DALLAS (BP) – When the doctor tells you that the blood gushing from your severed artery isn’t nearly as dangerous as your athlete’s foot, you know you’ve got a bad physician, and it’s time to get a new one. We don’t put ourselves under the care of those who can’t distinguish life-threatening conditions from benign ones. On the contrary, we fire them. DALLAS (BP) – When the doctor tells you that the blood gushing from your severed artery isn’t nearly as dangerous as your athlete’s foot, you know you’ve got a bad physician, and it’s time to get a new one. We don’t put ourselves under the care of those who can’t distinguish life-threatening conditions from benign ones. On the contrary, we fire them. Likewise, no one should subject themselves to the leadership of pastors who cannot distinguish damning doctrinal errors from non-damning ones. The more I hear from emerging church leader Brian McLaren, the more I fear he is not competent to be a leader of God’s people. Recently, he commented on the error-ridden The Da Vinci Code by saying, “Frankly, I don’t think it has more harmful ideas in it than the Left Behind novels.” The problem with what McLaren says here is that he cannot (or will not) distinguish what is … [Read more...]

French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke in December 1995. Twenty days later, the 43-year-old father of two awoke from a coma to discover the only muscles in his body unaffected by the stroke were those of his left eye. By blinking, he was able to make it clear that though his flesh was unresponsive, his mind was unimpaired. French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke in December 1995. Twenty days later, the 43-year-old father of two awoke from a coma to discover the only muscles in his body unaffected by the stroke were those of his left eye. By blinking, he was able to make it clear that though his flesh was unresponsive, his mind was unimpaired. Through an amazing process, Bauby was soon able to communicate. A special chart was devised that listed the letters of the alphabet based on frequency of usage. As letters were pointed to, Bauby would blink to indicate his selection and thus spell out his communication. Undaunted by his debilitating setback, Bauby continued to write. He worked daily in three-hour shifts, blinking his thoughts one letter at a time as a secretary pointed to the chart. Though the process was painfully slow, by the end of the summer of … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – The statistics are surprisingly the same, year after year that Louisiana Baptists go on mission to Brazil. By Karen L. Willoughby Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – The statistics are surprisingly the same, year after year that Louisiana Baptists go on mission to Brazil. “We’ll see 2,000 to 3,000 people get saved in a week,” said Wayne Jenkins, evangelism and church growth team leader for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “We’re doing a lot of different kinds of things in hopes we can touch as many people as possible. “Every year we have hundreds saved as a result of coming into the clinics,” added Jenkins, who with Dwight Lowrie of Texarkana, Texas, has led a team to Brazil for 23 years, this year to Greater Sao  Paulo, where about 20 million people live. About 150 Louisianians from several churches are expected to participate this year in the July 14-27 mission trip. A construction crew is set to build an orphanage and chapel; 19 teams are to be involved in church-type and street evangelistic events; and six teams in medical/dental clinics. VBS workers make up the largest component of volunteer missionaries. And rounding out the plans, some will work in sports clinics while … [Read more...]

NEW IBERIA – When Mennonites came to New Iberia to minister through disaster relief, they turned to Southern Baptists for a place to worship. By Amy Adams Message Staff Writer NEW IBERIA – When Mennonites came to New Iberia to minister through disaster relief, they turned to Southern Baptists for a place to worship. “When we go out as Mennonite Disaster Services, one of the things we usually try to do is find a home church that we can attend on a regular basis and since there is no Mennonite church in this area we chose the First Baptist Church of New Iberia,” said Mike Wilson, MDS project director. “We have been blessed by our attendance here and that’s because we have not only been spiritually fed very well, we have also been physically fed very well.” MDS came to southwest Louisiana earlier this year to help rebuild what Rita tried to demolish late last summer, and is working on six homes in the area at the present time. They anticipate staying until the end of the year at least. Most of their volunteers come from all over the United States and some from Canada; one man even came all the way from Germany. Unlike the way the Southern Baptist Convention does disaster relief, not all MDS … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – Southern Baptists from across the nation have their hammers out and ready. By Amy Adams Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS – Southern Baptists from across the nation have their hammers out and ready. Operation NOAH [New Orleans Area Hope] Rebuild and Baptist Crossroads both are national SBC projects focused on New Orleans with the singular goal of reaching people for Christ through construction ministry, leaders say. “We are experiencing a great affirmation from the Father in this project, for we started it before the storm and are the only building blitz going on in the flood zone in New Orleans,” said Dr. David Crosby, senior pastor of First Baptist New Orleans and visionary for Baptist Crossroads. Baptist Crossroads anticipates building 40 single-family homes over the next 10 weeks in the New Orlean’s traumatized Upper Ninth Ward. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity and WorldChangers, a North American Mission Board teenage construction ministry, Baptist Crossroads expects to involve upwards of 3,000 volunteers over a 10-week period. They will hammer and saw in new construction of 10 houses each week. NOAH’s goal involves rebuilding 1,000 hurricane-damaged homes and 20 churches … [Read more...]

