By Michael Foust, Christian Examiner DES MOINES, Iowa (Christian Examiner) – Evangelist Franklin Graham launched his 50-state "Decision America" tour Jan. 5, telling more than 2,500 people in Iowa's capital that America will fall if God's people don't take a stand for righteousness. The third stop of Graham's "Decision America" tour will be in Baton Rouge on Jan. 13. "Our country is in trouble, but we've got a great God," Graham told the crowd gathered in front of the capitol building on a cold winter day. Using the story of Nehemiah as a reference to America, Graham added, "The moral and political walls of our nation are crumbling. ... [God] can rebuild those walls. He can rehang those gates. But it's going to take the people of God praying and using your God-given right to vote. ... If we don't, this country's not going to stand much longer." Graham has pledged to visit every state in the coming months leading up to the election, emphasizing that the rallies are spiritual, not political, in nature. The DecisionAmericaTour.com website says Graham is challenging Christians "to live out their faith at home, in public and at the ballot box," and he did just that throughout the first rally. He also, as promised, shared … [Read more...]
Judge Roy Moore halts issuance of same-sex marriage licenses in Alabama
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Christian Examiner) – Roy Moore, chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court, has issued an order to his state's probate judges instructing them to halt the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples until conflicts over "existing orders" from the Alabama Supreme Court can be resolved and the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges clarified. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws and constitutional amendments in Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio which declared marriage to be only a union between one man and one woman were unconstitutional – an action most interpreted as creating the right to same-sex marriage nationwide. Moore, however, had noted in his order that the Alabama Supreme Court had upheld the state's ban on same-sex marriage in March 2015, and because Obergefell v. Hodges only addressed the right to same-sex marriage in four states, other states' same-sex marriage laws – including his state's laws – remain unaffected and intact. "Confusion and uncertainty exist among the probate judges of this State as to the effect of Obergefell on the 'existing orders,'" Moore wrote in his four-page order. "Many probate judges are issuing marriage … [Read more...]
Make a call and make a pro-life difference
Louisiana Baptists can help sway state legislators’ choice of a new leader. On Monday, January 11, the Louisiana House of Representatives will select a new Speaker and the outcome will have a dramatic impact on the influence of Christian vision and values in the public policy adopted by the state legislature. Among other duties, the Speaker assigns members to committees, whether proposed legislation will be handled by a hostile or favorable committee, and determines which bills will even be considered -- essentially the Speaker sets the legislative process and so largely decides which proposed policies succeed or fail. According to pro-family and pro-life advocacy groups, the two leading candidates have dramatically different records on issues relating to the traditional family and the rights of the unborn. Consequently, the new Speaker largely will influence the outcomes of moral and social concerns pursued by Louisiana Baptists. The Louisiana Family Forum reports Rep. Cameron Henry has a record of supporting traditional family values 93 percent of the time and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation gives him a score of 100 percent on pro-life issues. Meanwhile, Rep. Walt Leger III earned a score of 44 percent from … [Read more...]
Communities gather to pray as Vidalia, Natchez brace for flooding
By Staff, Baptist Message VIDALIA – The cities of Vidalia and Natchez know flooding is coming but they are asking God to spare them any widespread damage. The two communities will gather Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. for community prayer at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center. Everyone is invited, including citizens, businesses and churches from Concordia, Catahoula and Tensas parishes as well as Natchez, Adams County and surrounding areas. “Please join us as the Miss-Lou community comes together in unity to seek God’s protection from this flooding. We are one in this time of need,” said Todd Trahan, organizer of the event. Vidalia Mayor Hiram Copeland says Concordia Parish is asking the Louisiana National Guard to help Louisiana's 5th Levee District prepare for rising water on the Mississippi River. He says emergency director Payne Scott asked for two, four-person units with equipment, and they should begin arriving Wednesday. Copeland and other officials are asking people to stay off levees in Mississippi and Louisiana. Copeland quotes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as saying the levees are in excellent shape, but so saturated with rain that too many vehicles could damage them. According to the Concordia … [Read more...]
There can be no disciples without discipline
By Mike Evans, Pastor Elwood Baptist Church, Forest Hill BOSSIER CITY – Across our Convention there are spiritual warning signs found in less giving by some, fewer baptisms by many and a very real feel some churches are dying. And this should be concerning to every Louisiana Baptist. I firmly believe in the Cooperative Program and find it astounding so many independent and autonomous SBC/LBC congregations can come together to do so many vitally important things to fulfill our Lord's Great Commission while others do not find it imperative. Perhaps some of us have forgotten the CP is truly a bona fide miracle. It could be we have also forgotten or de-emphasized some of the things we used to do when the Cooperative Program first began almost a century ago. Today, we have Christian media and more technology to use than we can keep up with. So what is different today and what is lacking? For one thing, I don't see the tears that used to be a part of most every service in our churches only a few decades ago. People used to plead for the Lord to not only save their families from their enemies but also hell. Could it be the prosperity we now enjoy has made us spend more time feathering our nest, as if we will live … [Read more...]
