by David Roach, Baptist Press ST LOUIS (BP) -- The election of Steve Gaines as president on the third ballot and a historic repudiation of the Confederate battle flag were among the highlights of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. The convention’s resolution on the Confederate battle flag capped an emphasis on racial reconciliation throughout the meeting that included the election of a 2017 Committee on Nominations with 25 percent of its members drawn from ethnic minority groups and a panel discussion on “racial unity in America” featuring Jerry Young, president of the historically African American National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. The unofficial total of 7,321 registered messengers – up from 5,407 last year – on to praying for awakening in America, listened to a panel discussion on “pastors and the church in American politics  today” and addressed on multiple occasions whether Baptists should support Muslims’ right to build mosques in the United States. When registered guests, exhibitors and others are included, the count of those at the annual meeting was tallied, as of June 15, at 11,581. Presidential election On the second ballot, neither Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW YORK CITY –Donald Trump unveiled his Evangelical Executive Advisory Board June 21 and its membership has a strong Southern Baptist presence. Nearly one-third of the board membership is made up of individuals who affiliate with the SBC. Among those serving are Jack Graham and Ronnie Floyd, who served as SBC president in 2003-2004 and 2014-2015 respectively; Jay Strack, president of Student Leadership University and the guest speaker during Louisiana College’s May commencement; David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif.; Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas;  Richard Land, former president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; and Jerry Fallwell Jr., president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. In a news release published on the campaign website as well as in an e-mail to his supporters, Trump said the 26-member Evangelical Executive Advisory Board will lead a much larger Faith and Cultural Advisory Committee that will be announced later this month. He added that those selected were not asked to endorse Trump for president as a prerequisite for serving on the team that includes a mix of … [Read more...]

By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner OAKLAND, Calif. (Christian Examiner) – LeBron James had just helped deliver Cleveland its first major sports championship in more than 50 years Sunday night, but he didn't want to talk only about basketball. He had a bigger picture in mind, and it included God. "I gave everything that I had. I put my heart, my blood, my sweat and my tears into this game, and against all odds, .." James said on national TV afterwards, not finishing the sentence but clearly referencing the Cavaliers' historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA championship. No team had ever bounced back from a 3-1 margin to win the title. "I don't know why we want to take the hardest road. I don't know why the Man above gives me the hardest road, but ... the Man above don't put you in situations that you can't handle. And I just kept that same positive attitude, like, instead of saying, 'Why me?,' just saying, 'This is what He wants me to do.'" It was James' third NBA championship but his first one at Cleveland, where he returned to play after winning two titles with the Miami Heat. In the last three games against the Warriors, James delivered an NBA Finals performance for the ages, … [Read more...]

By Jim Burton ATLANTA (BP) -- On a Thursday night in May 1944, my father, James "Jimmy" Warren Burton, delivered the valedictorian address on the topic of citizenship at the Owensboro High School commencement in Kentucky. "However grave the crises of the future may be," he said, "our country will pass safely through them if at all times it has the support of citizens who are loyal and intelligent and who are skilled in the arts of democratic citizenship." The next day, like scores of other 18-year-olds, he practiced his citizenship by boarding a train for basic training in the Army Air Corps. His destination eventually was Burma, via India, and China where he would serve as a cryptographer encoding and decoding messages for air base commanders. This only child was soon living in tents surrounded by mosquito nets in a land where he knew no one from home. When he eventually returned to Owensboro, the bus arrived early one morning and he took a taxi home without calling his parents. As he looked through the front door, he could see his mother stirring around. After knocking, she asked who was there. "It's me," Dad said, at which point she slung open the front door and ran through the screen door to hug him. My family's stories … [Read more...]

By Charles Billingsley, LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP) -- I'm one of the lucky ones. I was privileged enough to be raised in the home of a father who loves me and who has stayed faithful to my mom all these years. I have never known the pain of growing up in a broken home, and for that I feel very blessed. My dad is my hero. He's 75 now, and as I reflect on his life, there is one word that describes him better than any other: faithfulness. I'm reminded of his compassion as a father, his power as a preacher, his gentleness as a husband and his integrity as a man. In all things, he has remained faithful. It inspires me to do the same. But not only has my dad been faithful, he's also just "been there." Whether it was a football game to see me play running back in high school, or my first concert as a Christian artist, or my marriage to Shae, or the birth of my children, Dad has been there. I could always trust him and always had a certain level of comfort and confidence just knowing he was present. In 1976, I was 6 years old and my family lived on the road because my dad was a full-time evangelist. We were in the middle of Wyoming when we arrived at a small church for my dad to start a revival meeting. We got there and noticed the church … [Read more...]