A look at Ergun Caner’s calendar tells the tale. BERNICE – A look at Ergun Caner’s calendar tells the tale. The highly-sought speaker on Christian apologetics and former Sunni Muslim is coming straight from his post as president of Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va., to speak Aug. 11-12 at Pisgah Baptist Church in Bernice, north of Ruston in Concord Union Baptist Association. “We met at the Louisiana Evangelism Conference and I just emailed him later and asked if he would consider coming to our church,” emailed Pastor Jerry Dark. “He initially was scheduled to speak at our Homecoming in May, but Dr. Falwell’s health was declining rapidly, so he felt like he should stay close. After Dr. Falwell passed, he called and said he wanted to come and I could have this date. He’s pretty cool.” Caner has become a leading voice for evangelicalism on the national stage. He has been a guest on FOX, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC and TBN.  He has debated Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Bah’ai more than 60 times at universities and colleges, and never lost a debate. He has written 14 books, including the intriguing When Worldviews Collide on the subject of global apologetics and defending the Christian faith. Caner is to speak … [Read more...]

Women in crisis in Alabama and across the nation are learning of God’s love and compassion through more resources than ever, thanks to an affiliation between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and Care Net pregnancy centers. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Women in crisis in Alabama and across the nation are learning of God’s love and compassion through more resources than ever, thanks to an affiliation between the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and Care Net pregnancy centers. The arrangement, begun in September 2005 and nearing the end of its two-year duration, involves a sharing of ideas and resources between the two organizations. Care Net was founded in 1975 to encourage practical and compassionate solutions to reduce abortions in the United States and Canada. It is the largest pregnancy center affiliation organization in North America with a network of 1,050 Christian pregnancy centers, according to Kristin Hansen, Care Net vice president of communications and center innovations. The approximately 200 NAMB-affiliated pregnancy care centers in the United States — including those in Athens, Birmingham, Dothan, Eufaula, Gadsden, Huntsville, Ozark and Wetumpka — have become affiliates of Care Net with a waived … [Read more...]

More than 94,000 patients currently are on a national waiting list to receive an organ transplant, and an average of 18 people die each day because not enough organs are available to meet the demand. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – More than 94,000 patients currently are on a national waiting list to receive an organ transplant, and an average of 18 people die each day because not enough organs are available to meet the demand. “Organ donation is an issue that all adult believers should prayerfully consider,” Don Buckley, a Southern Baptist physician in Pensacola, Fla., told Baptist Press. “Advances in organ transplantation have made such procedures commonplace today, helping to extend many lives. Nevertheless, there remains a serious shortage of transplant donors.” Buckley said people should make their wishes known regarding donation with their loved ones and their personal physicians. “Certainly such a donation provides an unselfish witness of Christ’s love that extends beyond our death,” Buckley said. “The donation of organs in no way dishonors our mortal bodies but rather allows us to be good stewards of our bodily temple through the end of our lives. After death, our incorruptible resurrection bodies have no need for … [Read more...]

Along Interstate 10 in south Alabama sits a chapel with a shape, size and design that reveal much about its ministry. ROBERTSDALE, Ala. (BP) – Along Interstate 10 in south Alabama sits a chapel with a shape, size and design that reveal much about its ministry. Situated at exit 53 at Oasis Travel Center in Robertsdale is a trailer that no longer hauls refrigerated items, but now serves as a place for emitting the warmth and light of Jesus Christ. Called Exit 53 Chapel, this trailer is a church for truckers. A ministry of the Baldwin Baptist Association, it “provides an opportunity for truckers to be able to worship in an atmosphere they feel comfortable in,” said Rick Barnhart, associate director of missions for Baldwin Association. Plus, drivers know their rigs will be secure because they’re parked nearby. David Blanton, chaplain of Exit 53 Chapel, understands their concerns. He is a trucker himself, hauling explosives and radioactive materials for the trucking firm Tri-State Motor Transit. He has been involved in chaplain ministries for 14 years, helping start a trucker chapel in South Carolina and another in Wisconsin. Exit 53 was selected as the site for the Alabama chapel because “it’s where the Lord told me to … [Read more...]

Countries with Christian roots are the most religiously free domains in the world, according to the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in a forthcoming report. WASHINGTON (BP) – Countries with Christian roots are the most religiously free domains in the world, according to the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in a forthcoming report. The report ranked more than 100 countries according to the quality of religious freedom based on the country’s religious background. The only countries to receive an ideal score were the United States and Estonia, both with Protestant backgrounds, and Hungary and Ireland, both with Catholic backgrounds. The results of the report were announced July 9 in a briefing at the Hudson Institute in Washington. A six-member panel, which included Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, spoke on the importance of securing religious liberty in countries where such freedom is most violated. “Our founding documents do not declare something that is an American truth,” Land said. “It is a universal truth that we believe that all men are created equal and they are ‘endowed by their creator with certain inalienable … [Read more...]

