By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter   BATON ROUGE – Presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum told several Louisiana Baptist congregations that God called him to run for the presidency.   Santorum, a Republican from Pa., spoke to packed sanctuaries at First Baptist Church in Bossier City and Calvary Baptist in Shreveport the morning of March 18, and then again that Sunday evening to more than 1,400 crowded into Greenwell Springs Baptist in Central, near Baton Rouge.   “I came to the United States Senate and found the Lord,” Santorum, a lifelong Catholic, said during a question and answer time at Greenwell Springs Baptist, hosted by Dennis Terry and conducted by Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council.   “Through Bible study, finding a great church with my wife Karen, and a small prayer group in the Senate, I opened my eyes to what my faith was all about and where I was supposed to be in my relationship with Him and what I was supposed to be doing – not just in my professional life but as a father and husband. No question about it – it changed my life,” Santorum said.   After being defeated in his second run for the Senate, Santorum told how he … [Read more...]

By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter   [img_assist|nid=8008|title=The Greatest Story Ever Told|desc=Chad Hebert depicting Jesus and John MacDougal depicting Anthony recreate that fateful day when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=480]MORGAN CITY – Bayou Vista Baptist Church members are praying for a harvest of souls when they present, “Bow the Knee,” an Easter-themed production that last year drew a thousand people and more than 20 reported decisions for salvation.   The dramatic musical portraying the death and resurrection of Jesus, will be presented at the Bayou Vista Civic Center on Friday, March 30, at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 31, at 7 p.m. and a 3 p.m. matinee on Palm Sunday, April 1. It is free but an offering will be accepted.   “Presenting it in a separate place besides the church gives us an opportunity to reach the community – beyond these walls – and that’s the whole point,” said Robert “Bobby” Powell, the church’s music and education minister. “Another point is that it involves a lot of people in our church and gives them an opportunity for ministry, like building props, sewing costumes and painting the sets.”   “Bow the Knee,” … [Read more...]

Dear Editor   I wonder if Jesus’ confrontation with the Scribes and Pharisees was “frustrating and hurtful.” Jesus didn’t downplay anybody’s sin. He called it what it is – sin.  Homosexuality is the only sin referred to as an “abomination” to God.  If there is a hierarchy of sins, it was made by God, not man.   As stated by Pastor Goeke (Why homosexuality is different – the reality in the March 15th issue of the Baptist Message), “Homosexuality is the only sinful behavior that has a cultural identity and movement surrounding it. What other sin is encouraged to be cele-brated? What other sin has a “pride” movement attached to it?”   Perhaps this is what makes homosexuality an abomination. They strive to convince the rest of us that their sin is no sin at all! How many innocents are deceived by that message?   The bottom line is that we cannot be forgiven of our sins until we see them as God sees them. Confession must take place before there can be forgiveness. Pretending that any sinful lifestyle is acceptable will not bring a lost soul to salvation.       Judy Holloway   Alexandria, LA  71303     … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8016|title=Being Objective|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=495|height=640]By Kelly Boggs, Editor Baptist Message   The New York Times on March 9 published an advertisement carrying the headline “It’s Time To Quit The Catholic Church.”.   Placed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the ad was a scathing attack on the Catholic church and encouraged liberal and nominal Catholics to abandon their faith.   “We invite you to free yourself from incense-fogged ritual, from ideas uttered long ago by ignorant men, from blind obedience to an illusory religious authority,” the FFRF ad urged.   Four days after the FFRF ad appeared in The Times, two organizations – The American Freedom Defense Initiative and Stop Islamization Of America – sought to place an ad that mimicked the FFRF ad in almost every way. The proposed ad, however, encouraged moderate Muslims to exit Islam.   “It’s Time To Quit Islam” the headline in the proposed ad read. It asked, “Will it be religious freedom, freedom of speech, or back to the Dark Ages? Do you choose women and their rights, or imams and their wrongs? Whose side are you on?”   The ad, though, has yet to see … [Read more...]

By Keith Manuel, Evangelism strategist for the LBC   I read recently this from a small town pastor:   The people of our area are good people, clear-headed and orderly. They are as industrious and as kind as any people who live in our area. We are fortunate to be free from the crime the bigger cities seem to have. It is a good place to live and raise a family.   Don’t let me mislead you, we aren’t without our problems.   Our town consists of about 200 families with everyone living closely together. Because of this closeness, when we do have problems, the problems spread rapidly.   Our church has seen peaks and valleys since its beginning. I followed the church’s second pastor, Reverend Stoddard, who served here for 60 years. He said that during his ministry there were five periods of extraordinary harvests.   He often spoke of the mighty movements of God, particularly among the young people.   Reverend Stoddard told me the last time of harvest was 18 years before the end of his ministry. Since then, the young people of our community seem to run toward sin and rebellion, not caring for the things of God. Our community suffers greatly because of it. The way … [Read more...]

