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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

From ‘God’ to ‘UFOs’ to ‘yo-yos’ – a surfing experience

There is no denying that the Internet has opened a wide world of information for users - including when it comes to religion and spirituality.   Unfortunately, of course, there is no denying that sex currently rules online, with millions of pornographic sites available to the undisciplined surfer.   And just as unfortunate, there is no denying that the very nature of the Internet creates problems. There is no denying that the Internet has opened a wide world of information for users - including when it comes to religion and spirituality.   Unfortunately, of course, there is no denying that sex currently rules online, with millions of pornographic sites available to the undisciplined surfer.   And just as unfortunate, there is no denying that the very nature of the Internet creates problems.   After all, anyone can post anything at all, which means it is left to the visitor to determine if the information made available is reliable or not.   In addition, the very manner of searching about a particular topic can be troublesome. For example, searching for "Christianity" may return a few millions sites - but how many are pro-Christian and how many are … [Read more...]

The right questions

Re: Teen sexual activity report (Baptist Message, April 15, 2002, Page Two) Re: Teen sexual activity report (Baptist Message, April 15, 2002, Page Two)   The questions being asked of teenagers in these surveys are worded in such a way that we get false results. "Are you having sex?" To the average teenager, that means sexual intercourse. They (like a former president) don’t consider anything else sex.   As a pregnancy resource counselor, I deal with hundreds of clients a month, many of them teenagers, and they think that abstinence is "how far can I go without intercourse?"   We need to ask the right questions to get the whole picture.   April Bolgiano Leesville … [Read more...]

Weekly Announcements

For the week of August 29, 2002 Potpourri • SHREVEPORT - Pinecroft church: True Heart in concert; Sept. 8, 10:45 a.m.; Gary Melanson, minister of music; Marty J. Wright, pastor.   • BOGALUSA - Superior Avenue church: "Miracle Mondays," at 6 p.m.; guest speakers are as follows: Sept. 9- Chuck Kelley; Sept. 16- R. Alan Jackson; Sept. 23- Leo Day; Sept. 30- Waylon Bailey; J. T. Wright, Jr., pastor.   • FOREST HILL - Calvary church: Mark Lanier in concert; Sept. 1, 6 p.m.; Mike Evans, minister of music; Joel McMickin, pastor.   • DRY CREEK - Dry Creek camp: "See You at the Pole" rally; Sept. 14, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; bring picnic lunch; recreation activities available during picnic; for information, call (337) 328-7531; Curt Iles, camp manager.   • RAYVILLE - Eastside church: "Chalk Art for Christ" presentation; Aug. 31, 7 p.m.; Kyle Coates, pastor.   • HARRISONBURG - First church: "Kingdom Family" rally; Sept. 7, 7 p.m.; J.J. Jasper, from American Family Radio, to speak; Ralph Webber, pastor. Revivals • CAMERON - Johnson Bayou church: Sept. 8, 10:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 9-11, 7 p.m.; Jack Daniels, evangelist; Greg Trahan, music; Les Fogleman, pastor.   • … [Read more...]

Pending cases focus on public display of Ten Commandments

Amid the rolling hills of rural southwest Ohio, four high schools feature identical sets of five monuments placed neatly in front of their new buildings.   Each of the tombstone-like monuments highlights a different legal code, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta. But the monument in the center is the one that has sparked controversy - the one with the Ten Commandments etched in granite. Amid the rolling hills of rural southwest Ohio, four high schools feature identical sets of five monuments placed neatly in front of their new buildings.   Each of the tombstone-like monuments highlights a different legal code, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta. But the monument in the center is the one that has sparked controversy - the one with the Ten Commandments etched in granite.   The monuments were donated by a private group of ministers and laypeople. School officials contend they belong there and have appealed a June district court decision declaring them unconstitutional.   "Our belief is that the monuments are there not primarily as a religious statement but as a historical reminder of our system of law and government in the … [Read more...]

In the land of Jesus, ‘crazy’ volunteers work to show the love of God to others

Only a few days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Bill Curington went to New York to serve meals to survivors and rescue workers near the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center.   That earned the Southern Baptist disaster relief veteran pats on the back from friends back home in Tennessee. But when he announced he was heading to Israel in late June to deliver food to needy Palestinian families in bullet-riddled Gaza, some folks questioned his sanity. Only a few days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Bill Curington went to New York to serve meals to survivors and rescue workers near the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center.   That earned the Southern Baptist disaster relief veteran pats on the back from friends back home in Tennessee. But when he announced he was heading to Israel in late June to deliver food to needy Palestinian families in bullet-riddled Gaza, some folks questioned his sanity.   "They said, ‘You’re crazy! I wouldn’t go,’" Curington recalls.   Friends warned him about terrorists and suicide bombers, about getting caught in Israeli-Palestinian gun battles. A family member begged him to make "real sure" he heard the voice of God before … [Read more...]

