Thanks for the article on "church firings and the aftermath that is involved. Having been through this kind of thing as a staff member, I have seen what it can do up close. Thanks for the article on "church firings and the aftermath that is involved. Having been through this kind of thing as a staff member, I have seen what it can do up close. And, like you said, they have continued this process with either subsequent pastors or other staff members. Even in the church I currently serve where the pastor was asked to leave because of immorality, the group that was vocal about his departure has not stopped, now venting their "feelings" on me. I pray God will help people who are stuck in that rut to move out of the rut and move on with their lives. Thanks again for a good article. Name withheld by editor … [Read more...]
Disturbed by report
Re: "NAMB staffers decline to sign belief statement, leave agency" (Aug. 16) The three staffers who refused to compromise their own convictions by signing the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and lost their jobs at (the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board) are to be commended. Re: "NAMB staffers decline to sign belief statement, leave agency" (Aug. 16) The three staffers who refused to compromise their own convictions by signing the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and lost their jobs at (the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board) are to be commended. I was disturbed by the report that one of the former employees declined to comment and that another said that he could not comment because he had been asked to promise not to discuss the matter publicly as a part of the agreement allowing him to take early retirement. Ironically, in the same edition of your paper, Lacy Thompson reported that in order to receive their severance packages, the 148 employees terminated by the New Orleans casino were required to sign an agreement that they would not discuss the terms of their leaving (page 7). Control and manipulation are to be expected in the … [Read more...]
Weekly Announcements
For the week of 23 August, 2001 Potpourri ALEXANDRIA - Calvary church: Scot Cameron in concert; Aug. 26, 6 p.m.; David Brooks, pastor. BETHANY - Camp Bethany: mens fish fry; Sept. 10; meal, 5:30 p.m.; cost is $6 per person; Gene Howard, speaker; meal, 5:30 p.m.; program, 7 p.m.; for information, call the camp at (318) 938-1221; Robert Cole, camp manager. PINEVILLE Guinn Auditorium on the Louisiana College campus: Greater Vision in concert, joined by Higher Faith; August 31, 7 p.m.Advance tickets are $10 or $12 for Artist Circle seats (first seven rows). Tickets are $12 at the door. Tickets are available at Family Christian Store, LifeWay Christian Store and Christian Book Center and White Steeple Bookstore in Alexandria and at Evas Flower & Gift Shop in Jonesboro. For more information, call Tim and Gwen Fogger at (318) 259-8659. SHREVEPORT - Calvary church: "Success That Matters" mens seminar produced by Man in the Mirror; Sept. 7, 7 - 9:30 p.m. and Sept. 8, 8 a.m. - 12 noon; registration cost is $25 (includes continental breakfast and snacks); wives are invited to the first session on Sept. 8 at no cost; for information, contact Pam McLeod at (318) 687-4920; … [Read more...]
The stem-cell research decision – what does it mean?
C. Lacy Thompson LBM Associate Editor In a much-anticipated decision, President George Bush recently agreed to allow very limited federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. In a much-anticipated decision, President George Bush recently agreed to allow very limited federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. It was a decision that did not completely please anyone - but it was one that walked a political and moral tightrope that left most people somewhat happy. Bush did not agree to unfettered stem-cell research, a decision that would have pleased the scientific community. He also did not shut down all funding of embryonic stem-cell work, a decision that would have cheered pro-lifers. Instead, in a deft move, he negotiated a middle ground of sorts to allow work to advance in some fashion, while setting up a means of studying the issue further. As Bush wrestled with his decision, the Baptist Message sought to inform persons of the issue and its implications. A stem-cell research debate primer was published in the August 2 issue of the newspaper. Now that Bush has announced his decision, the Baptist Message once more offers a … [Read more...]
Don’t you feel a tug? Don’t you long for something more?
C. Lacy Thompson LBM Associate Editor Someone recently wrote a column about how modern technology was supposed to free persons from being tied to "the office." Someone recently wrote a column about how modern technology was supposed to free persons from being tied to "the office." Instead, the high-tech, computerized, e-mailing, cell phoning, voice messaging, handheld organizing world of the new century has done the opposite, the writer said. Now, the entire world is one big office, the writer stressed. A person never is out of touch, never unavailable, always on call. Such a situation creates some obvious problems - including spiritual ones. "Be still, and know that I am God," the Old Testament psalmist urged. And while the idea of "stillness" or solitude or silence may seem foreign in this mad-dash world, the truth of the verse still stands. The bottom line is simple - there is a direct correlation between "stillness" and ones awareness of God. Conversely, one also must suppose a correlation between the rush of the modern world and the growing spiritual confusion of so many people in it. "Be still, and know … [Read more...]
