By Jim Burton ATLANTA (BP) -- On a Thursday night in May 1944, my father, James "Jimmy" Warren Burton, delivered the valedictorian address on the topic of citizenship at the Owensboro High School commencement in Kentucky. "However grave the crises of the future may be," he said, "our country will pass safely through them if at all times it has the support of citizens who are loyal and intelligent and who are skilled in the arts of democratic citizenship." The next day, like scores of other 18-year-olds, he practiced his citizenship by boarding a train for basic training in the Army Air Corps. His destination eventually was Burma, via India, and China where he would serve as a cryptographer encoding and decoding messages for air base commanders. This only child was soon living in tents surrounded by mosquito nets in a land where he knew no one from home. When he eventually returned to Owensboro, the bus arrived early one morning and he took a taxi home without calling his parents. As he looked through the front door, he could see his mother stirring around. After knocking, she asked who was there. "It's me," Dad said, at which point she slung open the front door and ran through the screen door to hug him. My family's stories … [Read more...]
FATHER’S DAY: Being there
By Charles Billingsley, LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP) -- I'm one of the lucky ones. I was privileged enough to be raised in the home of a father who loves me and who has stayed faithful to my mom all these years. I have never known the pain of growing up in a broken home, and for that I feel very blessed. My dad is my hero. He's 75 now, and as I reflect on his life, there is one word that describes him better than any other: faithfulness. I'm reminded of his compassion as a father, his power as a preacher, his gentleness as a husband and his integrity as a man. In all things, he has remained faithful. It inspires me to do the same. But not only has my dad been faithful, he's also just "been there." Whether it was a football game to see me play running back in high school, or my first concert as a Christian artist, or my marriage to Shae, or the birth of my children, Dad has been there. I could always trust him and always had a certain level of comfort and confidence just knowing he was present. In 1976, I was 6 years old and my family lived on the road because my dad was a full-time evangelist. We were in the middle of Wyoming when we arrived at a small church for my dad to start a revival meeting. We got there and noticed the church … [Read more...]
I’m Smiling A Lot
By Waylon Bailey, Pastor of First Baptist Covington I’m smiling a lot this week. It’s because I’m seeing so many children who are professing their faith in Christ and following Him in Christian baptism. From Vacation Bible School to children’s Bible classes to parents who are praying for their children to know Christ and live for him all of their lives, we are seeing many children saved. That makes me smile. It also makes me remember my initial experience with Christ–the time at age 9 when I talked with my mother in our automobile about faith. As you might expect, there are many aspects to that conversation that I don’t remember. There are three parts that I remember vividly. First, I remember taking my spiritual needs to my mother. I smile when children talk with their parents about spiritual things – – from asking questions about God or heaven and hell – – and seek their guidance. It was natural for me to talk to my mother about spiritual things because she had talked to me about spiritual things. Second, I remember her quoting Acts 16:31 to me, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Third, I also vividly remember ending the conversation, sitting back in the seat (the backseat of the automobile … [Read more...]
State abortion rates finally drop in 2015 after several years of rising numbers
By Benjamin Clapper, Louisiana Right to Life BATON ROUGE -- The number of abortions in Louisiana decreased by 10 percent from 2014 to 2015, according to preliminary figures provided to Louisiana Right to Life recently by the Louisiana Department of Health. There were 9,311 abortions performed in Louisiana in 2015, down from 10,211 abortions reported in 2014. The number of abortions performed in the state had increased steadily since 2008, when population numbers began returning to pre-Katrina levels. The 2015 figure is the lowest total number of abortions in the state since 2012, when 9,225 abortions were reported. Even with numbers going down, on average, 26 abortions per day were performed in Louisiana in 2015, and Louisiana Right to Life will continue working hard to reduce these numbers until every baby is saved. "While 9,311 abortions is 9,311 too many, we are pleased to see a 10 percent decrease in abortions in 2015," said Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life. "More than two babies per day were saved in 2015 versus 2014! We congratulate the many pregnancy resource centers around the state that help mothers both before and after birth to choose life for their precious babies." Caddo Parish had … [Read more...]
Gibson reportedly wants sequel to ‘The Passion of the Christ’
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner HOLLYWOOD (Christian Examiner) – If Mel Gibson is able to deliver a sequel to The Passion of the Christ, more than one resurrection may be depicted – one of Jesus on film and, the second, the director's career. Gibson's film about the crucifixion of Jesus in 2004 was a box office smash, earning $612 million worldwide, or 2,000 percent over and above the cost of the film ($30 million). It spawned a series of faith-based films, tapping into an audience that Hollywood knew was there, but neglected in favor of what studios believed was a larger audience who didn't want to see religious content. Now, Randall Wallace, who penned Braveheart for Gibson – a good, but historically less-than-accurate film – is set to write the sequel about the ministry of Christ after the resurrection. There is no word yet on what the focus of the film will be (the early days of the church in Jerusalem, the mission to the Gentiles or Roman persecution of Christians). Wallace, who also wrote Heaven is for Real, is a logical choice for the script. He studied religion at Duke University and is fascinated by the history of the church. He told the Hollywood Reporter that he always wanted to tell the story. To read the … [Read more...]
