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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Five reasons you must see ‘Sound of Freedom’

I really didn’t want to see this movie. Does anyone want to see a movie about horrific crimes against children and the systems that support or fail to stop child sex trafficking? But I felt an obligation to support “Sound of Freedom.” And I was happy to hear the buzz in the conservative media sphere. “Sound of Freedom” was making noise in all the right places. … [Read more...]

EDITORIAL: Hallowed be thy name

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The 10 Commandments may be viewed from several perspectives: -- Some believers see them simply as a list of dos and don’ts. -- Others consider them in the context of their origins: As the first formal instruction to the Hebrew nation after escaping from Egypt, these were something of a primer for Israel to transition from being a people of Pharoah for 400 years to becoming the people of the one true God in perpetuity. -- More, still, look at these basic tenets in terms of how they are grouped (the first four address a relationship with God; the fifth involves family relationships; and the last five broadly describe relationships with everyone else). Together, these commandments reveal a hierarchy of relationships within the relational world God created for us as relational beings. In other words, God tells us to make Him the priority in our relationships, then family (and by inference, marriage) and, finally, yet importantly, our neighbors. Regardless, in all three perspectives, the stricture in the third commandment is the same: Do not use God’s name in vain. It is a key to obedience. It is an essential element of how we set ourselves apart … [Read more...]

Dwayne Monk, former LBC Second VP, Executive Board president, passes

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer CHOUDRANT, La. (LBM) – Dwayne Monk, a former vice president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, died suddenly June 23 while cutting grass. He was 60. Monk had served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, Choudrant, since 1999, but he also was a well-known leader at all levels of Louisiana Baptist life. According to the office of Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn, Monk was LBC second vice-president (2013), and an Executive Board member (2003-2008 and 2013-2019), serving as president (2007-2008), nominating committee member (2014-2017), administrative committee chairman (2018-2019), and search committee member for Executive Director David Hankins and Steve Horn. Moreover, Monk served on the LBC committee on committees (2009-2010), committee on the order of business (2020-2023) and President’s Study Group (2014-2021). During his tenure at New Hope Baptist, which averages 91 worshipers for its Sunday morning service, 139 new converts have been baptized since 1999. Before serving at New Hope Baptist, Monk pastored Fairdale Baptist Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas, for seven years. “Louisiana Baptists lost an incredible friend and supporter of our cooperative … [Read more...]