By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – First through sixth grade boys will have an opportunity for an up and close encounter with a 10-foot robot at the upcoming Royal Ambassador Congress. Scheduled for March 21-22 at Tall Timbers Conference Center, RA Congress will feature Gigamaxx, a giant robot who will be focused on what it takes to be transformed into a follower of Christ. Louisiana Baptist Convention President Steve Horn, who serves as pastor of First Baptist Lafayette, will interview Gigamaxx and there will be a time for each RA Lad and Crusader to have interaction with the robot. The robot will coincide with this year’s theme, Be Transformed. “We only have one opportunity to reach these young men and we need to do all we can to make an impression on them of the importance of following Christ,” said Gibbie McMillan, LBC men’s ministry and volunteer strategist. “Traditionally we have RAs from 25 plus chapters from across the state of Louisiana, therefore we must make the most of this time. We will be extremely fast paced for about 20 hours and hopefully they will go home excited about their experience at Congress.” In addition to Gigamaxx, RA Congress will also include Pinewood Derby and soap box races, … [Read more...]
Page: hopeful for Cooperative Program uptick
Submitted by philip on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 13:24 Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, told committee members that Southern Baptists face “challenging days” with Cooperative Program giving. But he also expressed hope for future. By Shawn Hendricks, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists face "challenging days" with Cooperative Program giving, Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, told committee members in Nashville, voicing hope for an upswing in giving. While sharing his passion for CP and its role in supporting missions and ministry around the globe, Page said the momentum for the "1% CP Challenge" continues to grow for churches to increase CP giving by 1 percentage point of their budgets. "I have written personal letters to almost 3,000 pastors thanking them for their involvement" in the 1% CP Challenge, Page said Feb. 17. "Our state executives are saying, 'Frank, please don't stop. Our people are just starting to get it.…' We won't stop. "It is my passion that fuels my heart belief in this," Page said. "I supported this before I was paid to support this. As a pastor I strongly supported over 10 percent of our church's undesignated receipts to the Cooperative … [Read more...]
New look to sbc.net launched
By Staff, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- A more visual redesign of sbc.net, the official website of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, has officially launched, Frank Page announced to committee members in Nashville. While the new website will feature much of the same information and resources that readers have logged on to the site to access, it also will include a variety of new visual updates, said Page, president of the Executive Committee. One of those updates includes a rotating slideshow of images and stories across the top of the site. "SBC.net has a new look," Page told committee members Feb. 17 as he pointed out new features of the site displayed on a video screen. "We believe it's going to be an excellent resource for our convention. "Everything that you've always seen and [that is] important will be on there," he said. Two of the most popular features of the site, he said, allow people to search for jobs in Baptist Life and for cooperating churches. The site also features a daily devotional and a newsfeed of Baptist Press stories. "We want it to be a one-stop shop," Page said. "Anything you need to deal with SBC-wise will be on sbc.net." … [Read more...]
Situation at LC unfolds
Submitted by philip on Tue, 03/12/2013 - 10:27 A controversy has emerged at Louisiana College in reference to President Joe Aguillard’s articulation in a “President’s Pen” column that the theology known as Calvinism would not be advocated on the Pineville campus. By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor PINEVILLE – The Louisiana College Board of Trustees gathered for a special called meeting on Feb. 25. The purpose of the meeting, which was conducted in Executive Session with only trustees in attendance, was never disclosed. Convened in Granberry Hall on the campus of LC, the meeting, according to a variety of observers, lasted more than four-and-a-half hours. When the meeting adjourned, no statement was issued by the Board explaining the nature of the meeting. With a regularly scheduled meeting of the LC Board on the calendar for March 18, social media was abuzz with conjecture concerning the special called session. The overwhelming speculation was the meeting was called to address a controversy that had emerged as the result of three professors not having their contracts renewed. Additional speculation suggested three students whose weblog postings helped to stir up the controversy might also be a part of the closed-door … [Read more...]
Pastors promote heaven-on-earth worship
By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor STATEWIDE – More than 60 percent of Louisiana’s population self-identifies as “white,” according to U.S. Census Bureau demographics for 2011. Stated another way, about 40 percent of Louisiana’s population self-identifies as something other than white. And from another perspective, most everybody who goes to church – about half the state’s 4.6 million population – goes to church where the people look mostly like themselves. What’s that all about? Pastors across the state dealt in different ways to that question in February, which is known for its day of love, Sunday of racial reconciliation, and month of Black history. “Does God care about racial reconciliation?” Casey Hough, pastor of Waller Baptist Church, asked that question on his blog, accessed through the church’s website: www.wallerbaptist.com. “In other words,” Hough’s blog continues, “does God’s Word teach that people of different races should worship and serve together? Or, is God’s Word indifferent to issues of race, making the pursuit of racial reconciliation necessary?” Hough used the Southern Baptist Convention’s Racial Reconciliation Sunday on Feb. 10 as yet another opportunity to move his mostly anglo congregation in one … [Read more...]