By John Hebert, Team Leader for LBC's Mission and Ministries   [img_assist|nid=8013|title=New Orleans|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=528|height=640]Contrary to conventional wisdom, the city of New Orleans and Southern Baptists have a fond affection for one another especially since the days following Hurricane Katrina.   In general New Orleans has the reputation of being indifferent to all evangelicals, especially Baptists. However in November of 2011, the Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministries Team retained Turner Research to test the components of the new Cooperative Church Planting Strategy developed in 2010.   Based on common “Baptist” practices such as knocking on doors, personal witnessing, Bible studies and prayer meetings, many churches have been planted using these methods.   Many believe that such practices are ineffective in today’s culture and churches for the most part have abandoned these methods that once won countless souls to Christ. Tragically, 64 percent of those surveyed said no church has contacted them in the last six months.   The research further indicates that over six out of ten said they would be open to Baptists coming to their home and … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, NOBTS   Question: A website said Jesus was crucified on a Thursday, not on Friday as I’ve been taught. Which day is right?   Bill Warren’s response:  In more recent history especially, some have indeed suggested Thursday or even Wednesday for the crucifixion instead of Friday. The main argument against the traditional Friday date centers on Matthew 12:40 where Jesus says, for just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, likewise the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.   The argument is that a Friday crucifixion may allow for three days, but it doesn’t allow for three nights. The three days are based on the Jewish day of 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. (For example, Genesis 1 depicts the days as evening and then mornings), so part of Friday is day one, Saturday (starting at 6 p.m. Friday) is day two, and Sunday is day three. But only two nights are then included. Of course, exactly three days and three nights requires starting specifically at the turn point from one day to the following night, a very unlikely scenario.   The basic problem with this approach is in using Matthew 12:40 to change the plain chronology of … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, Professor of New Testament and Greek at NOBTS   “From Syria even to Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, bound among ten leopards and a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are treated kindly .... Now I am just beginning to be a disciple. Nothing visible or invisible shall prevent me from reaching the presence of Jesus Christ. Come fire, cross, and packs of wild beasts; come cutting to pieces, tearing to bits, dispersion of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of my whole body; come all the evil tortures of the Devil upon me – if only I attain the presence of Jesus Christ!” Ignatius, Letter to the Romans, 5   In the early part of the second century, the church at Antioch had a leader named Ignatius, whom the early fourth-century church historian Eusebius says was the third bishop of the church there (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, III.22).   As persecution episodes broke out in various parts of the Roman Empire, Ignatius was taken prisoner during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (A.D. 98-117) and sentenced to death because of his Christian faith.   With Antioch being such a major setting for Christianity, Ignatius was indeed a … [Read more...]

By Gary Meyers, NOBTS Communications   NEW ORLEANS – Is there life after death?   The question was a hot topic during Jesus’ ministry in the first century, and it remains so today. Evangelical Christians see Jesus’ teaching on life after death as an essential part of biblical Christianity and find great hope in His promise of eternal life for those who believe in Christ. Skeptics, atheists, agnostics and proponents of naturalism either reject the idea outright or argue that the existence of an afterlife cannot be known.   This year’s Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum – set for April 13-14 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – will explore that same question.   The main Greer-Heard session on Friday, April 13, at 7 p.m., will feature Christian apologist Gary Habermas and outspoken skeptic Michael Shermer in dialog about the afterlife.   Four others – Peter Kreeft, J.P. Moreland, Keith Parsons and Victor Stenger – will present their views on life after death beginning at 9 a.m. on April 14 in Leavell Chapel.   Forum director Bob Stewart said the event is designed to create a level playing field with the goal of creating dialog, rather than debate. The … [Read more...]

By Gary Meyers, NOBTS Communications   NEW ORLEANS – In today’s increasingly secular and pluralistic society, Christian apologetics isn’t just an option in the local church. It’s a necessity. Christians must know what they believe, why they believe it, and they must be prepared to give a reasoned response to questions from those with opposing worldviews.   New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is to host a training event April 13 designed to help pastors and church leaders integrate apologetics into their churches.   The “Apologetics in the Local Church” conference is co-sponsored by the seminary’s Institute for Christian Apologetics and Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry.   Bryant Wright, David Hankins, Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland will lead the event.   Wright, the current Southern Baptist Convention president and long-time pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., has seen dramatic growth at Johnson Ferry over his 30-year tenure as pastor.   Once a small mission church, Johnson Ferry’s membership has swelled to more than 7,000. Wright centers his preaching on Scripture and seeks to explain how the Bible applies to everyday … [Read more...]