The Baptist Message Online

Messengers of the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention in Houston cast votes to approve a resolution on the Boy Scouts that expresses “opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy” to allow homosexual members.

Terry Turner Sr., pastor of Mesquite Fellowship Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas, speaks at the annual worship service of the National African American Fellowship June 9 at Fallbrook Church in Houston in conjunction with the two-day Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter shares a laugh during the annual Crossover in Houston. Luter says travel to so many places has been one of the challenges of the office.

NOBTS President Chuck Kelley presents a diploma to one of the 52 inmates who received Associate Degrees in Christian Ministry at graduation ceremonies conducted May 20 at the Joan Horner Center on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Volunteers from the Bridge Church in Madisonville give out watermelon during the community’s July 4th celebration in 2012.

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Cooperation, revival sought by SBC leaders

By Michael Foust, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) – Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention June 11-12 re-elected Fred Luter, the body’s first African American president, to another one-year term and heard him deliver a rousing challenge to Southern Baptists to unite and pray for revival.

The call for cooperation and revival was delivered by other leaders, including Executive Committee President Frank Page and from members of a Calvinism advisory committee who spoke in the exhibit hall the day prior to the convention.

Luter reflects on his first year as SBC President

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor

NEW ORLEANS – He’s seen progress but, “We’ve got a long ways to go,” says Fred Luter Jr., newly re-elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention as well as pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, among the largest of the churches affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

Luter spoke with the Baptist Message a week before the SBC annual meeting June 11-12 in Houston.

NOBTS confers degrees to 52 inmates at Angola ceremonies

By Kelly Boggs, Editor

ST. FRANCISVILLE – The spirit of celebration was palpable in The Joan Horner Center on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola as New Orleans Theological Seminary conferred academic degrees during graduation ceremonies conducted on May 20.

The commencement service recognized and honored that hard work and dedication of 52 inmates who completed the necessary requirements to receive Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Christian Ministry from Leavell College of NOBTS.

State churches using 4th as tool to reach out to community

By Brian Blackwell, Marketing DirectorSTATEWIDE – Instead of celebrating the 4th of July soaking up the sun at the beach or driving hundreds of miles to spend time with relatives, those from the Bridge Church in Madisonville plan to spend Independence Day ministering at a festival in their own community.

Emergency contraception: “It’ll be like buying Tylenol”

By Staff, World News Magazine

MANHATTAN, N.Y. – Abortion rights activists celebrated outside the federal appeals court in Manhattan in early June after the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals issued an order permitting immediate, unrestricted over-the-counter sales of all two-pill emergency contraceptives.

Unrestricted sales of Plan B One-Step contraceptive are still on hold until the court decides the merits of the government’s appeal.

Through CP, church’s committed to going ‘above & beyond’ for Christ

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor

HAUGHTON – Within the past five years, First Baptist Church in Haughton has made a commitment to go the second mile.

This can be seen in its partnerships with Southern Baptist missions and ministries in East Asia, northern Mexico, Wisconsin, central Louisiana, a nearby prison and metro Shreveport.

Learning to prevent suicide, one person at a time

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor

In recent months many media outlets have drawn attention to the fact that suicide among America’s military members is on the rise. However, not nearly as much attention has been given to the fact that suicide is on the increase among the general population.

In 2010, worldwide deaths from suicide (883,715) totaled more than the combined deaths from war (17,670), natural disasters (196,018), and murder (456,268), according to data quoted in The Daily Beast.

OK, stop your whining

By Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Seminary

Spending time with a modern day warrior has reminded me how good my life is and how much I need to stop whining about small problems.

The young man in question has spent the past several years in the most violent places on earth, dealing with people driven to destroy as many people as possible.

His stories are sobering and the personal price he has paid – relationally, physically, and spiritually – is humbling.

Donations surely would fix a lot of LC’s problems

By Leon Hyatt, Jr., LC Alumnus, former LC Trustee

Recently Mr. Larry Burgess, an Louisiana College alumnus from Spring, Texas, wrote a column that appeared in the Baptist Message (May 23) in which he declared that donations are not the solution to Louisiana College’s problems.

Mr. Burgess congratulated Louisiana College for securing a $10 million donation to contribute toward Louisiana College’s most pressing needs. Then he insisted that 10 or 60 million dollars is not enough to fix Louisiana College’s problems.

Another moral effect of pornography: a warped worldview

By R. Albert Mohler, President Southern Seminary

The moral effects of pornography are, by now, well attested.

The scourge of pornography has brought ruin and harm into the lives of millions of our friends and neighbors, destroying marriages, distorting sexuality and poisoning minds.

Even so, the pornography industrial complex continues to grow, representing one of the most lucrative segments of the Internet economy.

Questions We've Pondered

By Bill Warren, NOBTS

Question: Which church in the New Testament is the ideal church that we should be like?

Bill Warren responds: A beginning point on this topic is that we need to realize that there is no perfect church this side of heaven even among those depicted in the New Testament – all of them had problems as well as positive qualities.

