By Joe Conway, North American Mission Board NASHVILLE (BP) - A sold-out crowd of more than 13,000 from all 50 states and four Canadian provinces flooded into Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to celebrate the call of Jesus and the response of life on mission at the 2015 Send North America Conference Monday. North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell and International Mission Board President David Platt welcomed the assembly and challenged attendees to serve wherever God calls them. "This is where I want to call 13,000 plus people in this arena, from the beginning [of the conference], to put a blank check of our lives on the table for God -- no strings attached," Platt said. Ezell noted, "We need pastors, students, men and women to rise up. We want this to be more than a conference you attend, we want it to be a life-altering experience." The mission entity leaders were joined on the platform by Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, Tennessee Baptist Convention executive director Randy Davis and others who helped lead prayer. Opening session keynote speaker J.D. Greear told attendees they have a call to leverage their talents and lives for the Great Commission. "True growth … [Read more...]
Fight to defund Planned Parenthood ‘far from over’
By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - The legislative effort to defund Planned Parenthood failed Aug. 3 in the U.S. Senate, but pro-life advocates said they will not give up. The Senate voted 53-46 to bring to the floor a bill to eliminate federal funds for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. While a majority of senators favored consideration of the proposal, the attempt to invoke cloture, as it is known, fell short of the 60 votes needed to begin debate on the legislation and establish a path to its passage. The failure to move the bill, S. 1881, to the floor came in spite of the release during the previous three weeks of videos revealing Planned Parenthood's trade in baby body parts. The four undercover videos show PPFA officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted children for research. A fifth video was released Tuesday (Aug. 4). Pro-life leaders expressed their dismay, as well as their devotion to continuing the defunding campaign. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said he is disappointed the Senate "did not show the moral leadership to stop funding this violence. Now Senators are on record as … [Read more...]
Pro-life Dems see path to defund Planned Parenthood
By David Roach, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - To win enough Democratic support to become law, proposals to defund Planned Parenthood must emphasize the transfer of funds to other women's health care providers rather than the mere removal of money from America's largest abortion provider, according to a pro-life group within the Democratic Party. Democrats for Life of America, a Washington-based group that works to elect pro-life Democrats to public office, also said a push to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding should follow a congressional investigation of the abortion giant and target Democratic House and Senate members in districts with few or no Planned Parenthood clinics. "Planned Parenthood is not the only game in town," said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. "They're not the only providers of health care for women, especially for low-income women." Some 9,000 government-backed community health centers provide women's health services without performing abortions, "are more readily available" and "are not just focused in big cities" like the 700 U.S. Planned Parenthood clinics, she said. Some Democrats may vote to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding to community health … [Read more...]
Bombs at 2 New Mexico churches halt services
By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press LAS CRUCES, N.M. (BP) - Small bombs exploded within minutes of each other Aug. 2 at two Las Cruces, N.M., churches - including a Southern Baptist congregation - cancelling Sunday morning services and necessitating evacuations at other churches across the city. No one was hurt in the explosions that caused minimal damage at Calvary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Locust St., and Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda St., the Associated Press reported. No arrests had been made as of today, Aug. 3, but New Mexico state police described the bombs as improvised explosive devices, IEDs, designed to cause harm. About 50 worshippers had already gathered for the 8:30 a.m. traditional service at Calvary Baptist Church when the bomb exploded at 8:20 a.m. in a mailbox attached to the building, Scott Rodgers, pastor of core groups, told Baptist Press. Worshippers remained calm as police arrived and evacuated Calvary Baptist, ushering individuals to the church's south parking lot, Rodgers said. He preached the Sunday morning service in the parking lot, as youth arts pastor Gregg Higgins led music. But the 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. services were cancelled, as police blocked adjacent streets while … [Read more...]
Former NFL player and sportscaster Craig James sues Fox Sports for religious discrimination
DALLAS - Former Fox Sports broadcaster Craig James has sued his former employer for religious discrimination. The lawsuit comes nearly two years after Fox Sports fired James for his public expression of his religious views on marriage and civil unions. According to a news release from Liberty Institute which is representing James, the lawsuit alleges that Fox Sports fired him for one reason only – his religious beliefs about marriage. In so doing, Fox Sports violated the law, including the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (“TCHRA”) and Texas contract law. In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Fox Sports spokesperson Lou D’Ermilio said, “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department. He couldn’t say those things here.” In response, Liberty Institute complained to the Texas Workforce Commission on behalf of James and filed a lawsuit against Fox Sports. “This case is much bigger than me," James said. "It affects every person who holds religious beliefs. I will not let Fox Sports trample my religious liberty. Today, many people have lost their jobs because of their faith. Sadly, countless are afraid to let their bosses know they even have a faith. This is America and I … [Read more...]
