NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD ANSWER AND DEFENSES 10311962262 McRaney's complaint against NAMB 3-main Strategic partnership agreement between North American Mission Board and the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware 3-1 … [Read more...]
Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board’s letter to Russell Moore, ERLC Trustees
May 4, 2017 Dr. Russell Moore & ERLC Board of Trustees 901 Commerce Street, Suite 550 Nashville, TN 37203 Dear Dr. Moore and Trustees: A motion was made at the 2016 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting to ask the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board to "study the recent actions of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission with regard to issues of concern to Louisiana Baptists." The Convention referred the matter to the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board. As the leaders of the Executive Board prepared to address this matter, Dr. Moore was kind enough to arrange a meeting with Executive Director, Dr. David Hankins, Executive Board President, Dr. Eddie Wren and Louisiana Baptist Convention President, Dr. Gevan Spinney. This meeting was very helpful, though not conclusive, in our process. As the leaders continued to study the matter, Dr. Moore and the ERLC leadership released the statement entitled “Seeking Unity in the Southern Baptist Convention” on March 20, 2017. This statement was key in helping the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board arrive at a proper response to the referred motion referenced above. We want to commend Dr. Moore for plainly confessing his failings … [Read more...]
Seeking unity in the Southern Baptist Convention
From the ERLC Executive Committee Our country has come through one of the more challenging political cycles in recent history. Evangelical Christians, and Southern Baptists in particular, faced difficult issues and decisions, which, at times, frayed and threatened even to tear the fabric of our civic and denominational unity. It is in this difficult context that Dr. Russell Moore has exercised leadership with integrity and with boldness. We affirm Dr. Moore in his leadership of the ERLC. He has spoken with clarity and conviction on ethical matters that have been identified in our Baptist Faith and Message and various Convention resolutions. These included issues related to religious liberty, racial reconciliation, character in public office, and a Christian understanding of sexuality. Most importantly, he has endeavored clearly and graciously to articulate the Christian gospel and its implications. For us not to stand in affirmation of the principles that Dr. Moore has espoused would be unfaithful to the mission entrusted to us by the Convention. Speaking to these issues is rarely convenient and often unpopular. While the manner, tone, and extent to which we speak to these issues is a matter of wisdom and timeliness, the … [Read more...]
SBC Executive Committee creates two panels to investigate SBC entities
By Will Hall, Message Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—Members of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee took the initiative during a committee session and again during a plenary session to ask for official action about national entities that are causing churches to withhold support for national causes. In the end two panels were proposed to study SBC entities whose leaders appear to be out of step with the consensus of SBC churches. The national effort to address troubling activities by SBC entities follows by almost three months a related action taken by messengers to the annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Moreover, it is an acknowledgement by SBC leaders that Southern Baptists across the country are not happy with some aspects of the direction of the national Convention. WIDESPREAD UNEASE The actions were taken about a week after Prestonwood Baptist Church announced Feb. 16 it was escrowing $1 million in Cooperative Program funds for what Pastor Jack Graham described as concerns about the direction of the SBC. Graham spoke to the Baptist Message via phone then and said church leaders had expressed to him "uneasiness" about the "disconnect between some of our denominational leaders … [Read more...]
Texas congregation escrows CP over concerns about direction of SBC
By Will Hall, Message Editor PLANO, Texas (LBM) – Prestonwood Baptist Church has announced its decision to escrow gifts previously forwarded to support Southern Baptist cooperative missions and ministries while the congregation discusses concerns about the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mike Buster, executive pastor for the Plano, Texas, church, provided a statement to the Baptist Message explaining that the action had been taken because of “various significant positions taken by the leadership of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission that do not reflect the beliefs and values of many in the Southern Baptist Convention” and that it is a temporary move “until a decision can be made on current and future funding.” The decision impacts $1 million the 41,000-member congregation would otherwise contribute through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ primary funding channel for support of state and national causes. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has created tensions among Southern Baptists by signing a friend of the court brief in support of the construction of a mosque, and, for making strident insults against evangelical supporters of then-presidential … [Read more...]