As the adage goes, if you find a perfect church, don’t join it or you’ll mess it up since we’re not perfect! There will never be a perfect church as long as real people are part of the church.

When worship becomes difficult

By Argile Smith, Louisiana College

Wayne and Al were old friends who both loved to collect rare books. Their friendship had grown through the years as they rummaged through yard sales, antique galleries, and used book stores together in search of treasures that would warm a bibliophile’s heart.

One day Wayne asked Al if he could borrow a book. He told Al that he wanted to read it whenever he had some spare time on his hands.

Of course, Al let him borrow the book. He had no doubt that his friend would take care of it and return it in due time.

Calvinism team addresses question: What next?

By Michael Foust, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) – Members of an advisory committee on Calvinism say that with their report now issued, the “next step” in cooperation and unity is up to individual Southern Baptists.

Twelve of the 19 members of the committee appeared together on June 10 in the exhibit hall’s Cooperative Program booth, answering questions from messengers. The 3,200-word report, which urged Southern Baptists to “grant one another liberty” and “stand together” for the Great Commission, was unanimously approved and released in late May.

Moving annual Pre-Teen Invasion to August getting positive feedback

By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director

PINEVILLE – Louisiana Baptists teens will get a double dose of Pre-Teen Invasion this year.

Held in January, the statewide evangelism conference for children in the upper grades of elementary school will take place again in 2013, this time on Aug. 10 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Held at Louisiana College’s Guinn Auditorium, the late summer conference will be called Pre-Teen Invasion 3.5.

New births emerge from Crossover 2013 witness

By Staff, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) – As Southern Baptists gathered in Houston to conduct the business of the convention, the power of believers working together to intentionally share the Gospel was being felt in the SBC host city, with 582 reported professions of faith in Christ.

The evangelistic outreach is held on the weekend prior to the convention.

Pastors' Conference speakers exhort faithfulness

By Staff, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) -- Pastors received encouragement and challenge to remain strong in ministry and to champion the Gospel during the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 9-10 in Houston.

SBPC President Gregg Matte, pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church, invited speakers serving in churches from coast to coast and internationally. The annual two-day event concluded with a message from former Arkansas governor and current Fox News Channel host Mike Huckabee. (See separate Baptist Press story).

BRUCE FRANK

Be 'Totally His,' Elliff urges Baptists

By Laura Fielding, IMB Communications

HOUSTON (BP) -- International Mission Board President Tom Elliff challenged Southern Baptists to commit to being "Totally His" and cooperate for the sake of the Gospel during the mission board's report at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Houston.

Ezell: More missionaries, church planters needed

By Joe Conway, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) -- North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell, during his report to the SBC annual meeting, called on Southern Baptists to dramatically increase the number of missionaries and church planters being sent to the North American mission field.

"This year we have 600 student missionaries," Ezell told messengers June 11 in Houston. "In a convention with 45,000 churches and 16 million members, that is not bad, that is pathetic. We must have 6,000 student missionaries every year."

Resolutions cover BSA policy, children, victims

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) -- Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention dealt, as expected, with the hot-button issue of the Boy Scouts' new membership policy, but also passed a series of resolutions expressing compassion for the victimized and vulnerable.

WMU celebrates 125 years of missions

By Shannon Baker & Laura Fielding

HOUSTON (BP) -- Missions stories from Africa, Asia and the Americas highlighted the 125th anniversary celebration of the national Woman's Missionary Union during their 2013 Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting, June 9-10 at the Hilton Americas in Houston.

In addition, 2013-14 marks the 100th anniversary of missions education for girls (Girls' Auxiliary, Girls in Action and Acteens) as well as the 25th anniversary of WMU's Second Century Fund, which was birthed at WMU's centennial to fund leadership training for women worldwide.

Luter leads slate in mostly quiet election

By John Evans, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) -- Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was elected without opposition to a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, leading a slate of candidates who ran mostly unopposed.

Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, was elected first vice president, while Jared Moore, pastor of New Salem Baptist Church in Hustonville, Ky., won a term as second vice president.

Over-representation on SBC boards addressed

By Erin Roach, Baptist Press

HOUSTON (BP) -- During the Executive Committee report June 11, messengers adopted a recommendation to designate the District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware as a "defined territory" to determine eligibility for representation on SBC committees and entity boards.

The recommendation stems from expressed concerns that representatives on SBC entities and committees from the District of Columbia are being drawn from too few churches.

Louisiana Milestones

Arrivals/Departures

Brandon (wife Christine) Gill is new as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Forest Hill.

Scott “Scottie” Allen Gray, new as pastor of Harmony Baptist Delhi, is to be ordained to the gospel ministry at 6:30 p.m. June 23 at Crockett Point Baptist Church.

Jared Little, pastor of Crews New Salem Baptist Montgomery, was ordained June 2 at Westside Baptist Natchitoches.

Larry Carr resigned as pastor of Yankee Springs Baptist Goldonna.

Stan Foster, new as pastor of Weston Baptist Jonesboro.