NASHVILLE (BP) -- Public apologies by two U.S. megachurches for a lack of compassion in the exercise of church discipline have prompted some Baptist pastors to underscore the need for humility and congregational polity during the attempted restoration of wayward members. Most American churches have not exercised biblical church discipline for a century, Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, told Baptist Press. "Because we have so little practice with it, along the way, as we seek to restore it, people are going to make mistakes. This kind of humility required to apologize for making a mistake, I think, is going to be needed and needed in large quantities in order to be successful in getting to a healthy place with regard to what church membership is." Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Dallas, a Southern Baptist multisite congregation, apologized during worship services May 30-31 for a domineering approach by elders in some church discipline cases, the church confirmed to BP. Christianity Today reported on one case in which the church's leaders initiated the discipline process when a woman ended her marriage after discovering her husband had viewed child pornography for years. She … [Read more...]
Religious liberty wins hiring case at Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in favor of a Muslim job applicant provided what religious freedom advocates hailed as a wider victory for people of faith. In an 8-1 decision, the high court ruled June 1 an employer cannot make religious exercise an element in hiring decisions. The justices' opinion favored a federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), over a clothing retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, in a case involving the refusal of a store in the chain to hire a young Muslim woman who wears a headscarf. The court's seven-page decision -- brief by the standards of the justices' majority opinions –- said the federal law in question "does not demand mere neutrality with regard to religious practices -- that they be treated no worse than other practices. Rather, it gives them favored treatment, affirmatively obligating employers not 'to fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual ... because of such individual's'" religious exercise. The Supreme Court "got this one right," said Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). "The court recognized an important truth: People should not be discriminated against because … [Read more...]
Pastor protection bill passes Texas House, Senate
AUSTIN, Texas (BP) -- Passage of the only surviving religious liberty bill in the 84th session of the Texas Legislature gives pastors some legal protection against litigation should they refuse to preside over a same-sex marriage. Senate Bill 2065, the Pastor Protection bill, passed overwhelmingly May 21. With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to rule by the end of June on whether states must recognize same-sex marriage as a constitutionally protected right, conservative Texas legislators filed bills that would, if passed, provide legal standing for citizens, businesses and clergy against an anticipated wave of legal action. But the lack of support from state leadership and the legislators' self-imposed censorship in the wake of protests at Indiana's capitol in April left stymied all other legislation that would have given a legal defense for those opposed, on religious grounds, to same-sex marriage. The lone religious liberty bill to be debated, SB 2065, passed the House of Representatives 141-2 on its second reading, garnering even the support of two gay representatives. The next day it passed unanimously, 142-0, earning the votes of its two earlier opponents. On May 25 it was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott who has said he would … [Read more...]
2016 VBS to ‘submerge’ kids in God’s Word
NASHVILLE (BP) -- Next summer, kids will have the opportunity to dive past the surface and go deeper into God's Word with "Submerged," the 2016 Vacation Bible School theme from LifeWay Christian Resources. The theme helps challenge a culture consumed with celebrity -- one marked by the image of beauty and popularity, LifeWay VBS specialist Jerry Wooley said. "It's a value system that's unrealistic and an impossibility to achieve or maintain," he said. "During Submerged, kids will discover it's not what's on the surface that matters, but the internal truth that only God can see." Each day of next year's VBS, students will explore the way Jesus saw people and examine the truth of the key verse,Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way." "This is an adventure that will take us not only to the depths of the ocean," Wooley said, "but to the depths of our hearts as well. We will be challenged to let God not only search our hearts, but reveal the truths of our hearts as well." VBS remains one of the most effective evangelistic events for churches. Using the most recent statistics available, Wooley said nearly 3 … [Read more...]
CP 2.57 percent ahead of year-to-date projection
NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 2.57 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection and 2.09 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. The year-to-date total represents money received by the Executive Committee by the close of the last business day of May and includes receipts from state conventions, churches and individuals for distribution, according to the 2014-15 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. The $128,551,618.17 received by the Executive Committee for the first eight months of the fiscal year, Oct. 1 through May 31, for distribution through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget represents 102.57 percent of the $125,333,333.33 year-to-date budgeted projection to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. The total is $2,633,111.07 or 2.09 percent more than the $125,918,507.10 received through the end of May 2014. The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists' channel of … [Read more...]
Fred Luter named NAMB Ambassador
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- The North American Mission Board has named former Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter as its new national African American ambassador. In that role, Luter will focus on involving more African American churches in the SBC and in church planting. "We still have a lot of lost souls out there who aren't in anyone's church," Luter said. "One of the primary messages I'll have for pastors is to encourage them to have compassion for the lost. If we're going to be successful in church planting, that has to happen." Luter will speak on behalf of NAMB throughout the year and represent the mission board at a variety of SBC events, sharing NAMB's goal to increase the number of African American churches in the convention from 4,000 to more than 5,000 in the next five years. Luter will continue to serve as senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. In 2012, he became the first African American to be elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in its 167-year history. "I am overjoyed to learn of Dr. Fred Luter's appointment," said K. Marshall Williams, pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa., and president of the National African American Fellowship … [Read more...]
Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting 2015 schedule
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Order of Business has released this year's schedule for the annual meeting in Columbus. This year's annual meeting theme is "Great Awakening: Clear Agreement, Visible Union, Extraordinary Prayer," based on Romans 13:11. In addition to following the schedule, messengers can stay updated on this year's annual meeting with the 2015 SBC mobile app that is now available. The app can be downloaded on your mobile device by accessing the App Store or Google Play or selecting one of the options at sbcannualmeeting.net. This year's preferred Twitter hashtag will be #sbc15. SBC 2015 schedule TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 16, 2015 8:15 Opening Worship -- Julio Arriola, Convention music director, global worship pastor, Cross Church, Springdale, Ark. 8:25 Welcome and Call to Order -- Ronnie Floyd, SBC president, senior pastor, Cross Church, Springdale, Ark. Announcement of Committee on Committees, Credentials Committee, Tellers Committee, and Resolutions Committee 8:30 Scripture -- Jordan Easley, senior pastor, Englewood Baptist Church, Jackson, Tenn. Prayer -- Daniel Cho, college pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Cambridge, Mass., chaplain, Harvard … [Read more...]
Dakota farmer’s legacy lesson in giving
By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- A small-town grain and cattle farmer's estate and charitable gifts to Southern Baptist Convention entities is a prime example of how everyone can support Southern Baptists, said Warren Peek, president of the Southern Baptist Foundation. Merv Goehring, a lifelong South Dakota farmer who served briefly in the U.S. Army, left gifts totaling more than $550,000 to the SBF, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the SBC Cooperative Program upon his death at age 87 in 2014, Peek said. While Goehring served for many years as a church teacher and deacon, Peek noted the farmer's generous charitable annuities and estate gifts to Southern Baptist entities are remarkable. "This gentleman had modest income and modest wealth, lived in a small house, did not attend a Southern Baptist church, was not a Southern Baptist," Peek said. "Mr. Goehring stayed at home and watched 'the best preachers in America,' and realized they're Southern Baptists. And he had a picture of Adrian Rogers on his wall. Rogers, who died in 2005, was longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and served three terms as SBC president. "And later [Goehring] got the opportunity to hear Dr. Albert … [Read more...]
In Nepal, forgotten village receives food
By Susie Rain, Baptist Press NEPAL (BP) -- The Nepali man pulled brick after brick off a pile of rubble that was once his home. He passed along anything that was salvageable to his children to set aside. Finally, down in a hole, he found what he was looking for -- their food storage. The splintered, dusty woven basket held their entire harvest of rice. Before the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, this basket brimmed with white grains. Today, he pulled out one handful of red-stained rice. "It might taste like dirt now, but we can still eat it," he said. "It will fill our stomachs." He excitedly instructed the children to help sift through the rubble to find more food -- garlic, onions, peppers and rice -- in the remains of their home. Their tedious labor stopped abruptly when they heard shouting up the hill. A neighbor yelled down for everyone to come quick. Someone had brought food! For days on end, the villagers took turns sitting on the edge of the main road trying to get help. From the road, you couldn't even see their collapsed village up on the mountainside. They watched as big trucks of relief supplies passed them by, headed to larger towns down the road. Hope of receiving any kind of help began to die little by little -- … [Read more...]
‘Tidal wave’ of Chinese believers encouraged to persevere
By Caroline Anderson, Baptist Press EAST ASIA (BP) -- Chinese believers could be the next missions sending force, following the Western and Korean Christians who've gone before them. They pray, give and go, sacrificing everything to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the nations. But sacrifices come with costs. Chinese cross-cultural Christian workers say they struggle with discouragement and loneliness. Those in Southeast Asia welcomed encouragement and counsel from Southern Baptist workers Phil and Ruth Wardell,* who have provided training for believers. Zhao Chang Pu,* Zhao Hui Fang* and their two daughters moved from China to minister in Southeast Asia. They say it's the hardest thing they've ever done. Just like Westerners, Chinese workers experience culture shock and struggle to adapt to a new environment. The Zhaos have shared cultural stresses with the Wardells, who once served in Southeast Asia. The Wardells now serve in a different area of Asia and have led ministry training for Southeast Asian believers who partner with the Zhaos. The Zhaos told the Wardells they are adjusting to being away from family. But their parents don't understand why they took their granddaughters away. "Why did you choose this silly … [Read more...]
