Just about a year ago, Kenny Perry was a solid, friendly - yet largely unknown - PGA Tour golf professional. Just about a year ago, Kenny Perry was a solid, friendly - yet largely unknown - PGA Tour golf professional.   Paid to wear colorful Tabasco golf shirts and raised in a small town in Kentucky, Perry was a former Tour winner but had faded into golf’s background.   However, that was before Perry won three tournaments in the summer of 2003, including back-to-back events at the Bank of America Colonial with a career-low third-round score of 61 and the Memorial Tournament the following week.   Then, the entire golf world learned that Perry is devoted to his faith, his family and his small-town roots.   "The greatest thing about last year is that (the golf media and fans) told my story about how important my faith is to me, about growing up in a small town and about wanting to help others," Perry says. "I’m just one simple guy, but God tells us to be ready at all times."   Perry won more than $4 million in PGA Tour prize money last season with his three wins. He is using that money to fund scholarships at David Lipscomb University - a Church of Christ school in … [Read more...]

The committee charged with nominating a new executive director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention has issued a called for a day of prayer. The committee charged with nominating a new executive director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention has issued a called for a day of prayer.   Members of the search committee recently called on Louisiana Baptists to set aside August 15 as a day of prayer for the group and its work.   In a released statement, committee members asked Louisiana Baptists "at all levels" to engage in concerted prayer for the search process.   The full statement of the call reads:   "The executive director search committee requests that Louisiana Baptists at all levels participate in concerted and continuous prayer as we seek God’s man to lead Louisiana Baptists.   "This pivotal time in history of the Louisiana Baptist Convention requires the clear leadership of God to be present at every stage of the process.   "Specifically, we ask that you set aside Sunday, August 15 as a special day of prayer for our search committee. We are confident that God has a bright and glorious future for Louisiana Baptists.   "May we join the … [Read more...]

Louisiana College trustees have a new chair, elected last week during an off-campus called meeting after the previous chair abruptly resigned. Louisiana College trustees have a new chair, elected last week during an off-campus called meeting after the previous chair abruptly resigned.   Meanwhile, the flagship school of the Louisiana Baptist Convention has been notified its accrediting agency will send a fact-finding committee to the campus this fall to investigate questions that have arisen.   It has been an eventful few weeks.   • In late June, 18 trustees signed form letters asking for a special meeting with a specific agenda - to remove the sitting chair of the board and elect a new one just two months before the scheduled election of new officers.   • In a precluding action, trustee Chair Joe Nesom released a letter June 27, resigning his post. News of Nesom’s decision was made public in a July 1 news article in the Alexandria Town Talk.   • In early July, Louisiana College officials learned their bid to launch a masters program in teaching had been denied by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).   • On July 9, a Town Talk … [Read more...]

More than three-fourths of Protestant clergy believe the separation of church and state in the United States has gone too far, recent research indicates. More than three-fourths of Protestant clergy believe the separation of church and state in the United States has gone too far, recent research indicates.   Indeed, in a study by Ellison Research, 78 percent of Protestant clergy say "the separation of church and state in the U.S. has gone too far or in ways it was never intended to go." The study was conducted on behalf of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.   In the study, just 8 percent of all agree with the statement "the separation of church and state in the U.S. has not gone far enough; more is needed," Ellison reported.   In turn, 13 percent believe "the current separation of church and state in the U.S. is right about where it should be."   Among the larger denominational groups in the study, Southern Baptist ministers particularly are likely to view the separation of church and state as having gone too far - by a 93 percent majority. Pentecostal and charismatic pastors also are united in this belief (92 percent), while Methodist ministers … [Read more...]

President George Bush’s re-election campaign is drawing criticism for an initiative that includes seeking possession of church directories. President George Bush’s re-election campaign is drawing criticism for an initiative that includes seeking possession of church directories.   Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land said he is "appalled" by the move.   Similar criticism was voiced by leaders of groups as diverse as Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.   A spokesperson for that group called the effort a "shameless attempt to misuse and abuse churches for partisan political ends."   In the initiative, Bush-Cheney ’04 has provided coalition coordinators with a sheet asking them to give their church membership directories to the campaign, to talk to church groups about the re-election effort and to distribute "Voter Guides" in the churches. The instructions cite 22 responsibilities and deadlines for completion.   "I’m appalled that the Bush-Cheney campaign would intrude on a local congregation in this way," Land said. "It’s one thing for the church to have a voter registration drive, to seek to inform … [Read more...]