Pro-Life banners line portion of St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans
By Staff, Louisiana Right to Life NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans and Louisiana Right to Life have partnered together to have 16 streetlight banner signs installed along historic St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans between St. Joseph Street and State Street. The signs went up Dec. 10. The two-sided pink banners, intended to raise awareness regarding the humanity of the unborn, display a 19-week-old baby in utero and state: "Give Her Life a Chance! First Heartbeat 22 Days after Conception!" Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, said, "Under Louisiana state law babies may be aborted up to 20 weeks fetal age for any reason. We hope the banners help educate the public by highlighting the humanity of the unborn child so often overlooked in our society." Shanon Snyder, Projects Director for New Orleans Right to Life, worked with the city of New Orleans and its contractors to get the banners installed. The project came about after Robert Winn, president of New Orleans Right to Life, heard about similar signs put up by Students for Life at the University of Southern California. Winn saw this as an effective way to bring the pro-life debate to the minds of New Orleans residents, Snyder said. "Abortion … [Read more...]
Franklin Graham’s Decision America Tour coming to Baton Rouge Jan. 13
By Staff, Baptist Message BATON ROUGE -- America is in trouble, and it’s getting worse every day. Starting today, Jan. 5, — on the steps of the state Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa—Franklin Graham began the Decision America Tour, a series of noon prayer rallies in each state throughout 2016. As those gather to intercede for America, Graham will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, calling the nation to repentance and encourage believers to engage the civil process by voting for godly leaders while prayerfully consider running for local office. The Decision America Tour, which begins in the state of the first caucus for the 2016 presidential election, will continue through early fall. On January 13, Graham will arrive in Baton Rouge, the third stop on his tour. He is encouraging everyone to join him for this special event which will take place within a short walk of Louisiana’s old State Capitol building. The rally will take place at noon on North Boulevard Town Square at the corner of North Boulevard and 3rd Street in Baton Rouge. He asks the question, “Will you join me for this important event?” “I encourage you to bring your friends, your family, and your church. Let’s stand together in prayer for our country … [Read more...]
Craig Strickland’s wife speaks out after his body is recovered
By Kelly Ledbetter, Christian Examiner KAY COUNTY, Okla. (Christian Examiner) – Helen Strickland, the wife of 29-year-old vocalist Craig Strickland, tweeted Monday afternoon that his body had been found. "#CraigStrickland was found today. He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen," she wrote in her Tweet on social media. Last week he was feared dead in a northwestern Oklahoma lake, as his wife asked for prayers for a miracle and her husband's safe return. "While we hurt and experience the worst pain of our lives, we sometimes believe that God might not be there with us listening when we cry out to Him. But then, when we least expect it, He speaks and comforts us in such beautiful ways," Helen Strickland had tweeted. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Cross Church in Springfield, Arkansas, tweeted New Year's Eve: "Heavy hearts and continued prayers from the @crosschurch family for @HelenWisner (Strickland) as the search continues for @BackroadCRAIG." The lead singer, a part of the six-member country and rock band Backroad Anthem, which formed in Arkansas in 2012, was duck hunting with his friend on Kaw Lake when … [Read more...]
Justice Scalia: Government was never meant to be neutral on religion
By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner METAIRIE (Christian Examiner) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, known as the conservative firebrand on the nation's high court, said during an address to Catholic high school students in Louisiana Jan. 2 that the U.S. Constitution does not require the government to be neutral with respect to religion. In fact, Scalia told the audience at Archbishop Rummel High School as part of an early celebration of Religious Freedom Day (Jan. 16), the government would do well to keep God in the mix and allow times for spiritual reflection because "God has been very good to us." Religious Freedom Day is celebrated annually by presidential proclamation and commemorates the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Liberty in 1786, widely regarded as the precursor to the First Amendment. Scalia said the modern perception that government was meant to be neutral to religion is not the groundwork for the Constitution, as evidence by the fact that so many presidents and other American leaders invoked the name of God and asked Americans to pray to him in times of national crises. "To tell you the truth there is no place for that in our constitutional tradition. Where did that come … [Read more...]
God’s protective hand evident as EF1 tornado roars past Peniel Baptist Church
By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor CALCASIEU – Pastor Courtland Stokes and his wife believe they may have witnessed a “Christmas miracle’ Dec. 21 after a brush with an EF1 tornado. The couple had just finished watching the 5 o’clock news and thought the severe weather watch had passed without incident when limbs started to hit the house. They scrambled into their bathroom and shut the door. “We hadn’t been in there but a moment when we heard the wind,” said Stokes, who is pastor of Peniel Baptist Church in Calcasieu. “It sounded like a lot of people screaming at the same time in the same pitch. It was very loud. The next thing we knew we felt something slam into the house and then it was gone. “We stepped out of the house,” he said. “Our carport, a small shed and some metal posts buried two to three feet in the ground in concrete were gone. The storm had just ripped them out of the ground. Our car was also under that carport but amazingly it did not have a scratch on it.” The same could not be said for 54-year-old Mike Smith, who is a member of Peniel Baptist, or his trailer which rested a short distance from the parsonage. “As we were surveying the damage to our carport, we looked out and saw Mike’s trailer,” … [Read more...]
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