In Asia, Africa and Latin America more than 500 million people live in “absolute poverty.” STATEWIDE – In Asia, Africa and Latin America more than 500 million people live in “absolute poverty.” One in 12 people – 1.3 billion – worldwide are malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of 5. More than 850 million people around the world barely have enough to eat to sustain life, and annually, more than 10 million children under the age of five die from diseases and malnutrition as a result of hunger. It is almost incomprehensible, especially to many who live in the United States; such conditions could exist in the world today. But world hunger does exist, and it is 100 percent preventable. On the weekend of April 19, 21 members of the youth group of Hebron Baptist Church in Bush learned firsthand what it would be like to go without food by participating in a “30 Hour Famine.” The participants – four boys and 17 girls – ranged from 12 to 17 years of age. “I originally heard about this event through the seminary (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary), and again when I was a youth intern in Athens, Ga. Using the guidelines of the World Vision Organization the kids got a taste of what many … [Read more...]
Tuesday speakers preach on passion
When Jonathan Forester MD of Pineville took time away from his busy medical practice to attend the 2008 Evangelism Conference, he heard the precariousness of Tuesday afternoon speaker Sammy Gilbreath’s life. PINEVILLE – When Jonathan Forester MD of Pineville took time away from his busy medical practice to attend the 2008 Evangelism Conference, he heard the precariousness of Tuesday afternoon speaker Sammy Gilbreath’s life. “It’s a very serious condition,” Forester said after the session about Gilbreath’s heart ailment. “He could have died any moment, even when he was speaking up there.” Because he is living proof, Gilbreath had his audience’s attention, but it took awhile before they caught his passion. Living with passion begins by learning the value of the promise of life, Gilbreath said. He spoke of the joy of a child with a new puppy or kitten, of the father of a newborn child, and in the same sentence, continued with “I don’t see many people getting excited about new life in the Kingdom of God. “There is no greater joy than taking the word of God and sharing it with someone, and seeing them come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord,” Gilbreath said, and the after-lunch audience responded with … [Read more...]
Is your candidate mean enough to be president?
Back in August, Newsweek magazine assessed the presidential prospects of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and concluded his primary problem is that he seems “too nice” to turn aside a whole field of hard-knuckle Republicans and then Hillary Clinton on the way to the White House. Back in August, Newsweek magazine assessed the presidential prospects of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and concluded his primary problem is that he seems “too nice” to turn aside a whole field of hard-knuckle Republicans and then Hillary Clinton on the way to the White House. Whether one supports Huckabee or someone else, Newsweek’s question was a good one, and one as old as Christianity. Take Huckabee off the table, along with the question of whether his perceived “niceness” is the fruit of the Spirit or small-town southern manners or his own niche political strategy. I know what Newsweek means: personal character isn’t enough to swim through the piranha waters of American politics. “Niceness” is just shorthand for Newsweek that Huckabee doesn’t seem to have the consuming ambition needed to go all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue. That’s why, in the article, some wise voices turned the question away from niceness to fundraising … [Read more...]
King’s legacy shared at conference
In a first-ever event, the Louisiana Baptist Convention hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon to begin the state’s annual evangelism conference. PINEVILLE – In a first-ever event, the Louisiana Baptist Convention hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon to begin the state’s annual evangelism conference. About 100 people – blacks and whites in roughly equal numbers – participated. At the same time, in Jena, La., less than 40 miles away, the news media reported that two dozen white supremacists, perhaps a dozen purported Black Panthers and respective supporters of both groups marched in the small town that was in the national spotlight last summer as the site of a media-driven civil rights march, that march drew perhaps 20,000 people. Despite vitriolic speech and even loaded shotguns – as reported by the secular media – only one person was arrested in Jena and, in Pineville, no mention was made at the MLK luncheon of the Jena events. E. Edwards Jones Sr., pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport for 49 years, was the luncheon’s guest speaker. Jones was a civil rights activist who in 1966 led a seven-year battle to desegregate the school district in his parish. “Let me describe the climate of that time,” … [Read more...]
Pair of proposals offered to bridge stem cell research debate
A biology professor and two physicians recently proposed new approaches they say could resolve the thorny ethical problems swirling around embryonic stem cell research. A biology professor and two physicians recently proposed new approaches they say could resolve the thorny ethical problems swirling around embryonic stem cell research. The proposals were presented to the Presidents Council on Bioethics, a high-profile group that does not set policy but does influence the White House and Congress. Council leaders said the proposals deserve consideration. However, some conservative religious groups remain skeptical. The issue of stem cell research is a hot one. Conservative religious and pro-life leaders have opposed embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of days-old embryos. They have thrown their support to adult stem cell work. Others have complained that too much is at stake not to pursue embryonic stem cell research or even to allow cloning of embryos for research. Stem cells are seen as keys to cures for a range of illness, including Alzheimers and heart disease. The issue has become a political football as well as … [Read more...]
