By Paul Dietzel II, member of Jefferson Baptist Church, Baton Rouge BATON ROUGE – One of the most regrettable legacies of the Millennial generation will be the forfeiture of many of the great institutions and traditions bequeathed to us in trust. To be sure, no man-made institution can emerge spotless from strict scrutiny. The institutions serving as agents or as a committee of the whole have been the mechanism whereby great advancements in history have taken flight. Yet, whether it was the Declaration of Independence drafted by perhaps one of the greatest subcommittees in world history (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston can hardly be described as “establishment”) or the means employed in the founding of many of our nation’s colleges and universities, institutions or funding mechanisms can wither over time and drift from their original purpose. As I walked around the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the 2015 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, I was struck by the overall focus and unity of a multi-generational group of people determined to make an impact. I inhabit the technology and political sectors and, for better or worse, conventions or … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – The mainstream media are adoring toward Bruce Jenner’s “courageous” transition to “Caitlyn;” schools are introducing curriculum teaching sexual identity is a fluid concept and not a biological construct; and, the U.S. military has announced it is studying “the policy and readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly … with the presumption that transgender persons can serve openly without adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness, unless and except where objective, practical impediments are identified.” Remarkably, this push toward redefining sexual identity as “ambiguous” comes as homosexual activists just won legal recognition for gay marriage from the U.S. Supreme Court. And, ironically, it contradicts what Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in justifying the majority decision—that “sexual orientation is both a normal expression of human sexuality and immutable” (in other words, “fixed”). Even more incredibly, such social re-engineering is moving ahead in our country despite bodies of scientific research that conclude transsexuality is a psychiatric disease and, particularly with children, often is a transient condition that is best … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn, President of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and Pastor of First Baptist Church, Lafayette LAFAYETTE – Abraham’s story in Genesis 12 is a model story of what it means to take God at His word and obey. I have always been amazed at Abram’s faith depicted in this account. As I have often summarized about this story, “God said to Abram ‘Get up and go,’ and Abram got up and went.” The part of the story that I want to isolate is not Abram’s journey to the land of Canaan, but instead what he did when he got there. He built an altar. In fact in Abram’s case, we see a series of altars. In Chapter 12, we have two initial altars: 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to Yahweh there, and he called on the name of Yahweh. In chapter 13, we see the indication of additional altars. The first is the return to the altar between Bethel and Ai: 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, … [Read more...]

By Dr. David Hankins Dear Louisiana Pastors and Leaders, In the days since June 26, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, I have read and heard numerous commentaries on the subject and have mulled over what I should write to the Louisiana Baptist family. There is more to think about than can be conveyed in one letter (I hope you are availing yourself of resources being provided by respected Christian leaders) but I offer a few observations about how we should respond: We should grieve. My initial feeling upon hearing the ruling was a profound sense of sadness. I was not surprised by the ruling. It was expected, and was consistent with the rapid acceptance of homosexual behavior in our culture. But it grieves me greatly that America would ratify as a preferred way of life that which is so contradictory to Christ, His Word, and His Church.  It is not as though there was a lack of abundant evidence of a growing anti-Christian sentiment in our country before June 26. But the Supreme Court decision felt to me like an official public pronouncement against God.  I think I understand how Ezekiel felt when the Spirit showed him the religious leaders of Judah worshipping the … [Read more...]