So you want to be funny. Good. Everyone except flint-face fuddy-duddies enjoy a good laugh, and I have seen a slight smile crack even their lips. So you want to be funny. Good. Everyone except flint-face fuddy-duddies enjoy a good laugh, and I have seen a slight smile crack even their lips. But, trying to be funny can be dangerous, and no laugh is worth hurting someone’s feelings or getting you stoned.   Fact & Trends, a publication of LifeWay, had a neat set of guidelines for preachers wanting to be funny, and we preachers need help knowing what to say and what not to say when it comes to that. (Facts & Trends, July/August, 2004) I repeat, trying to be funny. Nothing is more "unfunny" than someone who tries to be funny and misses by a mile. I know. I have an ostrich egg on a table in my office someone accused me of laying one Sunday.   So, the next time you want to tell a joke or story during "opening assembly" or before any group, consider these edited F&T’s questions.   1. Does it pass the "Is God laughing" test?   Well, I’ve never heard God laugh, but I have felt like he was, but I think it was more when I was trying to know it all more than when I was … [Read more...]

For the week of July 22, 2004 Louisiana Baptist call   The committee charged with nominating a new executive director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention has issued a call for nominees and a day of prayer. Members of the search committee recently set an Aug. 15 deadline for persons to submit resumes for a new executive director. Resumes should be mailed to: Dr. Jim Law, c/o The Executive Office, Louisiana Baptist Convention, P.O. Box 311, Alexandria, LA 71309. Committee members also called on Louisiana Baptist to set aside Aug. 15 as a day of prayer for the group and its work. "This pivotal time in history of the Louisiana Baptist Convention requires the clear leadership of God to be present at every stage of the process," the committee call reads. The committee is charged with nominating a successor to Dean Doster, who is set to retire Jan. 31, 2005.   Louisiana College   Following a somewhat tense closed-door trustee session July 9, the search for a new Louisiana College president is continuing. There had been some speculation the off-campus session earlier this month was called with intentions to circumvent the search process and elect a new president immediately. However, those … [Read more...]

The marriage protection amendment to the United States Constitution crashed and burned in the U.S. Senate. Why? The marriage protection amendment to the United States Constitution crashed and burned in the U.S. Senate.   Why?   Some say that most people believe gays should be able to enjoy the benefits of marriage. Some say that marriage is a states’ matter and each   state should be able to determine who can lawfully marry. Some say the issue does not deserve changing the constitution, that the constitution is too sacred to change except under rare circumstance, and other ways could handle the marriage situation. Enough senators hold one or more of these views to keep the Senate from allowing a vote on the matter.   Most observers, including President Bush, said the amendment did not have the support it needed to pass in the Senate. The Baptist Message, in addition to just about all other publications in the nation, reported that unless there was a huge effort from voters to move their senators to support the matter, it would fail. The Baptist Message made contacting U.S. senators easy - we gave the mailing address, phone number and email address of our two … [Read more...]

A center of hope: In an older, red-brick building near the Central Business District of New Orleans, Southern Baptists work to minister to those in need - the homeless, the poor, the addicted, the desperate A center of hope: In an older, red-brick building near the Central Business District of New Orleans, Southern Baptists work to minister to those in need - the homeless, the poor, the addicted, the desperate   Tobey Pitman is convinced that angels have visited the center he directs on the corner of Magazine and Common streets in New Orleans.   His theory is that they are sent there to check up on the work being done and to give Pitman and others a reality check as well - "Are we doing what we’ve been called to do? Are we treating people with dignity and respect?"   And why not?   At the Brantley Baptist Center in New Orleans, Pitman directs work Jesus himself described as fundamental to the Christian call - helping the homeless, the poor, the down-and-out, the desperate.   It is a ministry Pitman never thought to lead.   The Texas native came to New Orleans in the 1970s to attend New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. "I came for a good time - and … [Read more...]

It is mid-morning - and the early summer New Orleans air already is heavy with moisture that likely will turn into an afternoon rain shower. It is mid-morning - and the early summer New Orleans air already is heavy with moisture that likely will turn into an afternoon rain shower.   After parking in a riverside garage, one walks a few blocks in the direction of the Louisiana Superdome, trying to stay on the shaded side of the buildings to escape the sun.   Turning the corner onto Magazine Street, one stops to make sure which way the addresses are running - then turns to the right. Final destination is just at the end of the block.   Walking the short distance, one notices the Franklin Printing Co. across the street. The multi-storied facility is closed now - and has been for awhile from the looks of it.   A man sits in the front of the building, his belongings piled nearby, a small American flag - like the ones waved at Fourth of July parades - stuck in a bucket at his feet.   This man watches the parade of New Orleans life pass. Nearby, another man sleeps on a cardboard mattress, head propped on a plastic bag of wadded-up clothing.   They are what … [Read more...]