David Crosby admits that when he found himself ministering in the inner city of Houston for five years, he sometimes wondered why he was there. David Crosby admits that when he found himself ministering in the inner city of Houston for five years, he sometimes wondered why he was there. When he served as a city desk reporter for the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper during his seminary years, he probably wondered what world he had stumbled into at times as well. But now, one easily can say it was all training for the day when Crosby would find himself as the only fulltime pastor of an Anglo church in the eastern part of Orleans Parish. As it turns out, that pastorate is First Baptist Church of New Orleans. As it also turns out, since arriving to the position in 1996, Crosby has led the church to a critical junction - for itself and for the Greater New Orleans area. "Its really been a generation since First Baptist Church has been on the map, so to speak," Crosby acknowledged recently. "But now we are again. This all is an effort to put a light on the hill - and we are." Indeed, whereas it once may have taken initiative to … [Read more...]
Leader cites need to teach youth biblical sexuality
Youth ministries must teach teenagers how to reflect the glory of God with their sexuality, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler Jr. emphasized recently. Youth ministries must teach teenagers how to reflect the glory of God with their sexuality, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler Jr. emphasized recently. Churches must confront the current crisis of teenage sexuality by teaching youth about the Bibles comprehensive plan for sex and marriage, Mohler said. "The church, as the redeemed people of God under the authority of Scripture, is supposed to be the one place where sanity prevails in God-ward terms," he said. "But were in big trouble, because so often, we do not begin where the Scripture begins." Teenagers must understand that God created them as sexual beings so that they could glorify him in that area, Mohler said. "When we talk about the crisis in sexuality, the first crisis is that most people dont know where to begin," he said. "So, lets just nail that down and say, Were going to begin with the glory of God, so that our message to young people and to their parents is this - we want to help them, … [Read more...]
Study – religious involvement healthy for collegians
College students with high levels of religious involvement and commitment tend to be more emotionally and mentally healthy than those with little or no involvement, a study by UCLAs Higher Education Research Institute indicates. College students with high levels of religious involvement and commitment tend to be more emotionally and mentally healthy than those with little or no involvement, a study by UCLAs Higher Education Research Institute indicates. "College can be an unsettling time as students struggle with change and fundamental issues about themselves and the world," UCLA professor Alexander Astin said. "This study suggests religion and spirituality can play a positive role in the mental and emotional health of students." Students who frequently participate in religious services - compared to non-participants - show much smaller increases in feeling overwhelmed during college. Non-religious students had a 14 percent increase in feeling overwhelmed, while religious students had a 2 percent increase during college, the study found. Likewise, just 20 percent of highly-religiously-involved students reported experiencing high levels of psychological distress, … [Read more...]