10 of 22 motions referred to SBC entities
ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention proposed 22 motions, the most since 2010. Ten motions were referred to convention entities for further study and for a report at the 2017 SBC meeting in Phoenix. The Committee on Order of Business automatically referred three motions to SBC entities and/or the Executive Committee: -- A motion by Lonnie Wilkey of Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory, Tenn., to ask trustees of all SBC entities to consider examining their media policies, and if they do not have clearly defined guidelines, to consider establishing a policy that trustee and committee meetings be open to the public. The motion was referred to the Executive Committee and all SBC entities. -- A motion by Victoria Gurgone of Peace Church, Wilson, N.C., for the Executive Committee to consider adding a "veteran" and/or "active duty" option on the online registration form, as well as adding "veteran" and/or "active duty" to SBC name badges. The motion was referred to the Executive Committee. -- A motion by Graham Weaver of Lenexa Baptist Church, Lenexa, Kan., to encourage SBC presidents past and present through LifeWay Christian Resources to write their memoirs. The motion was referred to LifeWay … [Read more...]
SBC resolutions address culture, ministry concerns
ST. LOUIS (BP) -- Messengers to the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention, in addition to repudiating the display of the Confederate battle flag, approved 11 other resolutions on a variety of culture and ministry concerns. Messengers voted on the proposals over both days of the annual meeting, adopting resolutions that expressed compassion for those devastated by the Orlando mass shooting, urged consistent evangelism of unbelievers and encouraged care for refugees. They also passed measures that included calling for the federal government not to discriminate against people who support only the biblical, traditional view of marriage and opposing an effort to require women to register for the military draft. For Stephen Rummage, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, the call for Southern Baptists to evangelize was central to the 10-member panel's deliberations in presenting the 12 measures to the messengers. The resolution on evangelism "might just seem like a standard resolution for an evangelical body such as Southern Baptists to pass," Rummage said at a news conference Wednesday morning (June 15), "but really that is at the heart of everything that we talked about, including what we had to say about the Confederate flag. … [Read more...]
‘We need You, Lord’: Baptists plead for national revival
ST. LOUIS (BP) -- At times they raised their hands. At times they gathered together in groups of two to three. And at times thousands of messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention knelt at their chairs on Tuesday night (June 14) as they pleaded with God to bring national revival and spiritual awakening to America. In one of his final acts as SBC president, Ronnie Floyd led the convention in an evening of prayer during its annual meeting in St. Louis. "From this moment on, it will not be about personalities on the stage. It will be about Jesus, all the way," said Floyd, who has focused much of his two-year presidency on urging Southern Baptists to pray for spiritual awakening. "We're about to give Him praise. And from this moment on, I'm going to ask you to give Him your all. What if this were your last night on this earth? Wouldn't you want to give it all to Jesus and be ready?" Floyd noted that Southern Baptists had thousands at First Baptist Church of Orlando who were, at that time, praying desperately for their city. "Orlando is a lot more desperate tonight than they were before this tragedy," Floyd said. "But why should it take a tragedy to make us desperate for God?" Praying for spiritual leaders Matt Chandler, … [Read more...]
Seeking unity, Greear withdraws from race, Gaines wins SBC presidency
ST LOUIS (BP) -- In an effort to help bring unity following a close vote, North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear announced Wednesday he withdrew from the race for president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC's annual meeting in St. Louis. SBC President Ronnie Floyd recognized Greear and Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines so they could address the convention at the start what was to be a third vote for president at the end of the June 15 morning session. However, before any ballots could be cast Greear announced to the convention that he was withdrawing his name from consideration after he prayed last night and believes "we need to leave St. Louis united. "I've said from the beginning it is tricky to lead the SBC," Greear said. "I've spent a good amount of time praying and I believe for the sake of our convention and our election we need to leave St. Louis united. ... We are united by a Gospel too great, and a mission too urgent, to let a lesser message stand in our way. "I am respectfully withdrawing my candidacy as president and asking you to join me in electing Steve Gaines as president," Greear said, adding that Gaines had considered "doing the exact same thing in reverse." Gaines said "there's no way God is not doing … [Read more...]
No clear winner determined in SBC presidential election
ST LOUIS (BP) -- Although an announcement of a new Southern Baptist Convention president was expected on Tuesday (June 14), no clear winner was determined the day of election. A run-off between nominees North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear and Memphis-area pastor Steve Gaines failed to provide a clear majority, as required by Roberts Rules of Order. A second run-off election between the two pastors has been scheduled for the Wednesday morning session at 10:58 a.m. SBC President Ronnie Floyd reported results of the run-off election at the beginning of the Tuesday night session. Of the 7,230 messengers registered at the time of the first runoff, 4,824 ballots were cast. To be declared a winner, a nominee is required to win 50 percent plus 1 of ballots cast, or 2,413 or more votes. Gaines received 2,410 votes or 49.96 percent while Greear received 2,306 votes or 47.80 percent. However, 108 votes were considered illegal because the wrong ballot was used or an indistinguishable mark was made. In explaining the first runoff results, lead parliamentarian Barry McCarty said "there is no doubt what the vote is. It has been counted and recounted." But Roberts Rules of Order require that the 108 illegal votes be counted to determine a … [Read more...]
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