ERLC endorses bill to defund Planned Parenthood
By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission endorsed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood on the same day a fourth video was released showing an official of the abortion organization discussing trade in baby body parts. ERLC President Russell Moore wrote the leaders of both houses of Congress July 30 to announce the entity's support for a bill to eliminate federal funding for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. In his letter, Moore told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House John Boehner the ERLC backs "the swiftest of congressional action possible" to defund Planned Parenthood. McConnell has promised to hold a vote on the ERLC-endorsed bill, S. 1881, before the Senate's August recess, which officially begins Aug. 10. The House of Representatives held no vote on defunding Planned Parenthood before it essentially entered its August recess July 29. Advocates of defunding Planned Parenthood face a difficult task. The Senate must have 60 votes, instead of just a majority, to prevent a filibuster and gain passage of the bill. President Obama opposes the defunding effort and would almost … [Read more...]
Lafayette Louisiana Baptists urge prayer after deadly movie theater shooting
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE - Louisiana Baptist pastors in Lafayette are urging prayers after a deadly shooting in a movie theatre happened in their hometown late Thursday evening. Around 7:30 pm Thursday during a showing of the movie “Trainwreck”, 59-year-old John Russel Houser of Phenix City, Ala., the alleged shooter, was sitting alone when he got up from his seat at the Grand Theatre off Johnston Street and opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun according to Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft. Two people sitting in front of him were killed, one at the theater and another later at an area hospital, according to KLFY-TV in Lafayette. Authorities identified the victims as 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson. Nine others were transported to three area hospitals for treatment. Since the shooting, two of the wounded have been released. The rest remain hospitalized, including one with critical injuries. Col. Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police said, Houser was "a drifter who just happened to be in this theater and just took two beautiful lives," He said Houser was apparently acting alone. Craft said Houser had parked his car near the theater's exit door … [Read more...]
GuideStone appeals to SCOTUS over abortion mandate
By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS (BP) -- GuideStone Financial Resources has filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court against the government's contraceptive mandate that will require certain ministries served by GuideStone to provide abortion-causing drugs and devices in their employer health plans or risk crippling fines. GuideStone, along with churches and integrated auxiliaries of churches, are exempt from the mandate and not at risk of penalties. For certain religious employers other than churches and their integrated auxiliaries, however, the government has argued that it offers an "accommodation" to religious employers who object to the mandate. Harold R. Loftin Jr., GuideStone general counsel, said the Southern Baptist entity "has, from the filing of our case, objected to the so-called 'accommodation' because the government is attempting to rewrite the terms of GuideStone's plan" to use the plan "to provide access to drugs and devices GuideStone believes to be impermissible. In addition, the government's regulations attempt to require certain of GuideStone's religious employers to take actions that facilitate the delivery of abortion-inducing drugs and devices to our participants and their … [Read more...]
Louisiana Baptist churches hosting South Korean children for next two weeks during Camp USA
By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE/PONCHATOULA – The sights and sounds of children laughing, talking, and having fun will be the norm around area churches when Camp USA gets underway in the Central Louisiana area over the next week. In 2003, when David Cranford was pastor at Tioga First Baptist, he and Charles Lowery (then a member of First Baptist Pineville) met with Paul Lim of the Korea Baptist Church Development Board and began discussing bringing South Korean children to the United States as part of a camp experience. “Korean parents are willing to send their children abroad because it gives them a chance to be exposed to different cultures from other countries and a chance to learn about those cultures,” said Cranford current pastor at First Baptist Ponchatoula. When Cranford became the new pastor at First Baptist Ponchatoula, he brought with him the work of Camp USA to Ponchatoula, where they hold a music camp for the Korean children. They will also be presenting a musical on Sunday evening, August 2, at 6:30. The thriving ministry dates back more than 40 years when the Korea Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board and the Louisiana Baptist Convention collaborated as part of REACH Missions … [Read more...]
Planned Parenthood and allies claim abortion provider was unfairly attacked
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner NEW YORK – Caught red handed by an undercover video exposing its practice of exchanging the body parts of aborted fetuses for financial "reimbursements," the national leadership of Planned Parenthood is digging in its heels, insisting its practices are legal and it – the nation's largest abortion provider – has been defamed. Shortly after the video surfaced showing Dr. Deborah Nucatola, head of the organization's medical services department, discussing over a salad and glass of wine how she kills infants in a way that preserves their vital organs for medical research, Planned Parenthood's vice president of communications claimed the video was full of false and discredited accusations. "A well-funded group established for the purpose of damaging Planned Parenthood's mission and services has promoted a heavily-edited, secretly-recorded videotape that false portrays Planned Parenthood's participation in tissue donation programs that support lifesaving scientific research," Eric Ferrero said in a statement. "These groups have been widely discredited and their claims fall apart on closer examination, just as they do in this case," Ferrero said. In the video, shot by the Center for … [Read more...]
