Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Tue, 04/16/2013 - 16:23 A day after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic Boston Marathon Monday (April 15), pastors and other leaders were urging people to pray for Boston as the city grapples with the questions that arise from tragedy. By Erin Roach, Baptist PressBOSTON (BP) - A day after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic Boston Marathon Monday (April 15), pastors and other leaders were urging people to pray for Boston as the city grapples with the questions that arise from tragedy.Three people were killed and more than 170 were injured, including 17 who were still in critical condition Tuesday, according to The Boston Globe. Metal fragments found in marathongoers led investigators to believe the bombs were loaded with pellets or nails intended to harm as many people as possible, the newspaper said."I would say first of all to just pray for Boston. This was a huge shock," Jim Wideman, executive director of the Baptist Convention of New England, told Baptist Press. "Patriot's Day is a state holiday and a day that the Boston Marathon is always run. It's an exciting day for Boston. Up here, this far north, it really marks the beginning of spring for … [Read more...]

By Michael Foust, Baptist Press IRVING, Texas (BP) -- Members at the Boy Scouts national convention in May will consider a proposal that would leave in place the prohibition on homosexual Scout leaders but would allow youth who identify as gay to join, it was announced Friday (April 19). The proposed policy, unanimously approved by the Boy Scouts executive committee, differs significantly from a proposal that was discussed in February that would have allowed openly gay leaders and youth to join. That policy would have made it a "local option," whereby each sponsoring organization would decide the policy. Under the new proposal, there is a national standard and no local option. "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," the proposed resolution states in part. The resolution criticizes sexual activity by youth, saying Scouting "is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting." Two paragraphs later it further says that "youth are still developing, learning about themselves and who they are, developing their sense of right and wrong, and understanding their … [Read more...]

Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Mon, 04/22/2013 - 13:01 ALEXANDRIA - The half-way point of the 2020 Summit has come and gone. Hundreds of Louisiana Baptists traveled to the center of the state to attend the two-day gathering, which marked the middle of the President's 2020 Commission. Approved by LBC messengers in November, the initiative features 20 teams made up of more than 400 people representing 350 Louisiana Baptist churches who will "examine and evaluate the various missions and ministries supported through the cooperative efforts of Louisiana Baptists," according to the Louisiana Baptist Convention website. "You and I serve a God who hears and who speaks and who wants to guide His people and show us what He wants us to do. So may we approach our task with that in mind – to hear God, to let Him speak, to let Him direct, to let Him lead and to let Him show us His way." LBC President Waylon Bailey said during Monday afternoon's session. Technology also played a part in the 2020 Summit. Audience members and those watching via live webstream had the opportunity to text in questions that LBC leaders answered. Additionally, those watching and attending the summit answered a series of poll questions about the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 09:24 Caleb Brown of Longstraw Baptist Church prays with an inmate on Angola’s death row during the annual Louisiana Baptist Revival at the state penitentiary. By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter ANGOLA – Caleb Brown had visited local prisons during other ministry opportunities but a recent visit to Death Row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola changed him. “They are just regular men, however their future is already planned out for them, but they have hope just like anybody else does,” Brown, 22, from Longstraw Baptist, said following the April 5-6 LBC-sponsored revival at the Angola prison. “One of the guys, seeing he still has faith and hope, that gives me compassion in my heart,” Brown said. “We choose our lives but they are locked down and don’t spend hardly anytime outside their cell. I can’t take my freedom for granted anymore.” Brown was one of about 200 Baptist men from 30 churches who participated in the 17th annual revival where 75 decisions for Christ were made, according to Keith Manuel, LBC’s evangelism associate overseeing the event. “Angola was a huge success in many ways again this year,” Manuel said in a wrap-up report. “First, we saw the Lord … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 09:27 For the last four years “Be the Church” has spent $100,000 in building material to repair some 40 homes in Washington Parish. By Bob Adams, Special to the Message BOGALUSA – It is one thing to go to church, or even to belong to a church. It is quite another to be the church. Twice each year, in the spring and fall, men and women from the Southern Baptist churches of Washington Parish spend a week intentionally being the church. “Be the Church Week” began in 2009, but its roots extend back several years. Before Hurricane Katrina paid her devastating visit to Washington Parish in August 2005, a group of men at one of the Southern Baptist churches in Franklinton came together to do some upkeep and repair work on their church buildings and property. After caring for their church facilities for some time, they decided to offer their skills and time to some people in their church who needed repair work done on their homes – primarily elderly persons living on small, fixed incomes. Taking their ministry beyond the church facilities brought an increased sense of mission and fulfillment to them. In Katrina’s aftermath many groups and agencies came to Washington Parish to help … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor Recent polls indicate that a majority of Americans now support recognition of homosexual marriage. In 2013 eight national polls have been conducted on the subject. The average of these surveys, according to PollingReport.com, indicates a 51 percent support for same-sex marriage. A Pew Research Center poll, conducted in January 2010, found that only 38 percent of Americans were in support of homosexual marriage. A more recent Pew poll, released on March 29 of this year, revealed that 49 percent now support same-sex nuptials. No matter what poll you examine, it is clear that support for homosexuality in general, and same-sex marriage in specific, has increased dramatically in recent years. The question is: Why? Another Pew poll, reported on March 20, sought to discover the reasons for the recent rise in support for homosexual marriage. Of those surveyed who had changed their mind in favor of same-sex marriage, 32 percent said they knew someone who was homosexual. Twenty-five percent had changed their mind because they said they had become more open over time. Another 18 percent indicated they had switched their position because homosexuality was more prevalent and same-sex marriage was … [Read more...]

