Are humans hard-wired for religious faith? NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Are humans hard-wired for religious faith? Atheists from Karl Marx to Sigmund Freud to Richard Dawkins have claimed that religion is a manmade opiate of the masses, a cultural virus that infects the human mind. Christian scholar Paul Copan, however, challenges those who question the existence of God and the human soul. While biology and psychology may play a role in religious faith, it does not prove the non-existence of God, nor does it diminish the existence or role of the human soul, Copan said in a lecture at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on April 4, part of a two-day regional Evangelical Philosophical Society event held at the seminary. Copan holds the Pleger Family Chair in Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla. “God has placed eternity in our hearts, so it makes sense that we would be hard-wired with God-ward inclinations,” Copan said, referring to Ecclesiastes 3:11. “That natural processes contribute to religious belief doesn’t disprove the existence of God.” Supporters of research in what is called “cognitive science of religion” seek to transform religious belief into a psychological or … [Read more...]

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will combine the Leavell College and NOBTS graduation services this spring. Previous calendars listed separated graduation dates for the undergraduate and graduate programs. However, only one service will be held on May 17, at 10 a.m. The change was made due to a smaller than usual graduating class. NOBTS graduation set for May 17 NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will combine the Leavell College and NOBTS graduation services this spring. Previous calendars listed separated graduation dates for the undergraduate and graduate programs. However, only one service will be held on May 17, at 10 a.m. The change was made due to a smaller than usual graduating class. “Having a single graduation assures us of having a larger crowd and gives greater significance in the celebration of the achievement of these graduates,” Seminary Provost Steve Lemke said. The move also facilitates greater stewardship of seminary resources, he noted. The change to the commencement service also necessitates other schedule changes. The President’s Reception will move from Thursday evening to Friday, May 16. It will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at the President’s Home. Only one Graduation … [Read more...]

They’ve turned a corner from complacency to compassion, pastor Phil Bray says. PUXICO, Mo. (BP) – They’ve turned a corner from complacency to compassion, pastor Phil Bray says. Their excitement for what God is doing in southeastern Missouri and around the world stems from a new emphasis on discipleship at First Puxico, coupled with the church’s longstanding commitment to missions through the Cooperative Program. “Giving to the Cooperative Program teaches our people that we don’t live in a box here,” said Bray, who became First Puxico’s pastor in 2006. “The Bible tells us that we have a responsibility to be disciples and to make disciples of all nations. We can’t all physically go, but we can all give. “I don’t think giving money excuses you from going,” the pastor said, “but I do think giving helps our congregation realize we are helping fulfill the discipleship mandate of the Great Commission.” The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptist’s channel of combining the efforts and resources of local churches to make a difference in the lives of people across the nation and around the world. Bray described the Cooperative Program as “the greatest, the wisest, the most resourceful way of supporting missionaries … [Read more...]

Southern Baptist relief workers are in touch with partners in central China to assess needs created by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the region May 12. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Southern Baptist relief workers are in touch with partners in central China to assess needs created by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the region May 12. At least 12,000 people were killed and more than 26,000 injured in small cities and towns nestled in hill country north of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. More than 18,000 people are believed trapped in piles of concrete, steel and dirt in the city of Mianyang alone, according to news reports. “We have been in contact with partners in the country and have offered help,” said Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response. “Assessments are being made as to what the response should be.” A meeting of Christian organizations in the United States is expected to be held May 14 “to better coordinate our overall effort to respond,” Palmer added. The Chinese government has said it will accept international relief supplies but has so far declined offers of aid workers because of damage to lines of transportation, news services report. Yingxiu, A town located … [Read more...]

A team of Southern Baptists is on the ground in Bangkok, Thailand, to help national believers from Myanmar deal with the mounting crisis in their country after a May 3 cyclone left 62,000 people dead or missing and drove perhaps 1 million people from their homes. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – A team of Southern Baptists is on the ground in Bangkok, Thailand, to help national believers from Myanmar deal with the mounting crisis in their country after a May 3 cyclone left 62,000 people dead or missing and drove perhaps 1 million people from their homes. Five “initial responders,” led by Sam Porter, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma’s disaster relief director, are setting up a coordination center and training Myanmar Christians in water purification techniques, said Jeff Palmer, executive director  Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist international relief and development organization. The five Oklahomans joined Baptist Global Response team members already on the ground in Bangkok. “The specialists we have on the ground in Bangkok have training in many areas of disaster relief,” Palmer said. “Some Myanmar national believer partners are coming out to be trained in technical topics such as water purification, as well … [Read more...]