More American businesses moving to embrace basic Christian values
In the wake of several high-profile corporate scandals - such as the Enron debacle - a new era is emerging in American business, various business leaders and consultants suggest. In the wake of several high-profile corporate scandals - such as the Enron debacle - a new era is emerging in American business, various business leaders and consultants suggest. The Enron scandal represents a pendulum swing toward an era of business reform, said consultant Ken Jennings, who has worked with more than 25 Fortune 500 companies in the last six years. Now, values that Christians hold dear are being road-tested in some offices around the country. However, deep-rooted reform will not occur overnight, said Jennings, a Christian who helps companies build businesses that are above reproach. "Quick-fix solutions to ethical problems wont work for businesses that have an anything-for-the-bottom-line approach, ..." he said. "In a business culture that is rotten at the core, there are things going wrong that you dont yet see." So, how does one reform a business culture that rewards the kind of deception seen in the Enron scandal? "You cant just take the anti-Enron pill," … [Read more...]
Construction of Museum of the Bible Underway
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid snow flurries in the nation’s capital, construction on the world’s first museum devoted solely to the Bible began in February as demolition began on the site near Capitol Hill. “It’s an exciting day for us,” said Steve Green, president of the craft store chain Hobby Lobby, who birthed the idea for the museum. “It’s been a dream, and it’s becoming a reality.” The Museum of the Bible is a $400 million project scheduled for completion in 2017 and will feature the Green Collection, one of the world’s largest private compilations of biblical texts and artifacts. … [Read more...]
Court Rules Same-sex Marriage Rights Trump Florist’s Beliefs
OLYMPIA, Wash. – A Washington state judge ruled in February that a Christian flower shop owner is required under state law to provide full services for same-sex wedding ceremonies, even though it violates her faith. Barronelle Stutzman sold flowers to gay couple Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed for more than nine years, and considered Ingersoll a friend. But when he asked her to create the flower arrangements for the couple’s wedding in 2013, the great-grandmother said she couldn’t because of her “relationship with Jesus Christ.” She referred them to another business for assistance. The Washington state attorney sued Stutzman for allegedly violating the Washington Law Against Discrimination and its Consumer Protection Act. Ingersoll and Freed soon filed their own lawsuit against Stutzman. The ruling settles both suits by summary judgment in the plaintiffs’ favor, preventing the case from proceeding to trial. Voters in Washington legalized same-sex marriage on Nov. 6, 2012. … [Read more...]
Ala. Supreme Court halts same-sex marriage licenses
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Supreme Court has ordered a halt to same-sex marriage licenses in the state, posing a direct challenge to a federal court in Mobile that overturned the state’s marriage laws. The Alabama court, in a March 3 decision, stated: “As it has done for approximately two centuries, Alabama law allows for ‘marriage’ between only one man and one woman. Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty.” This fact, the court stated, “does not change simply because the new definition of marriage has gained ascendancy in certain quarters of the country, even if one of those quarters is the federal judiciary.” The court issued its opinion as one body, called “per curiam,” rather than identifying the judges who drafted the 148-page ruling regarding probate judges who are the state officials responsible for issuing marriage licenses. The religious liberty firm Liberty Counsel, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of state moral concerns organizations ALCAP and the Alabama Policy Institute and a county probate judge, said it was a 7-1 ruling by the nine-member court, with one … [Read more...]
Cooperative Program is 4.81 percent ahead of projections
NASHVILLE (BP) – Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 4.81 percent above the year-to-date budgeted projection, and are 2.97 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page. The total includes receipts from state conventions and fellowships, churches and individuals for distribution according to the 2014-15 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. As of Feb. 28, receipts totaled $82,098,104.34, or 104.81 percent of the $78,333,333.33 year-to-date budgeted amount to support SBC ministries globally and nationally. The total is $2,371,418.56 more than the $79,726,685.78 received through February 2014. The SBC-adopted budget is distributed 50.41 percent to international missions through IMB, 22.79 percent to North American missions through the North American Mission Board, 22.16 percent to theological education through the six SBC seminaries, 2.99 percent to the SBC operating budget, and 1.65 percent to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. GuideStone Financial Resources and LifeWay Christian … [Read more...]
