the mercy of God to hope for, and God offered it – when they would turn from sin to God. The second group has a lifetime of past righteous deeds. The prophet warns that these are not enough! Past … [Read more...]

By Kevin McFadden, Louisiana College   In my last column, I explained the meaning of the doctrine of inspiration by reflecting on the word “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy 3:16.   This verse is not only the classic text for the doctrine of inspiration, it is also the classic text for the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture.   “All Scripture,” Paul says, is not only “God-breathed,” but it is also “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”   Among Southern Baptists, the doctrine of sufficiency is sometimes overshadowed by the controversy over the inspiration of the Bible.   But if we fail to practice the sufficiency of Scripture, then we will have lost the war for the Bible in the Southern Baptist Convention. With this in mind, my goal in this column is to explain what Paul means when he says that Scripture is “useful.” I will do this by asking three questions.   First of all, why is Scripture useful? It is useful because it is “God-breathed,” because it originates from God.   The doctrine of inspiration is not simply an interesting topic for pastors and academics. It is the foundation of Scripture’s usefulness, and it is an … [Read more...]

By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter   NEW ORLEANS – The photographs on the wall of Adam and Anna Horsley’s home are pictures of children they pray for daily, though some they will never see again. Being foster parents, a growing need in Louisiana, was a call they couldn’t ignore. What they discovered were tiny hearts tender to the Gospel.   “Every child has been unchurched. They’ve never heard Bible stories,” Anna Horsley said.   One child, a 4-year-old boy, told the couple during their nightly Bible story and prayer time that his heart was broken. Later, during his four-month stay with the couple, he announced, “My heart’s fixed. You and Anna helped fix my heart.”   The aunt of the sibling group the couple cares for has attended church with them. Another child, age 9, came to faith in Christ.   “It’s been a wonderful experience to expose them to the Gospel for the first time and see them grow in the Lord,” Anna Horsley said. The couple, in their 20s and members of First New Orleans, have cared for 18 children in 19 months.   More than 4,500 children are in the Louisiana foster care system, a protective service for children who live apart from parents because of … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8202|title=LC Press Conference|desc=At a press conference announcing the Louisiana Collegiate International Academy, Randall Esters, dean of LC’s School of Education, President Joe Aguillard, Vice President Tim Johnson and International Consultant Traci Thomas answer questions.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   PINEVILLE – Top-ranking high school juniors and seniors starting this fall will be able to take classes at Louisiana College and receive both high school and college credit.   LC recently received accreditation for its newly-formed Louisiana Collegiate International Academy – LCIA. The announcement was made during a June 1 press conference.   “We’re grateful God has brought us to this day,” said Tim Johnson, LC’s executive vice president, as the press conference convened. “This very ministry could literally impact the world … and fulfill our mission, which is to change the world for Christ.”   LC President Joe Aguillard first had the idea in 2009 to add a high school component to LC, specifically one that would incorporate an international focus. It took three years and divine intervention to bring it to pass, … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8205|title=First Shreveport|desc=Jeff Raines, pastor of First Baptist Church of Shreveport, stands with three former pastors of the now-disbanded Parkview Baptist Church of Shreveport – Van Edwards, Jason McInnis and Mike Anderson – during a Heritage Room reception June 1 at First Shreveport.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]By Staff, Baptist Message   SHREVEPORT – A June 10 reception at First Baptist Church honored three churches whose artifacts and history are now in one place.   First Shreveport – organized in 1845 (the city itself wasn’t birthed until 1836) – started 10 area churches, including Parkview in 1897 and Highland in 1916.   Virginia Joyner was already church historian when she was asked in 1981 to assemble the church records and historical items in what was to be called a Heritage Room. It was to be housed in a former coat closet in the church’s foyer.   In 1996, Highland merged into First Shreveport, and a second Heritage Room was started on the other side of the foyer, in another former coat closet.   “All the paintings of their former pastors are hung on the wall,” Joyner said. “Their pulpit is there, along with catalogued materials … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8207|title=What's Cooking?|desc=Disaster Relief volunteer Reggie Burnaman (dark blue shirt) of Glenmora Baptist moves stacked cookpots, while Blue Cap Gene Lee of First Rayne, moves another set of cookpots with the help of LBC DR Director Gibbie McMillan, when he’s not arranging pot lids in the expanded storage space. The new DR feed unit trailer holds 14,000 pounds of equipment and supplies. The old unit has been sold.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   ALEXANDRIA – The Louisiana Baptist Convention’s new 38-foot Disaster Relief cooking unit was to be at the center of the NAMB display in the exhibit hall at the SBC annual meeting last week in New Orleans.   