By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS – In the days following the death of her husband, a beloved professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Christi Gibson has seen the Christian community rally around her and her family. And she now wants others to know they should feel free to reach out to others for help in overcoming a certain sin in their own lives. “The message we hope to get out is that we must do life in community,” Christi Gibson said. “And that means having some sort of environment where we hold each other accountable, are transparent, and talk about our struggles. She said we must adopt the attitude that “whatever it takes for us to get real in the Christian community, we are ready to do it. We are going to walk in truth.” Tragedy  Christi Gibson arrived home from work at approximately 5:30 pm. Aug. 24 when she discovered her husband, John, unresponsive at their home on the seminary campus. She immediately notified emergency medical services. Unfortunately, EMS responders were unable to revive him, and they pronounced him dead at the scene. Leavell College students were notified of their professor’s death during the first class period Aug. 25 and morning classes were … [Read more...]

By Staff, Louisiana Right to Life Two protests against Planned Parenthood will be held in Louisiana tomorrow in conjunction with Women Betrayed: The Real Stories Rally and Lobby Day at noon in Washington, D.C. Locals will gather in Baton Rouge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside Planned Parenthood Baton Rouge (3955 Government St., Suite 2) and from 5-6:30 p.m. at the new Planned Parenthood construction site at 4636 S. Claiborne Ave. in New Orleans. Protests are being held around the country Thursday in conjunction with the Washington, D.C. rally as citizens show their opposition to Planned Parenthood's abortion and baby-parts selling business. Pro-lifers will be urging Congress to defund the abortion business in this year's budget as they stand in solidarity for the unborn. There are no official programs at the local events, but Louisiana Right to Life officials, as well as leaders of Louisiana Students for Life, will be present and available for interviews. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message NEW ORLEANS -- The Orleans Parish coroner has yet to release an official cause of the Aug. 24th death of 56-year-old John Gibson, a beloved professor, at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. However, Trey Gibson, the professor’s son, shared his father’s death appeared to come at his own hand during a chapel service Sept. 8. Dr. Chuck Kelley, president of NOBTS, said he could not comment further on the cause of death until the coroner’s report is complete. “On the first day of classes, we had the unexpected death of a much loved professor, colleague, and friend Dr. John Gibson,” Kelley told the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary family during a chapel service Sept. 8. “We learned that he made some very sad and unfortunate choices in his life, and his son shared in his memorial service his death appeared to come at his own hand.” Gibson was discovered at his home on the seminary campus at approximately 5:30 p.m., Aug. 24, by his wife when she arrived home from work. After finding Gibson unresponsive, she immediately notified emergency medical service. EMS workers were unable to revive him, and Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. Leavell College students were notified of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – The bad news – Louisiana has seen hundreds of thousands of dollars re-routed to other parts of the country. The good news – it’s been going to help penetrate the lostness across the United States. When Kevin Ezell became president of the North American Mission Board in 2010, he proposed, in concert with state convention leaders, a strategy that gradually shifted resources away from Southern states such as Louisiana that have a strong membership and financial base to states outside the South that typically do not have those same resources needed for ministry. Louisiana Baptists’ Executive Director David Hankins assured Ezell that Louisiana Baptists would respond positively to take care of their own. “I shared with Dr. Ezell that Louisiana Baptists are happy to be a part of the effort to penetrate lostness in North America,” said Hankins. “We believe our country needs to hear the Gospel. “I also assured him that we would step up to the challenge of fully supporting missions and ministries in Louisiana.” Formerly, many mission projects and personnel were jointly supported by the state and NAMB. Even though part of the support has gone away, the need for the … [Read more...]

By Sandy Cunningham, Louisiana Right to Life This afternoon in federal court in Baton Rouge, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast asked U.S. District Judge John deGravelles to temporarily prevent Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration from pulling Medicaid funds from the abortion business while further appeals are argued. deGravelles is the same judge who should rule any day now on the case regarding the state's 2014 admitting privilege law. In the case, Planned Parenthood vs. Kathy Kleibert, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Planned Parenthood claims the action violates federal law and places thousands of women's critical care in jeopardy. But the state is citing a state law that allows cancellation of a Medicaid provider agreement with a 30-day notice. The Medicaid funding cut was supposed to take effect today, but the state agreed in court to extend the date until Sept. 15 in order to respond to a brief filed by the government late Monday. Once responses are filed, the court will issue a ruling on Planned Parenthood's request for a temporary restraining order. Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, issued the following statement: "It should be the prerogative of the governor … [Read more...]