By David Roach, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- In the days following the Supreme Court's nationwide legalization of gay marriage, Southern Baptist pastors have taken to television, radio, print media and social media in defense of biblical marriage. Undergirding their public engagement is a long line of Southern Baptist Convention actions underscoring biblical sexual ethics and calling for compassionate ministry to persons with same-sex attraction. "Pastors, this is our opportunity to speak into the media, to write into the media," said Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. The Supreme Court majority "tended to play social scientist. They tended to play counselor. They tended to play psychologist," Harris told Baptist Press. "But the one thing they didn't play was theologian," opening a door for pastors to add a biblical perspective to the national discussion. The day the high court's ruling was released, Harris did four television interviews, one on radio and one with The Charlotte Observer newspaper. The Observer also quoted Milton Hollifield, executive director of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, wrote a blog … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor When the gavel dropped to end the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, it also marked the fifth anniversary of “a vision for a Great Commission Resurgence” that was adopted by messengers during the 2010 business sessions in Orlando, Fla. In a nutshell, a blue ribbon task force – named by then SBC President Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga., and led by Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church, Northwest Ark., who now serves as president of the Convention – developed seven components of a plan “to mobilize Southern Baptists as a Great Commission people” with the goal of “penetrating the lostness” in North America and around the world. Theirs was a daunting task, given the extent of the growing lostness in our country and abroad, and the apparent waning effectiveness of Southern Baptists in sharing the Gospel. But, after so much effort was expended to convince somewhat skeptical Southern Baptists (reports varied on whether the “show-of-hands” vote was 60-40, 80-20 or 3-1 in favor) that these actions were “of vital importance to the future of our denomination” and “key to making immediate progress toward a Great Commission Resurgence,” it is … [Read more...]

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) – Messengers to the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention adopted nine resolutions – some on culturally divisive issues – with almost no opposition. All the resolutions offered in the Tuesday afternoon session (June 16) at the SBC’s meeting gained passage by unanimous or nearly unanimous votes. The messengers affirmed biblically based stances on such topics as same-sex marriage, racial reconciliation and the sanctity of human life, as well as religious persecution and pornography. Approved resolutions also called for spiritual awakening and celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Cooperative Program. Prior to the convention, the Resolutions Committee received only four resolutions, an unusually small number. As a result, the committee initiated more resolutions than normal, but committee chairman Steve Gaines said finding topics proved no problem. “There are so many pressing issues morally and spiritually in our nation right now, it really didn’t take long to figure that out,” Gaines said at a news conference after the committee’s report. He illustrated for reporters what he meant by pointing to a few of the resolutions. “When it comes to our nation, when you look back … [Read more...]

By David Roach, Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) – Spiritual awakening, the defense of marriage and the preservation of religious liberty were among key themes addressed by messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting was highlighted by a Tuesday night prayer gathering led by SBC President Ronnie Floyd, at which an estimated 7,000 Southern Baptists spent two hours asking God for a third Great Awakening in America and the global advance of the Gospel. The gathering was watched by an additional 8,000 people online and broadcast on Daystar television. The 5,407 registered messengers – up from 5,294 in Baltimore last year – also took several actions to advance racial and ethnic diversity within the SBC and celebrated nearly 60 missionaries during the first-ever joint missions service of the International and North American Mission Boards. Floyd, who was reelected to a second term as SBC president, called in his presidential address for Southern Baptists to provide spiritual and moral leadership amid a time of crisis in the world that also is “our most defining hour as Southern Baptists.“ Building on Floyd's address, the June 16 prayer time featured intercession led … [Read more...]

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources EDITOR'S NOTE: June 28 is Mission:Dignity Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention. DALLAS (BP) - Virginia Pangle summed up what Mission:Dignity means to a pastor's widow like herself. "I don't have to worry about being cold, hungry or going without my medicine," she said. Mission:Dignity, a ministry of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, ensures that Pangle along with nearly 2,000 other retired Southern Baptist pastors, their spouses or widows are able to have a sense of financial dignity in retirement. The ministry, fully supported by gifts from individuals, Sunday School classes and churches, provides monthly grants to retired Southern Baptist workers in critical financial need. The neediest couples can receive up to $600 each month in assistance. Mission:Dignity Sunday, held the fourth Sunday of every June on the Southern Baptist Convention's calendar, is set aside for churches to make a special offering for support of the ministry. Sixty percent of Mission:Dignity recipients are widows; one out of every four recipients is a pastor's widow age 85 or older. Mission:Dignity receives no Cooperative Program funding. "GuideStone … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press staff COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) - Gibbie McMillan, a pastor and Louisiana Baptist men's ministry and volunteer strategist as well as state director of disaster relief, was among 11 late nominees the Southern Baptist Convention entity trustees elected June 16 at the SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Also at the annual meeting, messengers asked questions of two SBC entity heads. The 11 additional proposed trustees were nominated by a seven-member subcommittee of the Committee on Nominations appointed at the committee's March meeting in Nashville. The need for late nominations arose for a variety of reasons such as initial nominees' opting not to serve, trustee resignations and trustee deaths. The Committee on Nominations' entire slate of nominees to the SBC Executive Committee, the four convention boards, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the six seminaries and the Committee on Order of Business was elected after messengers rejected Virginia messenger Brent Hobbs' motion to replace International Mission Board nominee Tom Polvogt of First Baptist Church in Katy, Texas, with Johnson Ellis of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The 11 late nominees were: -- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP) -- Less than 24 hours after his mother died at the hands of an assassin during a church prayer meeting, Charleston Southern University sophomore Chris Singleton stood before television cameras and declared that "love is always stronger than hate." Flanked by coaches and teammates, Singleton, who plays baseball at CSU, thanked his teammates for their "amazing" support and recalled his mother's example of showing love to others. "If we just love the way my mom would, then hate won't be anywhere close to what love is," he said. "My mom was a God-fearing woman. She loved everybody with all her heart." Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, was a speech therapist and women's track-and-field coach at Goose Creek High School outside Charleston. She was one of nine people shot to death June 17 by a lone gunman in the basement of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston. Chris Singleton recalled a game in which he was standing in the on-deck circle. He caught his mom's eye, and she told him she was praying for him. "Mom, don't you think I already did that?" he said. His mom replied, "You can never have too much prayer." Answering reporters' questions, Singleton … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP) -- The national media spotlight has been on Charleston for several days following the massacre of nine Christians during a Wednesday night Bible study at the predominantly black Emanuel AME Church. A 21-year-old white supremacist, Dylann Storm Roof, joined in the service for about an hour before opening fire on the group. This act of racist hate could have exploded into confusion and violence, but the light from Charleston has shone brighter than the media light that has been on the picturesque South Carolina city. Roof said he chose Charleston "because it is the most historic city in my state. Someone has to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me." What Roof soon discovered was that the hate and evil he demonstrated was met with real-world Christians who chose to respond with what seemed like unbelievable love and forgiveness. Chris Singleton, a sophomore at Charleston Southern University and member of the baseball team, felt the pain of the attack. His mother was one of the nine who was shot and killed. Less than 24 hours following her death, he said, "Love is always stronger than hate." Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley said, "If that guy thought in his … [Read more...]