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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

ANALYSIS: Smoking pot is toxic!

By Will Hall, Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Legislators are considering a slate of bills that in one way, or another, moves closer to legalizing recreational pot smoking. But the reality is that whether pot smoking is approved for “medicinal” or recreational use, it poses a peril. Part of the reason is that every grower breeds different pot strains that have greater or lesser concentrations of certain elements. Generally, however, there are over 400 chemical entities in a cannabis plant, including a known 113 cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBN) -- many with opposing effects on the mind and body. Indeed, a study, reported by CNN.com, Jan. 11, found that burning marijuana produced dangerous chemicals known to cause permanent damage to the body: -- Naphthalene (used in mothballs and is associated with liver and neurological damage); -- acrylamide (used to make paper, plastics and dyes and is associated with cancer); and -- acrylonitrile (used in manufacturing plastics and fibers and is also associated with cancer). None of these chemicals are added to pot. Instead, they are byproducts of burning and the natural reaction of some of the organic elements in the plant after exposure to heat. On top of … [Read more...]

Prayer calls, twice each day, spark renewal

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Corporate prayer at 7:14 every morning and evening, in the months following the onset of COVID-19, have sparked a renewed commitment to discipleship and evangelism among Louisiana Baptists. At least 30 members of Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria, have joined the prayer movement, based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” The twice-daily prayer times, in effect since mid-March and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, also attract 150 others from across the nation to participate regularly. The call is sponsored by Project 200, a nationwide community of men passionate about the Great Commission which includes an emphasis on discipleship. Jeff Draughon, a CBCA member as well as a member of the Project 200 board, said prayer calls have been a “game changer” for so many individuals and families across the country and even internationally. He noted that more than 700 calls have taken place since March 19, 2020. “The powerful, spirit-filled devotionals have been led by … [Read more...]

Bush to Moore: White evangelical churches are ‘political instruments’

By Will Hall, Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – “Churches have become, particularly the White evangelical churches, have become political instruments,” former President George W. Bush told Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Bush made the accusation during an online conversation, “Immigrants and the American Future,” sponsored by the Bush Center in Dallas and moderated by Moore. “The comments were stunning for a president whose 2004 reelection campaign relied in part on energizing those White evangelicals using the issue of same-sex marriage,” reported the Washington Times. “Eleven states had questions about marriage on their ballots that year, including Ohio, the crucial state in the Electoral College where Mr. Bush’s campaign said it benefited from Christian turnout.” The former president’s comments were a response to Moore’s claim that support for immigration by U.S. Christians has flagged in recent years. But legal immigration to the United States has not dropped below 1 million per year since 2013 (990,553) under the Obama Administration. Moreover, refugee resettlements under former President Trump were on par year-for-year with … [Read more...]

LBC Executive Board urged to ‘change me’

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Recognizing the need for personal revival, Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn announced a 28-day personal revival guide that he hopes hundreds of churches and members will engage with later this year. “We are in a desperate situation,” Horn told Executive Board members during their May 4 meeting at Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth. “We are doomed. I am asking the Lord and seeking the Lord about what could be my part in helping that. I am not even sure we are ready for revival in terms of mass evangelism right now, but instead what we are desperate for is personal revival.” State missions services staff began a joint focus on personal revival May 9 and will conclude June 5, using Horn’s booklet, “Change Me.” The effort is based on Psalm 139:23-24. “It is my prayer, my vision and my dream that we will have hundreds of churches in Louisiana at the end of 2021 or to start 2022 that will seek the Lord for personal revival,” Horn said. “And, so, pray for us as a staff over the next 28 days as the Lord brings that to your attention and pray that each one, most of all me, would have a sense of God doing something new, fresh and real in our … [Read more...]

Storms wreak havoc in Louisiana

By Baptist Message staff LAKE CHARLES, La. (LBM) - Heavy rainfall on Monday, May 16, dumped up to 15 inches in parts of southwest Louisiana and other areas of the state still recovering from Hurricanes Delta and Laura that devastated the region last year. “We know that this situation is becoming a little too familiar for a lot of us in Lake Charles,” Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said in a video update on the city’s Facebook page. “This is another challenge, but it is not a challenge that we are not capable of handling.” Accuweather said the rainfall on Monday was the third-wettest day on record for Lake Charles. According to the National Weather Service, more than 15 inches of rain fell in south Lake Charles and other areas received up to 12 inches of rain. The excessive rain caused flash flooding that stranded cars in city streets and sent water inside homes. The Advocate newspaper reported that 10-12 inches of water fell in the Baton Rouge area, flooding streets and stranding some motorists m in their cars. St. George Fire Department crews performed multiple water rescues of motorists who drove into high water. Motorists also were stranded at the intersection of Camellia Blvd. and Johnston Street in Lafayette, … [Read more...]