Cooperative Program giving for the first four months of 2008 from the nearly 1,600 churches in the Louisiana Baptist Convention is up 11.16 percent over the same time period one year ago, Executive Director David Hankins announced at the spring meeting of the LBC’s executive board. ALEXANDRIA – Cooperative Program giving for the first four months of 2008 from the nearly 1,600 churches in the Louisiana Baptist Convention is up 11.16 percent over the same time period one year ago, Executive Director David Hankins announced at the spring meeting of the LBC’s executive board. The Cooperative Program is the Southern Baptist method of combining the efforts and resources of local churches to make a difference in the lives of people across the nation and around the world. The LBC business office reported an additional $830,000 in Cooperative Program giving from churches between Jan. 1 through April 30 than was received during the same time period last year: $8,273,093.10 in 2008, up from $7,442,187.35 in 2007. “We’re moving up the percentage we’re giving the world, and we’re getting more in,” Hankins said in conversation with the Message. He listed four probable reasons for the sizable increase in CP giving: God’s grace, … [Read more...]

What does a a muddy trail, 6-foot mudhole and an ATV (all terrain vehicle) have to do with evangelism? BASTROP – What does a a muddy trail, 6-foot mudhole and an ATV (all terrain vehicle) have to do with evangelism? A lot when organizers are trying to reach as many unchurched people as possible. In what Andy Myrick, Evangelism Director for the Northeast Louisiana Baptist Association, calls “a first,”  his association partnered with Morehouse Baptist Association and the Louisiana Baptist Convention to put on a family-oriented 4-Wheeler Ride. “This is a first for Louisiana,” said Myrick. “I am seeing lots of teenagers, kids and peoples in their 70s. I didn’t expect this type of participation, but I know it is God at work. It seems to be such a hit that we are thinking about expanding it to do a block party next year.” “I hope it does turn into an annual event,” Gibbie McMillan, director of the LBC’s Men’s Ministries/Disaster Relief program said. “An event like this is capable of reaching people you don’t reach on Sunday. “This is Louisiana, and this is ideal way to reach those you wouldn’t normally be able to reach,” McMillan said. “An event like this is also vital, because it provides us with … [Read more...]

I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition. What do I mean by pastoral malpractice? I mean ministers who stand and preach a gospel other than God’s rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring out upon Christ judgment intended for us. He in turn sets us in right legal standing before Himself, through faith in what Jesus has done, while simultaneously giving to us His holy righteousness. Regrettably, too many evangelical churches have become centers for motivational speaking where congregants learn that “God helps those who help themselves;” that sin is something that keeps us from reaching our full potential, not an infinite offense against the Creator who demands from His creation unblemished righteousness. The Apostle Paul tells us that humans inherently know we are separated from God by our sin and we try to suppress that truth … [Read more...]

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought fourth her sons,” Isaiah wrote. There are many – Jews and non-Jews alike – who believe the prophet’s words were fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when Israel became an independent state. “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought fourth her sons,”Isaiah wrote. There are many – Jews and non-Jews alike – who believe the prophet’s words were fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when Israel became an independent state. It has been sixty years since Israel was established as an independent state.  In the six decades since the historic pronouncement, Israel has experienced constant tension and periodic conflict with its neighbors – some of whom have expressed a desire to see Israel annihilated. In spite of hostility and war, Israel has not only survived as a nation for six decades, but is has managed to thrive. The population of Israel in 1948 was estimated at around 800,000. Today it is more than seven million and growing. As a Christian, … [Read more...]

Wednesday evenings are always busy at Live Oak Baptist Church. WATSON – Wednesday evenings are always busy at Live Oak Baptist Church. Youngsters are in either Mission Friends or Children in Action groups, youth gather for discipleship and adults meet for Bible study and prayer – about 70 people in all, for a church where about 165 gather for Sunday morning worship. Howard Turner, pastor for 13 years, didn’t expect May 14 to be any different, when he went home at 3:30 p.m. for an early supper. But then the wind came up and the rain came down, and back at the church by 5:15 p.m., he could tell it wouldn’t be a typical Wednesday. “When I opened the door to the sanctuary and saw four inches of water, I knew that wasn’t a good sign,” Turner said. He’d had to park his vehicle a mile from the church because of downed trees, he added. “We got between seven and ten inches of rain in two hours, and 93-mile-an-hour winds; some people said it was a tornado.” By 6:15 p.m., eleven men from the church were tarping the roof; by 7 p.m., 20 men were on the job – including those who had gone to town for more tarp and 1x4s to secure the tarping. By 11 p.m., the building was tarp-roofed. “About midnight the rain started … [Read more...]