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) – Billy Graham’s impact on the Southern Baptist Convention will last for generations, and a bronze sculpture unveiled June 14 at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention will likewise cement forever the famous evangelist and his Gospel message for passersby in downtown Nashville, Tenn. By Jeff Robinson Baptist Press GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) – Billy Graham’s impact on the Southern Baptist Convention will last for generations, and a bronze sculpture unveiled June 14 at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention will likewise cement forever the famous evangelist and his Gospel message for passersby in downtown Nashville, Tenn. Representatives from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), sculptor Terrell O’Brien and financers Chris Fryer and Matt Samuelson joined officials from LifeWay Christian Resources and SBC President Bobby Welch to dedicate a larger-than-life sculpture of Graham during a brief ceremony. Graham’s grandson, William Franklin Graham IV, who pastors a small Southern Baptist church outside Winston Salem, N.C., closed the ceremony in prayer. The sculpture features a seven-foot-tall depiction of Graham standing beside a 17-foot … [Read more...]

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)--An Executive Committee recommendation for Woman’s Missionary Union to reaffirm its loyalty to the Southern Baptist Convention failed in a vote by messengers on the opening day of the SBC’s June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. By David Roach Baptist Press GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) – An Executive Committee recommendation for Woman’s Missionary Union to reaffirm its loyalty to the Southern Baptist Convention failed in a vote by messengers on the opening day of the SBC’s June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. The Executive Committee had adopted the recommendation in a meeting the previous day by an overwhelming majority. The recommendation asked the 118-year-old auxiliary of the SBC to “reaffirm explicitly in [its] governing documents and promotional materials the WMU’s historic, unique, and exclusive promotion of Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries” and/or “become an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention in a manner following the form of the other SBC entities and acceptable to the Convention.” The recommendation came in response to a motion at the 2005 SBC annual meeting questioning the WMU’s allegiance to the SBC, which was referred to the … [Read more...]

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)--The word that two task forces will focus on the spiritual needs of African Americans energized the 150 people at the 2006 annual meeting of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention (NAAF-SBC) in Greensboro, N.C. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing Editor GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP) – The word that two task forces will focus on the spiritual needs of African Americans energized the 150 people at the 2006 annual meeting of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention (NAAF-SBC) in Greensboro, N.C. A North American Mission Board task force on African Americans has completed its work and a report on its findings and recommendations for strategy planning is expected soon, said Dennis Mitchell, NAMB church planting team leader. NAAF President Mark Croston chaired that task force. Croston announced plans by LifeWay Christian Resources to soon begin a study tailored to ways it can help meet the spiritual needs of African Americans. “It’s an exciting time, to know our agencies are reaching out and being helpful to the African American community,” said Croston, pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va. “This … [Read more...]

ZACHARY – Summer tends to be a busy time for most churches in the state, and it is no exception for youth at First Baptist here. By Brian Blackwell Staff Writer ZACHARY – Summer tends to be a busy time for most churches in the state, and it is no exception for youth at First Baptist here. Since early June, the youth have been preparing for an inner-city Vacation Bible School, a clean-up day at the church and week-long Christian camps in Pennsylvania and Florida. On July 10-13, the youth will conduct a Vacation Bible School for approximately 30 children at Glory House, a ministry center for inner-city kids in Baton Rouge. “Each week a different church from Baton Rouge is going to teach VBS there and this will be our week to show Christ’s love to the children there,” First Baptist Youth Minister Trisha Stevens told the Message. Stevens became familiar with Glory House while taking a class at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. When the opportunity arose to volunteer at the center again, she jumped at the chance for her youth to volunteer there. “The class I took at seminary required that I earned some child community service hours,” Stevens explained. “I was so touched by what I saw … [Read more...]

Week of June 19, 2006 Potpourri CLAYTON – Faith church:  Patriotic service; June 24, 6:30 p.m.; Hershel Clanton, pastor. WINNFIELD – First church:  “The Sound of Freedom” patriotic musical; July 2, 11 a.m.; John Holland, minister of music; Lindsey Burns, pastor. BATON ROUGE – Jefferson church:  Patriotic service; July 2, 10:30 a.m.; Alan Shoumaker, minister of music; T. C. French Jr., pastor. NATCHITOCHES – Westide church:  “Magnificent Mondays” with featured guest each Monday in July at 6:30 p.m.; dates/special guests are as follows:  2nd – Lloyd Ponder at special service time of  5 p.m.; 10th – Carroll Marr; 17th – Warren Morris; 24th – Martin Praise Band and 31st – Al Bohl; Gerald Long, interim pastor. MONROE – North Monroe church:  “In God We Trust” patriotic service with special guest, Testify; July 2, 10 a.m.; David McCormick, minister of music/worship; Bill H. Dye, pastor. WEST MONROE – Northeast Association: Sponsoring bass tournament; July 7, 6:15 p.m. fish fry at Loch Arbor church in Monroe; Glenn Chappelear, pro fisherman, to speak following the meal; reservations for meal required; tournament is July 8 on Lake D’arbonne; $50 per boat; prizes awarded for first 10 places and big bass; … [Read more...]