They are the street-corner entrepreneurs of boring summer days. These staples of American commerce sprout up in the late summer like tents on a campground. Little League baseball has run its course. Summer camps are over. Swimming pools have turned dry with overuse. Daytime television is - well, daytime television. They are the street-corner entrepreneurs of boring summer days. These staples of American commerce sprout up in the late summer like tents on a campground. Little League baseball has run its course. Summer camps are over. Swimming pools have turned dry with overuse. Daytime television is - well, daytime television. The children and their parents have used up every diversion from summertime boredom. Except this one. One suspects that the tradition travels generation to generation more through desperate parents than industrious children. One can imagine a longsuffering parent being pushed across the line of toleration by summer’s end. "If you kids don’t get outside, I’m going to . . . " The kids respond, "There is nothing to do outside." And they are probably right in these concrete-bound, fence-divided holding pens called modern neighborhoods. "Go over to Billy’s to play." "His mother sent us over … [Read more...]

Was "worship" ever intended to accomplish what many churches are demanding of it today? Was "worship" ever intended to accomplish what many churches are demanding of it today? Trying to determine a correct, precise definition and purpose of worship cannot easily be accomplished. Of the multitudes of books written about worship in the last century, almost none of them give the same definition of worship, much less the exact same guidelines for worshiping. The Bible says clearly we are to worship God "in spirit and in truth," but worship is not defined in that passage, nor are we told exactly the process of worship. There seems to be an intentional openness to expand the meaning of worship and to provide significant latitude in the process and style of worship. Baptists are in what many call the "free style of worship." Basically, this means each congregation interprets the meaning of worship, arranges the order of worship and decides the style of worship best suited for its people, while hopefully striving to reflect the teachings of the Bible about these matters. This is in contrast to liturgical churches that have carefully-designed orders of worship meant to include certain components of worship as approved by … [Read more...]

It happened several years back, but he still remembers the day. And why not? It was a really bad day.   But that is not the part he remembers most. The part he remembers is walking the downtown streets of his adopted city, trying to think, trying to understand, trying to figure out what he needed to do. It happened several years back, but he still remembers the day. And why not? It was a really bad day.   But that is not the part he remembers most. The part he remembers is walking the downtown streets of his adopted city, trying to think, trying to understand, trying to figure out what he needed to do.   His walk brought him by the First Baptist Church of the city, an impressive, inviting structure located on the "main drag."   He thought to go in, to find a place where he could sit and think - and pray.   He tried the front door, then the side door, then whatever door he could find.   Nothing.   All were locked.   Much is made these days about making a church accessible, visible. A lot of attention is paid to - and for - advertising.   Do people know where your church is?   Can they find it … [Read more...]

Melissa Murrell of Pollock spent some of her summer vacation at the ends of the earth.   Through a Southern Baptist International Mission Board initiative, Murrell spent June working among the Tai Lue, an unreached people group. Murrell is a student at Louisiana College in Pineville and just one of many Louisiana collegians who participated in missions efforts this summer. Melissa Murrell of Pollock spent some of her summer vacation at the ends of the earth.   Through a Southern Baptist International Mission Board initiative, Murrell spent June working among the Tai Lue, an unreached people group. Murrell is a student at Louisiana College in Pineville and just one of many Louisiana collegians who participated in missions efforts this summer.   The Tai Lue are Buddhists who inhabit closely-clustered villages along the Mekong River Basin of upper-Southeast Asia in the subtropical "Golden Triangle," area - infamous for producing drugs and opium.   Most of the one million souls of this colorful ethno-linguistic race have yet to hear the Good News in a culturally-relevant and understandable way.   That is slowly changing with efforts by Southern Baptists. Focused on … [Read more...]

