By Joe McKeever, Retired Pastor, Author “Evil people and imposters will become worse (in the last days), deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13) Can we talk about imposters? Specifically church-dropouts who say they love the Lord. Recently, we were having a lively Facebook discussion about church leadership and whether divorced people – specifically someone with multiple divorces – should be considered for deacon. Some of the responses were of the following nature: “People like you are the reason I no longer go to church.”  These are my candidates for “hypocrites of the year.” I submit to you that anyone who points the finger at another Christian – even someone who is mean-spirited and wrong-headed about everything – and says, “You are the reason I no longer go to church” is being dishonest. A liberal professor is the reason I don’t read my Bible. My parents are the reason I don’t go to Sunday School (“I was made to go as a child!”).  A bad preacher is the reason I don’t like long sermons. A church practiced racism or elitism or liberalism or was unfriendly, and so you decided to write off all churches? A pastor ran off with the organist and you abandoned the kingdom of God? Your father was the pastor and … [Read more...]

By Ronnie Floyd, President of the Southern Baptist Convention I recently released an article where I pointed out that 60 percent of our Southern Baptist churches did not baptize a single young person between the ages of 12-17 years old. When you combine the lack of effectiveness in reaching teenagers with the lack of effectiveness in most of our SBC churches in reaching, baptizing and discipling young adults from ages 18-29, we must ask ourselves, “If this does not change, what does this mean for us?” Obviously, this means that if we continue in this mode, many of our churches are facing an aging problem that will one day threaten their long-term viability. When we are ineffectively reaching young adults between ages 18-29, we are showing our disconnectedness in the world today, but additionally our disconnectedness in days to come. I believe the church has to reach every generation to impact its community. I see no evidence anywhere in Scripture where churches specialize in whom they reach generationally. Are we willing to do what it takes to become all things to all people? Yes, it is hard, uncomfortable, and it takes sacrifice. But compare it to seeing a generation come alive for Christ and a world impacted. Then, the … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President of Golden Gate Seminary Our culture is full of frustrating inconsistencies. For example, an NFL player was recently suspended for two games for beating up his fiancée (now his wife) in an altercation in a casino. For making disparaging comments about gays, another NFL player was suspended three games. You read that right. In professional football, making a negative comment about gays is worse than beating up your wife. Let’s not single out the NFL. In our culture, derogatory words are the ultimate intolerance. We can’t allow any politically incorrect comments on any subject. Free speech doesn’t go quite that far! Here’s another example – a bit more personal. Last Saturday, Ann and I (along with thousands of other tourists) were strolling the Embarcadero in San Francisco. We were passed by about a dozen naked men riding bicycles. When a traffic light turned red, the peloton stopped and a couple of them got off their bikes to stretch. It was more disgusting than erotic, but nevertheless quite a display of frontal nudity to a mixed audience – including many little girls. Many people laughed, some turned their children away, and others took pictures. I thought of a friend of mine. When he was 19, he … [Read more...]

By Thom S. Rainer, President, CEO LifeWay Christian Research I will be a unifying Christian. There are times when I must take a stand for God and His Word, But I can do so in such a way that is charitable and non-combative. My tone can be helpful, And my demeanor can be Christ-like. I will be a unifying Christian. I will seek to build up before I tear down, To encourage before criticizing. I will learn that my words can be a source of great harm, Or they can be a source of encouragement and joy. I will be a unifying Christian. That means that my needs and preferences will be last. And I will seek to serve others with joy. In all that I do, I will strive to be selfless in my church and in my life. My priority will be to build up the body of Christ. I will be a unifying Christian. I will pray each day that I show Christ’s love more fully, To be compassionate and caring for those in need. In Christ’s strength, I will be a voice of hope To so many who believe this world is cruel and hopeless. I will be a unifying Christian. I know many are watching me. They know I am believer in Christ, a Christian. My words and actions are my witness. The world will know we are Christians by our love. I will be a unifying … [Read more...]

