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"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Lead advocate for gay rights reverses position in cake baking case

By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner BELFAST (Christian Examiner) – A gay rights activist at the center of a fight against a family of Christian bakers in Northern Ireland that refused to bake a gay-themed cake has publicly reversed his position now that the family has been found guilty of discrimination. Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Northern Ireland, but the country's discrimination laws still left Ashers Baking Company in a lurch when it declined to bake the cake for gay rights activist Gareth Lee nearly two years ago, the BBC reported. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]

Evangelicals propel Cruz toward upset win in Iowa

By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner DES MOINES, Iowa (Christian Examiner) – Evangelicals helped carry Ted Cruz to a surprising victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses Monday night, although they were far from unified in their preferred candidate. With frontrunner Donald Trump leading in every pre-election poll, Cruz carried 34 percent of the vote of Republicans who identify as evangelical or born-again Christians, a group that comprised 64 percent of Republican voters according to entrance polls. Trump won 22 percent and Marco Rubio 21 percent among evangelicals, with Ben Carson (12 percent) being the only other GOP candidate to reach double digits. Among all caucus attendees, Cruz won 28 percent, Trump, 24 percent and Rubio 23 percent. Trump led Cruz by an average of 4.7 percent in the RealClearPolitics.com average of Iowa polls, although two weekend surveys showed Cruz cutting Trump's lead to one point, with Rubio surging. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

Iowa caucuses: Southern Baptists ‘highly involved’

By David Roach DES MOINES, Iowa (BP) - Iowa pastor Todd Stiles had a specific prayer for caucus season: "Lord, come quickly, and till then, help me stand strongly." Southern Baptists across the Hawkeye State apparently agreed with the sentiment because many, including pastors, stood for biblical principles during caucus season, campaigning for the presidential candidates they believed would best represent their values. Iowa pastors and state convention staff members spoke for candidates at their respective caucus sites -- in keeping with a unique feature of Iowa's caucus process. Some agreed to serve as delegates to Republican county conventions -- another unique feature of Iowa's process. And at least two Southern Baptist churches allowed their buildings to be used as caucus sites -- one Democratic and one Republican. "Iowa Southern Baptists are engaged and involved," said Stiles, pastor of First Family Church in Ankeny, Iowa. "They're part of that evangelical vote that affects the caucuses so much, and I'm glad about that. I'm glad we are plugged in, connected, vocal and at the same time kind and compassionate." National commentators said evangelical support, which included that of Southern Baptists, was a key … [Read more...]

Abedini praises wife, denies ‘much’ of abuse claim

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press BOISE, Idaho (BP) - Saeed Abedini denied "much" of what his wife Naghmeh Abedini has alleged of spousal abuse and a pornography addiction in his first statements about their marriage since his release from an Iranian prison, but he praised his wife for advocating for his freedom. "Much of what I have read in Naghmeh's [Facebook] posts and subsequent media reports is not true," he said in a Jan. 30 statement to his hometown newspaper, the Idaho Statesman. "But I believe we should work on our relationship in private and not on social media or other media. Naghmeh wrote this week, 'We are taking personal time to work on very serious personal issues.' I intend to do this hard work in private." Saeed Abedini released the statement days after his wife filed for legal separation in Ada County, Idaho, writing on Facebook that she wanted to guard against Abedini taking the children, 9-year-old Rebekka and 7-year-old Jacob, from Idaho while the couple works to heal their marriage. "I have taken temporary legal action to make sure our children will stay in Idaho until this situation has been resolved," she wrote on Facebook. "In very difficult situations sometimes you have to … [Read more...]

PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Louisiana Baptists Hispanic Evangelism Conference

LAFAYETTE – Carlos Schmidt, organizer of the Hispanic Evangelism Conference held Jan. 22-23 at First Baptist Church in Lafayette, said the event emphasized the importance of “not separating evangelism from discipleship.” Schmidt is a catalytic church planter and strategist for Louisiana Baptists. “God used the conference to remind us we are called to make disciples,” he said, adding that it was important to him the assimilation strategies and systems presented during the sessions “are reproducible” among Hispanic congregations. … [Read more...]

Church retirement plan clarification law good news for GuideStone, Southern Baptists

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS — Legislation signed into law in December will have a positive impact for both those who participate in and those who operate church retirement plans. Provisions of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, commonly referred to as the PATH Act, will allow church retirement plans to include automatic enrollment features in their retirement programs regardless of state wage withholding laws, as well as allow for certain kinds of transfers and mergers between accounts of the same employer. Additionally, provisions addressing counting employees for benefit purposes among certain church-related employers will help distinguish between different kinds of church and denominational governance structures. The legislation — long sought by a broad coalition of large and historic denominational retirement plan providers — took three Congresses to consider before being tacked onto the PATH Act in December 2015. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on December 18. ”This bill has been a long-awaited and hard-fought bill to pass,” said O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources. “We appreciate all who made this bill a reality.” A major “win” in … [Read more...]

1,200 walk in first-ever Cenla Louisiana Life March

ALEXANDRIA/PINEVILLE - Around 1,200 united on Saturday morning to give central Louisiana a message - all life is priceless. The first-ever Cenla Louisiana Life March began on the Louisiana College campus and continued through Pineville on Main Street before crossing over the Red River at the Jackson Street Bridge before ending with a post-march rally at the Alexandria Riverfront Amphitheater. Other Louisiana Life Marches have taken place in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, most recently simultaneously on Jan. 23, but this was the first time such an event was held in the central part of the state. Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pollock, was among the speakers at the march. He challenged the crowd to become a part of various pro-life causes. "You can be a part of this too," he said. "Will you go with me? Let's speak for those who cannot speak." The Louisiana Life March was a chance for different denominations, ages and ethnic and racial backgrounds to march together and pray to declare their opposition to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973. The theme for this year’s march is “Life Is Priceless.” According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, … [Read more...]

PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Louisiana Baptists 2016 Evangelism Conference

Wayne Jenkins and Charles Billingsley shared moving testimonies of thankfulness with those attending Louisiana Baptists 2016 Evangelism Conference, their stories epitomizing the messages of God’s power and grace presented throughout the program. Impromptu testimonies of God's faithfulness, music by national recording artists Mark Lowry and Charles Billingsley and multiple times of individual prayer highlighted Louisiana Baptists 2016 Evangelism Conference. Held Jan. 25-26 at First Baptist Church Lafayette, the event drew between 2,000 and 2,5000 people and ended with 500 people coming forward at the end to make a commitment to lead at least one person to Christ in 2016. … [Read more...]

PHOTO SLIDESHOW: African-American Fellowship at Evangelism Conference

The African-American Fellowship met on Jan. 25 between sessions of the Louisiana Baptists 2016 Evangelism Conference. Ken Weathersby, vice president for convention advancement for the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, was among the speakers. Weathersby planted the first African-American Southern Baptist Convention Church in Louisiana in 1988. Today, the Louisiana Baptist Convention is planting 10-plus African American churches every year in Louisiana. He now serves as vice-president of the Executive Committee of the SBC. … [Read more...]