Patriots’ Solder shares lessons from son’s cancer battle
The day Johnny tried to “Cash” it in!
By Ron F. Hale Raw emotion swept over me the first time I saw and heard Johnny Cash’s video rendition of “Hurt,” a song first recorded by Nine Inch Nails in 1994. Seeing the now frail Cash singing the ghostly opening lyrics made me feel just a hint of the heartache that made the “Man in Black.” I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything The eerie medley and montage of a life-time of photos and film clips of Johnny along with his unmistakable voice helped rank the video one of the “The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos” by Time. There was a hopeless day in 1967 that Johnny literally crawled into a deep dark cave to die. The accumulated pain and shame of a decade of doing drugs, popping pills, ruined relationships, while always riding the rapids of whiskey river brought him to the mouth of Nickajack Cave on the Tennessee River north of Chattanooga. All his “uppers” had turned to “downers,” but Johnny wasn’t blaming anyone but himself. He knew that he had been his own worst enemy. The “Man in Black” would die in total darkness that … [Read more...]
‘Tis the season for soul-winning for SBC president
By Will Hall, Message Editor MEMPHIS, Tenn. – While Christmas means a lot of things to a lot of people, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention sees it as an opportunity to put the exclamation point in “Jesus is the reason for the season!” by soul-winning, and this year that means 400 new believers are professing “Jesus is Lord!” because of a Christmas program. Steve Gaines, pastor of the historic Bellevue Baptist Church in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tenn., is quick to credit others, with special praise for the tradition of soul-winning at his congregation to the leadership of former long-time pastor Adrian Rogers, as well as the vision for the presentation of the “Singing Christmas Tree” to former music minister James Whitmire. Still, under Gaines’ leadership this flagship congregation continues to use every opportunity, especially Christmas, to reach others for Christ, and the evidence is in the results. During 2015, the church averaged more than 7,000 in worship attendance and witnessed almost 600 baptisms – that is a per capita average of one baptism resulting for every 12 people who are active attenders (or 12:1). For the Southern Baptist Convention, the ratio is about 19:1 for established churches and … [Read more...]
World Series MVP was ‘blessed’ to be in situation to knock in game-winning run
By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner CHICAGO (Christian Examiner) – The MVP of the World Series is a Christian who loves theology and reading, and who enjoys talking about the "love of Christ." Chicago's Ben Zobrist cemented himself as a baseball legend Wednesday night when he broke a 6-6, 10th-inning tie with a double to leftfield, helping propel the Cubs to an 8-7 win over Cleveland and giving the franchise its first World Series title in 108 years. He also was named the Most Valuable Player. "I can't even put it into words ... what this team has battled through all year long," he said after the game, "believing we're the best team, but the ups and the downs and [then] having to fight through things. It's an unbelievable team to be a part of. Every guy on this team roots for each other and takes care of each other and picks each other up." He told ESPN about his key at-bat, "I couldn't have been more blessed to be in that situation." Off the field, Zobrist is one of the more outspoken Christians in professional sports. He and his wife, Julianna Zobrist, authored a 2014 book, "Playing With Purpose" (B&H), that details their career and faith journeys. His walk-up song this year was an up-tempo contemporary … [Read more...]
OLYMPICS: Gold medialist Brianna Rollins: I want to be known as ‘the athlete who glorified God’
By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner RIO DE JANEIRO (Christian Examiner) – A trio of American sprinters swept the 110-meter hurdles final Wednesday night during the Olympics, but it was the post-race interview that many TV viewers will remember. Brianna Rollins won the gold medal with a time of 12.48 seconds, while teammates Nia Ali (12.59) and Kristi Castlin (12.61) captured the silver and bronze, respectively. It was the first Olympics since 1972 that a country had swept the event. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 29
- Next Page »