Sports has become like a world religion - people "live and die" for it, a missions leader noted recently.   So, why not use sports to help people know how to live - and know what will happen to them after they die? Sports has become like a world religion - people "live and die" for it, a missions leader noted recently.   So, why not use sports to help people know how to live - and know what will happen to them after they die?   "People live and die for their sports," said Courtney Cash, vice president of International Sports Federation, a network of Christian athletes, coaches and project coordinators who work with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board to share the gospel around the world.   "When you combine national pride and the religion of sports with 2 million people, you have to be innovative in the way that you share the gospel with them.   "That is where sports comes in."   Cash discussed the value of sports in missions during a recent workshop at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The workshop was designed to help teach students how to conduct sports clinics in preparation for an upcoming missions trip to Australia for the … [Read more...]

In 1998, two teams of privately-funded researchers were able to isolate and culture stem cells from human embryos.   The action was groundbreaking because of the nature of stem cells. From them, a wide variety of human body tissue develops - and scientists suggest such cells can be used to treat and cure a number of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and strokes. In 1998, two teams of privately-funded researchers were able to isolate and culture stem cells from human embryos.   The action was groundbreaking because of the nature of stem cells. From them, a wide variety of human body tissue develops - and scientists suggest such cells can be used to treat and cure a number of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and strokes.   So far, so good, right?   The problem is that the harvesting of the stem cells kills the human embryo.   That is unacceptable to many.   "For many Christians and others, that’s simply too high a price to pay for scientific progress," says Ben Mitchell, a biomedical consultant with the … [Read more...]

Gridlock struck Asheville, N.C., when thousands gathered for a "We Still Pray" rally - and thousands more were stuck in traffic trying to reach the high school football stadium. One newspaper estimated as many as 35,000 people either attended the August 17 rally or were stuck on local highways on their way to join the protest of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on school prayer. Gridlock struck Asheville, N.C., when thousands gathered for a "We Still Pray" rally - and thousands more were stuck in traffic trying to reach the high school football stadium. One newspaper estimated as many as 35,000 people either attended the August 17 rally or were stuck on local highways on their way to join the protest of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on school prayer. In June, the nation’s highest court voted 6-3 that a Texas school district policy permitting public prayer before football games was unconstitutional. While some church-state observers praised the ruling for maintaining a healthy separation of church and state, others have criticized it as an erosion of religious liberties in the nation. Meanwhile, leaders of the fledgling "We Still Pray" movement have sought to encourage "spontaneous prayer" at … [Read more...]

In parts of Indonesia, Christians have been targeted as victims of a holy war   How well do you know your geography? Can you find Indonesia on the map?   Got it? If not, find Russia and trace your finger south towards Australia. There - situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans and just before one reaches Australia - lies the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia. In parts of Indonesia, Christians have been targeted as victims of a holy war   How well do you know your geography? Can you find Indonesia on the map?   Got it? If not, find Russia and trace your finger south towards Australia. There - situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans and just before one reaches Australia - lies the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia.   Actually, Indonesia does not appear as a typical nation, with an unbroken large land mass. It is comprised of more that 13,500 islands - and perhaps as many as 17,000.   About 7,000 of the islands are inhabited - and three major ones account for 75 percent of the nation’s land. When all the land area is totaled, Indonesia stands as the largest nation of Southeast Asia. It also lies in a strategic location, linking Australia … [Read more...]

Persecuted Christians on Indonesia’s Ambon island face desperate conditions - and the world is largely ignor- ing their plight, two Americans who recently returned from a visit to the island said. As many as 500,000 Christians have been driven from their homes and more than 2,500 have been killed by Muslim "jihad" warriors who have publicly declared they will push all Christians off the island or kill them. Persecuted Christians on Indonesia’s Ambon island face desperate conditions - and the world is largely ignor- ing their plight, two Americans who recently returned from a visit to the island said. As many as 500,000 Christians have been driven from their homes and more than 2,500 have been killed by Muslim "jihad" warriors who have publicly declared they will push all Christians off the island or kill them. Christians are fleeing into the mountains, flooding into refugee camps and clogging ports to wait for the few ships ferrying refugees off the island. Meanwhile, a government reluctant to confront the extremists is refusing to allow international intervention. Elements of the Indonesian army reportedly are assisting the jihad warriors. Drew Stephens and Brett Ferguson recently were in a … [Read more...]