By Jason K. Allen, President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary As a convictional Baptist, I am committed to two, and only two, ordinances for the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. If I advocated a third ordinance, however, it just might be the Cooperative Program. Of course I am speak with hyperbole, but over the last 15 years my appreciation for this denominational staple has grown by the day. In concert with my deepening affection for the Cooperative Program has arisen a parallel, and increasingly urgent, concern for its future. It has been said that numbers are like people: If you squeeze them, you can make them say whatever you want. Yet Cooperative Program statistics need not be squeezed to signal clear and troubling trends. Since the 1980s, the average percentage that churches allocate to the Cooperative Program has steadily declined. Over the past 25 years, the portion churches forward to the CP has decreased by almost 50 percent, dropping from 10.52 percent in 1987 to 5.41 percent in 2011. Moreover, one of the Cooperative Program’s predominant challenges is generational. Simply put, by and large, the younger the minister is, the less committed he is to it. As president of Midwestern Seminary, I … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary My grandmother died in March. She was a devout Christian who lived a full life of service to God and others. Before it was cool, she helped start a church that has grown to be one of the strongest in its area. People at my grandmother’s service spoke of her personal witness to them, her direct way of getting to the point about spiritual matters, and her constant love for those who struggled with life’s challenges. She truly was a remarkable woman. My earliest memory of her was going to her house for Christmas when I was only 6 or 7 years old. I wanted a watch for Christmas: not some toy, but a grown-up watch to show everyone my budding maturity. On Christmas Eve, grandmother said we each could open one present. I scanned the tree, looking for the smallest box that just might be my watch. Nothing really matched watch-size, but one rectangular box had possibilities. I selected that gift, hopeful it would fulfill my dreams. I opened it enthusiastically. It was a Bible – about the worst gift imaginable for me at the time. My disappointment was more than evident. Who gives a kid a Bible for Christmas? It was a zippered, King James Version, red-letter edition, with my … [Read more...]

By James Smith, Editor Florida Baptist Witness One side talks about choice. The other side talks about life. In the abortion debate, there are few times when clarity breaks through so that only the most ardently committed, truly pro-abortion advocates can fail to see – or at least admit – the moral reality of abortion. Such a moment of clarity occurred March 27 before a Florida House of Representatives committee considering a bill that would provide protections to children born alive after a failed abortion. The measure would require medical attention be given after “botched” abortions – that is, where the baby lived rather than died. A Planned Parenthood lobbyist opposed the bill, dumbfounding even a life-long pro-choice lawmaker. During the Civil Justice Subcommittee’s consideration of the “Infants Born Alive Act” (HB 1129), Alisa LaPolt Snow, a lobbyist representing Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified that what happens to a live baby of a “botched” abortion should be the decision of the woman and her doctor. The bill “inserts politics where it does not belong,” said Snow, never minding the fact that the bill sponsor, Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, is an emergency medicine physician. “Decisions … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, NOBTS Question: What was marriage like in the time of Jesus? Bill Warren responds: Marriage customs were indeed different in the Roman context, especially compared with our context. Marriages were based on legal contracts between families with regard to two members of those families. One ancient marriage contract stipulates that if a dowry has been received from the bride’s family, with the requirement that if the bride is not treated well, or is turned out from the home, or another wife is brought into the home, then the dowry has to be repaid 150 percent. In exchange, the wife is required not to be absent from the home at night without the consent of her husband and is not to do anything that would be dishonorable for the home, like being with another man, or else she forfeits the dowry. What was not mentioned in the marriage contract was love. The husband had to provide a decent life – food, shelter, and the like – for his wife; he did not have to love her. And the wife was to keep peace in the home, with no command to love her husband. Hopefully love also became part of the marriage, but that was not part of the legal contract. A sizeable dowry brought greater protection to the woman and provided a … [Read more...]