By Connor Headrick, LC Student and intern for Family Research Council Navigating the complex waters of public policy with a skeptical audience can be challenging for even the most thoughtful of Christians. Taking a stand on a pressing moral issue, such as abortion or homosexuality, and backing it up with Scripture often brings accusations of bigotry or intolerance. Because the conversation may turn away from political issues to theological issues once the Bible or God is brought into the equation, it can be easy to simply try to circumvent the debate over Christianity by sticking to secular, empirical arguments, rather than moral Christian arguments. By doing this, we rightly acknowledge that there is immense value in meeting an individual on common ground and reasoning together, from the state of reality around us, to discover truth. However, as we reason, we must constantly remember that empirical data is worthless if not supported by a framework of moral convictions. Speed limits are baseless without the underlying moral principle that human life should be protected. Human trafficking and other forms of exploitation are insignificant unless we begin with the understanding that all humans possess a God-given right to … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BOSSIER CITY – A Louisiana Baptist attorney has started a non-profit legal ministry to defend faith and freedom in the state and beyond. Since its launch in March, Freedom Guard’s team has been involved in a number of high profile cases to safeguard religious liberty and traditional family values. Mike Johnson, chief counsel for the organization based out of Bossier City, is a nationally recognized constitutional law attorney who said the new organization was begun out of necessity. He said far too few organizations exist to adequately defend against today’s countless challenges to our freedoms. “It seems that everyone recognizes now that the hour is late, and the crisis is great in the culture,” said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Bossier City. “The challenges we are facing today—to the basic ability to live out and share our faith—are unprecedented. But our God is great, the Constitution is still on our side, and we can still win these critical battles.” When Johnson announced the formation of Freedom Guard to a gathering of pastors and conservative leaders following the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in March, Freedom Guard was already working on its first cases. In June, Johnson … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation met and conducted a mild day of business for its regular quarterly Trustees meeting at the end of July. LBF investment consultant Lee Morris with Graystone Consulting (a Morgan Stanley company) presented his report to the Investment Committee to begin the day. Investment performance was reviewed through the second quarter. Equities turned in better performance in the second quarter after a slow start to the year. Following the guidelines of the Morgan Stanley Global Investment Committee (GIC), the domestic equity allocation is equally weighted between growth and value stocks as the US is in late stage recovery. The international equity allocation is more weighted to value stocks as most of the economies are in the earlier stages of recovery. Fixed income was positive for the quarter and YTD as interest rates dropped from the higher levels experienced the end of 2013.  For the year fixed portfolios have performed better that expected. The “tactical” portion of the portfolio (a mix of small percentages invested in master limited partnerships, preferred stocks, convertible securities, etc.) once again added value to the overall portfolio … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 08/08/2014 - 11:24 By Staff, World News Magazine NEWTON, IA – An Iowa newspaper editor is claiming his former employer fired him because of his biblical beliefs about sexuality. Bob Eschliman, the former editor-in-chief of the Newton Daily News, filed an official discrimination charge on July 24 with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). “No American – especially people in the journalism field – should be fired simply for expressing their religious beliefs,” said Jeremiah Dys, senior counsel for the Liberty Institute, a nonprofit legal group representing Eschliman. Eschliman, a Christian, took to his personal blog in April to lambast the Queen James Bible, a revision put forward by gay activists. The activist editors say Greek and Hebrew passages on homosexuality either refer to pagan rituals or promiscuity. “We edited those eight verses in a way that makes homophobic interpretations impossible,” the editors say. Trumpeting a Dinosaur Horn A few miles outside Glendive, Montana, on May 12, 2012, three researchers were hunting fossils scattered in the Hell Creek Formation, a geological trove for dinosaur bones. After paying the landowner $3,000 for one fossil, … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 08/25/2014 - 10:15 Kyle Williams of First Baptist Bossier witnesses to a young Brazilian woman in the park in Montes Claros, Brazil. A group of 115 men and women spent 11 days on mission in Brazil as part of 30th annual Louisiana Baptist led evangelism outreach in that country. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONTES CLAROS, Brazil – A record number of decisions made for Christ in the 30th year of an annual mission trip to Brazil saw the group of 115 do more with less. “Only one other time when we had had almost 200 go on the trip did we see right at 5,000 saved,” said Wayne Jenkins, evangelism and church growth director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “This year our theme was do more with less. God did more with less this time.” The majority of the work for one of the largest Louisiana Baptist-led partnership evangelism efforts took place in Montes Claros, a city of 450,000 people in the state of Minas Gerias. While there, the team participated in street evangelism, Vacation Bible Schools, drama, medical, dental and eye clinics, cooking demonstration classes, sports clinics, deaf work and construction of three chapels. By the end of the group’s 11-day missions experience, … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 08/25/2014 - 10:17 The Clothes Closet at Life Point Church in Mansura, where Jacob Crawford is pastor, is one of many compassion ministries operated by Louisiana Baptist churches and associations. Without resources from the Georgia Barnette Offering for State Missions, some of these ministries would not be possible. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MANSURA – Robert Davis was a college graduate working his way up the ladder in the hospitality industry until he lost everything to a drug addiction. Given a choice by a judge to either spend six months in a state prison or perform community service at Life Point Community Church’s clothes closet to gain his freedom, Davis picked the latter – a choice that would not only set him free from an earthly sentence but an eternal one as well. Though his initial plan was to just get through the service, Davis along the way found Jesus. And his life has never been the same. “For an entire week Robert folded clothes, he hauled out garbage bags of clothes and something began to stir in Robert’s heart,” said Jacob Crawford, pastor of Life Point. Davis said soon, the community service wasn’t his main interest. He began attending Life Point’s … [Read more...]