Week of June 20, 2005 Guilty plea Two years after the death of Patrick Dennehy, his former Baylor University basketball teammate Carlton Dotson had pled guilty to his murder. Dotson, 22, surprised prosecutors and even his family by submitting an open plea – which carries no deal for leniency – just two days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in his trial. Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison – and will not be eligible for parole until he has served 17 years. Dennehy disappeared from the Waco campus in June 2003. Six weeks later, his remains were found in a field a few miles from Baylor. On September 3, 2003, Dotson was indicted for murder. He spent two months in a mental hospital on a judge’s order. The motive behind the killing is still unknown. Dennehy’s death led to an investigation of the men’s basketball team and NCAA probation after investigators found that Baylor men’s coach Dave Bliss had given Dennehy and another team member tuition money and that drug use by some players had not been reported. Bliss and Athletic Director Tom Stanton ultimately resigned. Louisiana smoking Despite anti-smoking efforts, Louisiana continues to own one of the highest smoking rates in the nation. … [Read more...]

Baptist polity. That is the empty explanation offered by the Executive Board for disallowing local associations to decide who sits on the LBC Executive Board. RE: The recent decision by LBC Executive Board not to act on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow local associations to elect half of all Executive Board members. Baptist polity. That is the empty explanation offered by the Executive Board for disallowing local associations to decide who sits on the LBC Executive Board. This is a smoke screen, and every Lousiana Baptist that has witnessed the power struggle in our state convention knows it full well. Local associations deserve to have direct influence over who makes up the body that functions as the Louisiana Baptist Convention ad interim. But having this will be an uphill battle because the “power brokers” of our convention like it the way it is. The present system allows too small a group to control the nominating process. This present system also burdens the Nominating Committee with the daunting task of nominating committed and qualified persons from nearly 50 far-flung associations for consideration by the LBC annual meeting. Why not allow associations make these nominations? At least … [Read more...]

Why are not Southern Baptist churches, as a general rule, growing? Why are not Southern Baptist churches, as a general rule, growing? Studies show that a majority of Southern Baptist churches either are on a membership plateau or are declining. Considering the incredible amount of material in print, on tape or on the Internet to give solid information and guidance in this area, one has to wonder why all churches are not growing. Whereas 30 years ago, a book on growing churches was a rarity, today, such books almost flood the market. And these are not off-the-cuff books. Most of them are written from serious, and sometimes vast, research. One example of an author who has produced some seven excellent, well-researched books on various aspects of growing churches and reaching people is Thom Rainer. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor is not alone. Others also have produced excellent books, generally from personal experience, on principles for growing churches. In addition, megachurch pastors such as Rick Warren and Bill Hybels not only produce practical church growth materials, but they have well-maintained, current Web sites providing all kinds of weekly help for churches that want to … [Read more...]

it is a beautiful Saturday morning in New Orleans – summer has not yet arrived full force, the sky is blue and the sun is warm. It is a beautiful Saturday morning in New Orleans – summer has not yet arrived full force, the sky is blue and the sun is warm. Outside the Baptist Friendship House near the French Quarter section of the city, Dan Wuerddan kneels in front of a basketball backboard he is assembling. A few minutes later, he climbs into the bed of his pickup truck and begins to attach the backboard to the basketball pole already in the ground. Wuerddan easily is tall enough for the job – he played for the St. John Red Storm, a major college basketball program. Now, he is a scout for the New Orleans Hornets professional basketball team. His ultimate goal is to coach. However, today, he assembles the basketball goal for someone else – children and youth who participate in Baptist Friendship House programs. His effort is just a part of an overall Hornets project at the New Orleans ministry. The team recently provided resources – and personnel – to renovate the ministry facility operated by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. By the time the project was completed in late … [Read more...]

As the 2005 session of the Louisiana Legislature neared its end, legislators rejected a bid to allow paddlewheel gambling out of New Orleans. As the 2005 session of the Louisiana Legislature neared its end, legislators rejected a bid to allow paddlewheel gambling out of New Orleans. The legislative session must end no later than Thursday at 6 p.m. At press time, several issues were still pending as legislators scrambled to pass bills. However, one push to expand gambling in the state appeared to have been derailed. House members had approved a measure to allow gambling on paddlewheel boats out of New Orleans. However, the measure failed to gain support in the Senate, where legislators voted 19-15 against it. The vote came after Gov. Kathleen Blanco made it clear she was against the move. A Blanco spokesperson testified against the bill in Senate committee, and the governor publicly voiced her hopes it would be rejected by the full Senate. Blanco has said throughout her term that she is opposed to any expansion of gambling in the state. At press time, there still was uncertainty about the measure, with supporters saying they may try for another push. However, time was running short. Meanwhile, … [Read more...]

John Ruskin once said persons must be “entirely thankful” for books of the age – and “entirely ashamed” if they do not make good use of them. John Ruskin once said persons must be “entirely thankful” for books of the age – and “entirely ashamed” if they do not make good use of them. So, what are the books of the current age for pastors – and what use are they making of them? A recent Barna Research Group poll asked pastors the three books that had proved most useful and meaningful to their ministries in the last three years. The results were interesting as pastors listed more than 200 titles. However, only nine books – and 10 authors – were listed by 2 percent or more of respondents. Instead, the study found: • Books identified as most influential often were not among the bestsellers. • Just a handful of authors have had the most consistent influence on pastors. • Just a dozen or so books have had the most widespread impact in recent years. Perhaps not so surprisingly, a pair of books by the same author easily topped the list provided by pastors. Twenty-one percent of pastors cited “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren as the most influential book they had read in the last three years. It … [Read more...]

Drayton McLane had two goals in mind when he bought the Houston Astros professional baseball team 13 years ago. Drayton McLane had two goals in mind when he bought the Houston Astros professional baseball team 13 years ago. The first was to turn the Astros into a champion. Neither the Astros nor their in-state counterparts, the Texas Rangers, had been to a World Series before – and McLane wanted to remedy that. He says he thought the people of Texas deserved a winner. McLane still is working on that objective, as the Astros have not yet made it to a World Series. Their best chance was last year, when they took the St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the National League Championship Series. And since the Astros are more than a dozen games out of first place so far in 2005, that goal likely will have to wait at least another year. But the second goal is another story. In addition to reaching the World Series, McLane says he was determined to use the Astros as an outreach tool. A member and deacon at First Baptist Church of Temple, Texas, McLane says he wanted to use the team’s recognition and the role models on the roster to make a positive influence in the community. “I want to get involved and … [Read more...]

It is vital that parents begin rearing their children with the kingdom of God in mind, a pair of Southern Baptist leaders say. It is vital that parents begin rearing their children with the kingdom of God in mind, a pair of Southern Baptist leaders say. In a new book by Broadman & Holman Publishers titled “Parenting with Kingdom Purpose,” authors Ken Hemphill and Richard Ross cite the need for a fresh approach to raising children – one that focuses on fulfilling God’s plans for each child’s life and on bringing families closer to each other and to the Lord. The book is designed to offer helps on how to parent one’s children with the kingdom of God in mind. No issue could be more important and central for today’s families, the pair of authors insist. “We are losing our young people at an alarming rate,” said Hemphill, who serves as national strategist for the Empowering Kingdom Growth initiative in the Southern Baptist Convention. “That’s why it was vitally important to write a book that not only explains the importance of parenting children with a kingdom purpose but that also provides practical suggestions for how to develop and maintain a kingdom focus throughout life,” he emphasized. Using … [Read more...]