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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Tennessee Baptists reject controversial SBC resolution

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—Tennessee Baptists have broken with Southern Baptists with regard to two controversial concepts creeping into Southern Baptist seminaries, passing a rival resolution at the recently held state annual meeting that condemns Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality. The consensus statement said that Tennessee Baptists “are deeply troubled that some are injecting CRT and Intersectionality into theological context” and that the state convention’s members “strongly denounce CRT and Intersectionality as inconsistent with the Biblical worldview and theology.” The Tennessee declaration stands in stark contrast to a resolution passed in June by Southern Baptist messengers that endorsed Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as “a set of analytical tools” which provide “selective insights … to understand multifaceted social dynamics.” Critical Race Theory can be traced to Derrick Bell, formerly of the Harvard Law School, who insisted that all formal structures in our country such as “the law” perpetuate “white privilege.” Meanwhile, Kimberlé Crenshaw, of the UCLA School of Law, coined the idea of Intersectionality to claim every intersection in life creates … [Read more...]

Chick fil-A drops 2 Christian charities, denies caving in to LGBT demands

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor ATLANTA (LBM) — Chick-fil-A has announced it will drop the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army from its foundation’s charitable giving program after completing multi-year commitments to both. The move comes as the Christian-founded company has endured severe attacks from homosexual groups that attack the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army as anti-LGBT because both ministries champion marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman. According to public records, in 2018 the Chick-fil-A Foundation contributed $1.65 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $115,000 to the Salvation Army. The attacks on Chickfil-A include denials in recent years by airports and universities to prevent the company from opening stores on their respective premises. In reporting the change in its charitable giving policy, the Chick-fil-A Foundation announced its plans for “a more focused giving approach” in distributing $9 million in 2020 “to a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger.” In an email to the Christian Post, a Chick-filA spokesperson stressed, “No organization … [Read more...]

STUDY: Homosexuals made, not born, that way

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (LBM) – In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers found that from 75 percent up to 92 percent of homosexual behavior is the result of the environment, not genetics. In other words, cultural and social influences have an overwhelmingly greater impact on same-sex behavior than biology. Importantly, the genome study of nearly half a million participants from the U.K., U.S. and Sweden determined “there certainly is no single genetic determinant (sometimes referred to as the ‘gay gene’ in the media).” Of particular interest, the 8 percent to 25 percent of (minimal) genetic influence on same-sex sexual behavior was tied to genetic indicators which also predict behaviors “such as smoking, cannabis use, risk-taking, and the personality trait ‘openness to experience’” as well as “sexual behavior, attraction, identity, and fantasies.” Likewise, same-sex sexual behavior was “genetically correlated with several psychiatric or mental health traits” such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Of special significance, the study did not examine sexual identity but instead focused on sexual behavior. In July 2014, the CDC reported 1.6 percent of U.S. … [Read more...]

LSU longsnapper an NFL prospect, but a confirmed follower of Christ

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor BATON ROUGE (LBM) —Blake Ferguson has had a remarkable history in football in a unique position. He came to LSU as the number one long snapper as a senior in high school, and last year he was named the best collegiate long snapper in the nation. On top of that, he took over that job for the Tigers from his brother Reid who was signed after graduation as the long snapper for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and, scouts are predicting Blake will play at that level on Sundays, too. But Sundays have another special meaning for the professional football prospect. He is a committed Christian, and his hometown congregation in Smyrna, Georgia, is Christ Covenant Church, a Georgia Baptist member. Moreover, as much as Blake contributes to the success of the Tigers on the gridiron, observers say he makes an equally important impact off the field. Indeed, Andy Stroup, the greater Baton Rouge area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, called Ferguson “the main guy” in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at LSU. “He has been a part of the leadership team -- going on his third year,” Stroup told the Baptist Message. “He is a tremendous man. “When Blake walks into the … [Read more...]

Pastors Conference offered renewal for the work

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – During the 2019 Louisiana Baptist Pastor’s Conference, Nov. 10-11, at the First Baptist Church, Pineville, speakers offered words of encouragement and conviction to pastors. ROBERT SMITH Robert Smith, professor of Christian preaching at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, spoke during the opening session from Joshua 14:6-15 to urge the crowd to resist a “me first” attitude and instead to embrace God’s calling “to be second.” Pointing to the faithfulness of Caleb, who waited 45 years for God to fulfill his promise of a new land, Smith said Caleb saw his patient obedience rewarded. “God’s delays are not God’s denials,” he said. “It’s been 45 years.  How do you live with a dream, a vision for 45 years? It has been delayed. But God is not in time. Time is in God. If you will trust Him and be faithful, it may be a delay, but it’s not a denial.” PAUL CHITWOOD Paul Chitwood, who was elected president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board in November 2018, told pastors to adopt the wisdom that Nehemiah displayed when he fought off the enemy who was trying to dissuade him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. “The … [Read more...]