Please, just the facts
By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor “What’s happening at Louisiana College?” I’ve been frequently asked this question over the past few weeks. My answer is always the same, “I don’t really know for sure.” Some people act as if they don’t believe me, but it is the truth. What I know to be absolute fact is very little. Each time I am asked the aforementioned question, I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies. The statement to which I refer is on the bulletin board that overlooks my desk and it stares at me as I write this column. “These are the facts of the case, and they are undisputed,” is the quote and it is from the movie A Few Good Men. The words are uttered by Capt. Jack Ross, a character portrayed by Kevin Bacon. In the movie, Ross is U.S Marine attorney and is the lead prosecutor representing the U.S government in the trial of two Marines accused of murdering one of their platoon members. The quote occurs during Ross’ opening statement of the trial. The quote from A Few Good Men is reminiscent of a phrase made famous by the character Joe Friday in the old Dragnet television series. The Los Angeles Police Sergeant, played by Jack Webb, was known for his deadpan recitation, “All we want are the facts, just the … [Read more...]
What to do now that the Calvinists are here?
By Gerald Harris, Editor The Christian Index in Georgia John Calvin (1509-1564) was an influential French pastor and theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He is best known for his “doctrine of predestination,” which became the foundation of his theology – suggesting that God predestined certain individuals to be saved. Calvinism is known for its five basic tenets summarized by the acronym TULIP. Those five points of Calvinism are (1) Total depravity of man, (2) Unconditional election, (3) Limited atonement, (4) Irresistible grace and (5) Perseverance of the saints. There are some Calvinists who suggest that unconditional election means that God chooses, or “elects,” His children from before the foundations of the earth – that God does not just “know” what decision people will make, but that God causes them to make the decision to seek Him. There are also those who hold to Reformed theology who believe limited atonement means that the death and resurrection of Christ is the substitutionary payment for the sins of only those who are God’s elect children, but not the entire world. Many who embrace Reformed theology are motivated to allow it to influence their church polity by substituting congregational church government … [Read more...]
Why all the buzz? Further thoughts on the present Calvinism Conversation
By Earl Blackburn, Pastor Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport Southern Baptists are people of deep conviction, fiery passion, and great heritage, which formed us into a working consensus of cooperation. Sometimes, these traits have caused divisions. Calvinism has been one of the controversial issues, but definitely not the most divisive. For the past 75-80 years there has been a détente between non-Calvinists and Calvinists. From time to time, skirmishes erupted, but eventually we settled down and went back to fulfilling the Great Commission. However, in the past 5-7 years the peace has been disturbed. So tumultuous has been the furor that attempts surfaced to build bridges and restore peace. Two examples were the Building Bridges Conference at Ridgecrest (2008) and Dr. Frank Page’s appeal at the SBC in New Orleans (2012) in which he passionately pled with us to stop the in-fighting about Calvinism and get on with fulfilling our Great Commission mandate. Page indicated he was forming a commission to present a report at the 2013 Convention on how Calvinists and non-Calvinists can continue to work together, as we have done “decade upon decade upon decade.” It seems some are not listening to Dr. Page. Instead, there are … [Read more...]
Operation Auca: Martyrs of the Ecuador Mission
By Rex Butler, NOBTS On Oct. 28, 1949, Jim Elliot wrote in his journal a statement of faith that has inspired all who have read it in the decades since: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” (The Journals of Jim Elliot). Not many years later, this young man and four other missionaries indeed gave their lives in an attempt to share the Gospel with an unreached people group called Aucas in Ecuador. This indigenous group called themselves “Huaorani,” meaning “people,” but their enemies called them “Aucas” because they were “savages.” They were a tribe of about 600 people known for their violence, not only against their enemies but also among themselves. Any foreigners (cowodi) encroaching upon the Aucas’ territory were killed. Despite the Aucas’ reputation for violence, five missionary couples felt compassion for them because they had never heard the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. They were Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Nate and Marjorie Saint, Ed and Marilou McCully, Pete and Olive Fleming, and Roger and Barbara Youderian, who, along with their children, moved to Ecuador in order to learn the language and customs of these primitive people and to establish contact with them. … [Read more...]
Questions We’ve Pondered
By Archie England, NOBTS Question: Is a person born a sinner, or does he or she become a sinner once the first act of sin occurs? In the later 4th century of the early church, Pelagius argued the latter – asserting Adam’s sin harmed only himself. So, Adam’s original sin did not taint the remainder of humanity. Like Adam, every person becomes a sinner by a first act of sin. Pelagius’ views (humanity was uninjured by the sin of Adam (no original sin) and thereby had a will totally free to choose good or evil) were condemned as heretical in AD 418 (though not so in AD 416). Archie England responds: What’s at stake here is how we understand the “Fall” of Adam in Genesis 3. Either Adam’s choice affected only himself or it affected both him and all future humanity. In the Garden of Eden, Satan’s trickery of Eve (Gen 3:1-6a) became Eve’s enticing of Adam (Gen 3:6b): she offered; he ate. Verse 7: With their eyes now opened, they saw (their nakedness) and reacted (crafted coverings). When God arrived for fellowship with creation (3:8), Adam and Eve hid! The strong imagery compels the reader to “see” that sin disrupted the relationship. God still offered them the fellowship of His Presence but they withdrew theirs. Once becoming sinners … [Read more...]
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