Watch that spinning plate; it may lead to a Nobel Prize

Enjoy what you do, and there is no telling what you might achieve.   Take Feynman Dyson, for instance. Professor Dyson was (I assume "was" is the correct term, although I am not certain of his death) a significant scientist. Feynman Dyson, among other significant scientific accomplishments, helped figure out why the Challenger blew up. Earlier, he helped develop the atomic bomb. Enjoy what you do, and there is no telling what you might achieve.   Take Feynman Dyson, for instance. Professor Dyson was (I assume "was" is the correct term, although I am not certain of his death) a significant scientist. Feynman Dyson, among other significant scientific accomplishments, helped figure out why the Challenger blew up. Earlier, he helped develop the atomic bomb.   After atomic bombs were dropped on cities of Japan, World War II ended. Citizens of the United States rejoiced because no more American lives would be lost trying to defeat those forces of tyranny.   When the war ended, however, Feynman Dyson became depressed. His first wife had just died of tuberculosis, and, he began to experience a fuller understanding of the awful destructive power of the bomb he had helped make. He … [Read more...]

Five years later – is the Southern Baptist boycott of Disney still in effect?

As outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt took one of his last turns at the recent annual meeting podium, he made a crack about how he responds when asked what he planned to do when he concludes his presidency.   "I’m going to Disney World," he told Southern Baptists gathered for their annual convention in St. Louis.   "Just a joke." As outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt took one of his last turns at the recent annual meeting podium, he made a crack about how he responds when asked what he planned to do when he concludes his presidency.   "I’m going to Disney World," he told Southern Baptists gathered for their annual convention in St. Louis.   "Just a joke."   But for the last five years, such a thought was not a joking matter for some Southern Baptists. In 1997, messengers of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination voted overwhelmingly to boycott the Walt Disney Co.   "I think there are hundreds of thousands of Southern Baptists who are continuing the boycott very conscientiously," said Richard Land, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.   "We define the boycott as you don’t … [Read more...]

Weekly Announcements

For the week of July 11, 2002 Potpourri   • SHREVEPORT - Parkview church: Testify in concert; July 21, 6 p.m.; Mike Anderson, pastor.   • SWARTZ - First church: True Heart in concert; July 15, 7 p.m.; Collin Wimberly, pastor.   • ST. MARTINVILLE - Jenkins Memorial: The Bennetts in concert; July 14, 6 p.m.; K. L. Fournet, music director; Weldon Moak, pastor.   • LAFAYETTE - First church: Chalk art presentation by illustrator Richard Hight; July 14, 6:30 p.m.; Perry Sanders, pastor.   • BROUSSARD - First church: Legacy in concert; July 21, 5:30 p.m.; Jeffrey L. Cook, pastor.   • MONROE - First church: Ken Freeman, guest speaker; July 21, 10:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Randy McGee, pastor.   • WEST MONROE - First church: Associational Sunday School training conference; Aug. 1, 8:30 a.m - 3 p.m.; Bill Taylor, guest speaker; Jerry Price, associational director of missions; $10 by Aug. 1/includes lunch; $15 after Aug. 1/does not include lunch; for conference information, call (318) 322-6760; David Uth, First church pastor.   Youth   • OPELOUSAS - First church: Children’s choir presents "Amazon Outfitters Outpost," July 14, 6 p.m.; Elizabeth Curtis, … [Read more...]

Was recent voucher ruling good or bad? Observers differ

Observers may have disagreed on the correctness of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on school vouchers, but they were unanimous on one thing - it was huge.   "This is the most significant Supreme Court decision in terms of its impact on public education since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 (which struck down segregation), and I believe it will be a tremendously positive impact," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Observers may have disagreed on the correctness of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on school vouchers, but they were unanimous on one thing - it was huge.   "This is the most significant Supreme Court decision in terms of its impact on public education since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 (which struck down segregation), and I believe it will be a tremendously positive impact," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.   "This is probably the worst church-state decision in the last 50 years," countered Barry Lynn, who serves as director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "The Supreme Court has taken a wrecking ball to the wall of … [Read more...]

Court issues groundbreaking ruling on vouchers

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court shook the American educational and social scene by declaring that the "separate but equal" philosophy that had led to the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.   Five decades later, the nation’s high court again has issued a ruling on education that observers agree is groundshaking. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court shook the American educational and social scene by declaring that the "separate but equal" philosophy that had led to the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.   Five decades later, the nation’s high court again has issued a ruling on education that observers agree is groundshaking.   A divided court has ruled that an Ohio program that allows public vouchers to be used at religious schools is constitutional.   The 5-4 decision could change the face of American education, depending on how widely the approved program is adopted.   Indeed, President George Bush quickly endorsed the use of vouchers - even as others warned of an unholy entanglement of state and church. (See article below)   The case in question focused on a so-called "education-choice" program in Cleveland, whose public schools have … [Read more...]