Speakers press messengers to unite for the Gospel

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Wait on God and He will deliver in His timing, Eddie Wren said during his Louisiana Baptist Convention president’s address Nov. 11. Referencing Isaiah 40:27-31, Wren, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Rayville, exhorted Louisiana Baptists to “wait on the Lord. Keep following Him and wait on Him.” “Though the world tells us the church is falling apart, and the world tells us the church is antiquated, though the world tells us we need something else, we must not be shaken,” Wren told messengers. “The rebellious time we live in is no time to compromise. Never believe God doesn’t know where we are. Never listen to the lies of the devil as he tells us God cannot help us. “Though we may be experiencing some difficulties, it’s not the end,” he proclaimed. “Don’t give up; don’t give in. Wait on the Lord and in due time He will renew your strength, He will lift you up and He will change your situation. And you will be renewed. You’ll leave the rubble and despair behind and by God’s grace you’ll soar.” JAKE ROUDVOSKI During two Bible study sessions, Jake Roudvoski, professor of evangelism and church leadership with New Orleans Baptist Theological … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptists prepare to restore faith community’s presence in Bahamas

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are preparing to execute a plan to rebuild the St. Matthew Baptist Church in the Grand Bahamas, which was essentially leveled by the 185 miles-per-hour winds of Hurricane Dorian Sept. 2. The 128-year-old St. Matthew Baptist Church is one of nine of the 13 Baptist churches on the islands severely damaged or completely destroyed by the storm – and the destruction crippled the faith community which enjoys a central role in Bahamian culture. According to Gibbie McMillan, state director for Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief, three mud-out teams will serve at separate times in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, between Dec. 8 and 21. Louisiana Baptists from churches and Baptist Collegiate Ministries in the state will work alongside teams from the Mississippi Baptist Convention in ‘Bahama Rebuild,’ a joint partnership with the International Mission Board and Baptist Global Response. The North Carolina and Alabama state conventions are sending additional teams to undertake other rebuild projects on the islands. “Having served as a state disaster relief director for 14 years, this particular response will be, by far, as difficult as Hurricane Katrina … [Read more...]

Horn: Celebrate & unite as the body of Christ

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Steve Horn, during his first Louisiana Baptist Convention executive director’s report, called on messengers to unite for the sake of the Gospel. “As I have travelled our beloved state, I have verified what I have long since believed,” Horn said during the Nov. 11 evening session of the LBC Annual Meeting. “We are different. We don’t all agree on every issue in Southern Baptist life. But, taking the picture that the Bible gives to us about the different parts of the body of Christ, we should celebrate our differences instead of complain about our differences. “And in addition to a renewal of commitment to our Lord and to one another, we need a renewal of our commitment to our cooperative ministries,” he continued. “You are here at the convention because you believe in that spirit of cooperation or at least are curious about what we could do in cooperation with one another. This is a great time to renew our commitments because so much is new.” PROGRESS MADE Horn said Louisiana Baptists have much to celebrate. Since the 2018 LBC Annual Meeting, five new Southern Baptist entity heads have come on board, in addition to the LBC approving its new executive … [Read more...]

Four steps to solving most any relationship issue

By Steve Horn Many New Testament scholars give the educated guess that the book of James is among the earliest, if not the earliest, written New Testament books. If this widely-held thesis is correct, then with James, we have a good look into the issues that the earliest believers in Jesus struggled with in their discipleship. We then observe that we struggle with the same issues. Indeed the sin and struggles of the human heart stretch across generations. At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, but relying on the word of God, can we solve most every relationship struggle with four steps? Let me be the messenger of some “one another” statements from Brother James. Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. James 4:11 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another. James 5:9 Confess your sins to one another. James 5:16 Pray for one another. James 5:16 Think about a church or a convention of churches where we did not criticize one another or complain about one another, but instead confessed our own sin to one another, and prayed for one another. Steve Horn is executive director for Louisiana Baptists. This editorial first appeared on his blog. … [Read more...]

Auto accident claims the life of pastor’s wife

By Message Staff OAKDALE – Members of Oak Hill Community Baptist Church in Oakdale are mourning the loss of the wife of their pastor, who was killed in a car accident Tuesday, Nov. 19. “Pray for the family as they make arrangements today, and for their comfort and peace as they face the days ahead,” Mt. Olive Baptist Association Director of Missions Jerry Johnson told the Baptist Message. According to a news release from the Louisiana State Police Troop E, Myra Turner, the wife of Pastor Don Turner, died after the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze she was driving westbound on state Highway 489 collided around 4:30 p.m. with a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, driven by an unidentified driver, southbound on state Highway 121. Turner, who was the only person in her vehicle, was wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, but was pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation. A memorial service is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. at Oak Hill Community Baptist, with visitation at 9 a.m. Online messages of condolence may be posted at rushfh.com. … [Read more...]