‘Hurry sickness’ epidemic is spreading, leader warns
Polly House Baptist Press Have you heard about the latest epidemic? Signs of it can be found everywhere. "Man, I never seem to get everything done these days." "I know we need to get together, but there never is enough time." Have you heard about the latest epidemic? Signs of it can be found everywhere. "Man, I never seem to get everything done these days." "I know we need to get together, but there never is enough time." "I figured out that between the cell phone, beeper, e-mail and regular telephone, Im never ever alone." As even casual observation reveals, there is an epidemic of "hurry sickness" in todays run-as-fast-as-you-can world, John Tadlock emphasized recently. "Everyone is busy," said Tadlock, collegiate ministries group leader with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. "Everyone uses the words, There arent enough hours in a day. " However, the truth is that days have the same number of hours they always have, Tadlock noted during a recent Southern Baptist conference in Glorieta, N.M. The truth is that "hurry sickness" is spreading like wildfire. Hurry … [Read more...]
Chandra Levy case is reminder – others are ‘lost’ as well
The case of a lost Chandra Levy stubbornly refuses to fade from the news. The day this "On Second Thought" is written, Congressman Gary Condit is scheduled to be interviewed by Connie Chung this evening. We could hope enough questions will be answered The case of a lost Chandra Levy stubbornly refuses to fade from the news. The day this "On Second Thought" is written, Congressman Gary Condit is scheduled to be interviewed by Connie Chung this evening. We could hope enough questions will be answered at least to stop the cable-news-programs-turned- tabloids-of-the-airways from rehashing the situation 10 hours every day. That likely will not happen. Newspapers, magazines and broadcast programs will still manage to have every self-professed expert in any field discuss all they do not know and a smidgen of what they do know about anything even remotely related to the case. One thing we have seen - we have seen an unrelenting search for Ms. Levy. The glaring searchlights of the media and public attention drove Washington, D.C. police and then the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to use every means possible to find either the living Ms. Levy or her dead body. While law enforcement has halted urgent physical … [Read more...]
A ‘tsunami wave’ of religious intolerance issweeping world, prof says
Incidents of religious intolerance around the world are taking to a "tsunami wave," warned Paul Dekar, professor of evangelism and missions at Memphis (Tenn.) Theological Seminary. Incidents of religious intolerance around the world are taking to a "tsunami wave," warned Paul Dekar, professor of evangelism and missions at Memphis (Tenn.) Theological Seminary. "(The) global scope of violations of religious freedom, as well as human rights generally, far exceeds the capacity of global institutions ... to address them," Dekar told the Baptist World Alliance Freedom and Justice Commission. Dekar reminded the commission that the Baptist World Alliance is a frontline organization for Baptists in the fight for religious freedom, which is a biblical concern. "Our concern for religious freedom begins with the Bible," Dekar recently emphasized. He listed four crucial absolutes: Each human bears the image and likeness of God In Christ, believers participate in the divine nature In everything, believers are called to do to others as we would have them do to us God hates injustice and oppression, "and God weeps over what … [Read more...]
Parents, beware – access to online porn growing
P>It is the fall of 2001 - do you know where your child is on the Internet? Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were. It is the fall of 2001 - do you know where your child is on the Internet? Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were. Indeed, a new front in the battle over online pornography has opened, disabling some of the defenses used by parents to protect children from such material, a new congressional report charges. Internet file-sharing programs are enabling users to download sexually explicit videos and photographs onto home computers, circumventing much of the filtering software designed to block the reception of pornography from the World Wide Web. Hard-core adult pornography, child porn, sexual violence and bestiality are accessible without charge to people of all ages through new file-sharing programs such as Music City Morpheus, Aimster and BearShare. Users of such programs can even be unintentionally exposed to pornography when searching for other images. That unsettling news for parents and others concerned about the proliferation of pornography came in a report issued by a section of … [Read more...]
Parents, beware – access to online porn growing
It is the fall of 2001 - do you know where your child is on the Internet? Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were. It is the fall of 2001 - do you know where your child is on the Internet? Parents may not be as sure of the answer as they once were. Indeed, a new front in the battle over online pornography has opened, disabling some of the defenses used by parents to protect children from such material, a new congressional report charges. Internet file-sharing programs are enabling users to download sexually explicit videos and photographs onto home computers, circumventing much of the filtering software designed to block the reception of pornography from the World Wide Web. Hard-core adult pornography, child porn, sexual violence and bestiality are accessible without charge to people of all ages through new file-sharing programs such as Music City Morpheus, Aimster and BearShare. Users of such programs can even be unintentionally exposed to pornography when searching for other images. That unsettling news for parents and others concerned about the proliferation of pornography came in a report issued by a section of … [Read more...]
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