San Diego is known by locals as “America’s Finest City,” and in some ways, that’s not an exaggeration. Beautiful beaches dot the city’s coastline, desert flowers bloom in inland areas, and, of course, there’s the nearly perfect weather. It’s a center of industry and research, a home base for thousands of residents who serve in the United States military, a temporary home to 250,000 college students, and a thriving tourist destination. SAN DIEGO (BP) – San Diego is known by locals as “America’s Finest City,” and in some ways, that’s not an exaggeration. Beautiful beaches dot the city’s coastline, desert flowers bloom in inland areas, and, of course, there’s the nearly perfect weather. It’s a center of industry and research, a home base for thousands of residents who serve in the United States military, a temporary home to 250,000 college students, and a thriving tourist destination. But most importantly, as California’s second-largest city and the nation’s eighth, Greater San Diego is filled with more than 3 million people, more than half of whom claim no religious affiliation. Only 6 percent of the population claim to be evangelical Christians. Local and national Southern Baptists hope to bring the light of Christ to the … [Read more...]

Individuals searching for everything from Beth Moore Bible studies to vacation Bible school songs need look no further than their iTunes account. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Individuals searching for everything from Beth Moore Bible studies to vacation Bible school songs need look no further than their iTunes account. In 2006, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention began placing downloadable audio files on Apple’s iTunes website, the world’s largest such catalog that features more than 5 million songs and nearly 1,000 television shows and movies. “iTunes is the easiest and most customer-friendly way to get music to our customers,” said Aaron Linne, a customer experience technician at LifeWay. “It allows us to reach beyond regular channels to meet people’s needs.” Today, LifeWay offers more than 500 tracks on the popular audio repository, and that list is ever-growing. This fall, for instance, choir directors and choir members will even find rehearsal tracks from LifeWay’s music area on iTunes, which already houses several Christmas choral releases, including Phil Barfoot and Dave Williamson’s The Joy of Christmas and Finding the Christmas Star, a children’s piece by Jeff Slaughter. “This is … [Read more...]

Official registration figures for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in San Antonio were released July 12 by SBC Registration Secretary Jim Wells.  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Official registration figures for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in San Antonio were released July 12 by SBC Registration Secretary Jim Wells. Texas Baptists sent the largest number of messengers, 1,605, of the 8,630 who registered for the June 12-13 sessions at San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Other leading states were Tennessee with 653 messengers (7.58 percent of the total); North Carolina, 627 (7.28 percent); Georgia, 602 (6.99 percent); and Florida, 525 (6.09 percent). Messengers were sent by 3,567 churches from 49 states in addition to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Official state-by-state registration numbers follow: Alaska, 9; Alabama, 517; Arkansas, 336; Arizona, 56; California, 160; Colorado, 43; District of Columbia, 8; Delaware, 1; Florida, 525; Georgia, 602; Hawaii, 11; Iowa, 11; Idaho 12; Illinois, 143; Indiana, 73; Kansas, 63; Kentucky, 400; Louisiana, 371; Massachusetts, 3; Maryland, 75; Maine, 4; Michigan, 28; Minnesota, 7; Missouri, 282; Mississippi, 477; Montana, 2; North … [Read more...]

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Teche Baptist Church, which started in 1953, dwindled over time to just two couples. Editor’s note: The annual Week of Prayer for the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering is Sept. 16-23. The offering goal is $1.5 million. The Message plans to highlight one GBO recipient each issue until then to help you better understand the need for and benefit of your mission offering at work around the state. CENTERVILLE – Teche Baptist Church, which started in 1953, dwindled over time to just two couples. Then Adam Beach was called in 2005 as pastor. Louisiana Baptist missionaries Adam and Keitra Beach realized the church’s image needed a makeover and the church needed to be reintroduced to the community. Now, membership is up and baptisms continue to increase as the church reaches out to the community, located less than 30 miles west of Morgan City.   “God is breathing new life into our church, making it useful and vibrant once again for His Kingdom,” Beach said. “Without the support of the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering, we really would not have grown to where we have now.” The Beaches prayed for a way to reopen communication with the community and discovered that a learning center for preschool children was a … [Read more...]