It replaces a unit four feet shorter and 22 years older.   “Our first unit has been well used and needed to be updated, although we got our money’s worth with it,” said Gibbie McMillan, LBC’s director of Disaster Relief and mens ministries. “We replaced the back end three times. This one has rollers so the back end doesn’t drag when we go uphill.”   The new unit is not at this time expected to be needed in the Homer, La., area, but at least 10 units – chainsaw … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8209|title=Answering altar call|desc=Dozens of inmates at Angola Prison Camp D responded to an altar call following a Saturday afternoon revival service hosted by the LBC.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=418]By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter   ANGOLA – One hundred and fifty men from 46 churches in the Louisiana Baptist Convention visited thousands of inmates at four of the six camps at the Louisiana State Penitentiary June 1 and 2 for the 16th annual LBC Angola Revival.   About 200 of the inmates made some kind of spiritual decision, including accepting Christ as their Savior.   But the story is much more than just numbers. Lives were changed on both sides of the thick steel cell bars.   “It just turned out wonderfully; God blessed,” said Keith Manuel, event organizer and LBC evangelism associate. “The Lord moved. Men who may never again see freedom in society found eternal freedom and full pardon from the Judge who rules in righteousness.”   “It’s a refreshing, fulfilling experience when you can share Christ with someone and lead them to the Lord,” said Buddy Jennings, one of several men from Crockett Point Baptist at Crowville. “It’s hard to express … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8211|title=Getting needed help|desc=IMB missionaries pray over a mother and child suffering through famine in the Horn of Africa. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering enables these missionaries – like Lottie herself 140 years ago – to live and work at the forefront of lostness, extending Southern Baptists’ witness through their full-time ministry.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]By Don Graham, IMB Communications   RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – “Extremely grateful.” That’s what IMB President Tom Elliff is saying about Southern Baptists’ gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, which reached $146.8 million last year – the fourth-highest total in the offering’s 123-year history.   “These are the greatest days of opportunity ever faced by the Christian church in its 2,000-year history,” Elliff said. “That opportunity comes because hearts across the world are plowed up by need – physical need, emotional need, social need. God is at work stirring hearts; He is changing lives. It would be a tragedy if we did not effectively take the seed of the Gospel and sow that seed into the furrows of troubled hearts all over the world – hearts that would eagerly embrace the Gospel … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8213|title=Black gold rush|desc=North Dakota has become the nation’s No. 2 oil producer, up from ninth place in 2006, because The Bakken and Three Forks oil fields is rich in both natural gas and quality crude oil. This oil boom has created an influx of workers and families into the state.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=427]By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   WILLISTON, N.D. – The situation: The Bakken and Three Forks are vast, deep rock formations rich in both natural gas and quality crude oil underlying much of the western third of North Dakota.   Now in its third boom year, North Dakota has become the nation’s No. 2 oil producer, up from ninth place in 2006. Unemployment is near zero percent; more than 17,000 jobs remain unfilled.   The need: In the last two years, 480 new students have enrolled in Williston, N.D., schools; another 1,200 are anticipated for next fall. With those children come parents eager to cash in on the high wages being paid for workers – experienced or not.   Cornerstone First Baptist Church in Williston, where Ashley Olinger is pastor, is eager to minister spiritually to children, parents, families and single workers, and they need … [Read more...]

img_assist|nid=8215|title=At work on the farm|desc=Members of East Jena Baptist Church built this and three other “working pens” for Fairhaven Ministry near Covington, where Johnny Huffman is director of the ministry to more than 350 children over the last 46 years. Cattle go into the pens for vaccinations and other procedures.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=478]By Staff, Baptist Message COVINGTON – Ten of his foster youngsters recently helped Johnny Huffman put fly tags in the ears of the small ranch’s cattle. They also helped him deworm the cattle they had  herded into working pens built over the last few months by members of East Jean Baptist Church, where Ronnie Tarver is pastor. “I assure you that it is much nicer than anything that I could have ever imagined,” Huffman said, “and it sure made working the cattle much easier.” Johnny and Sissie Huffman, members of new Zion Baptist Church in Covington – Clark Stewart is pastor – have run Fairhaven Children’s Home near Covington since 1972. Over the last 46 years, the Huffmans have cared for more than 350 youngsters at their rural home. In 1995, their ministry expanded worldwide through a shipping container ministry to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa … [Read more...]