Today in a freshman composition class, a student asked about the difference between facts and opinions with regard to the particular essay we are working on. Today in a freshman composition class, a student asked about the difference between facts and opinions with regard to the particular essay we are working on. She remembered from her earliest writing encounters a clear division between the two – facts and opinions. My claim that there is not always a clear distinction did not sit well with her. She remained convinced that a fact could be proven and was incontrovertible. An opinion, on the other hand, was simply a belief. According to her own admission, her beliefs are as good as anyone else’s. As such, I countered, they cannot be proven nor can they be imposed on anyone else. In other words, according to the student, beliefs are to be relegated to that realm of private preference, of values, of non-rational and non-cognitive truth and have little to do with the completely separate public sphere which includes scientific knowledge, facts, rational and verifiable truth. This represents classic Enlightenment, dichotomous thinking at its best – and this from a professed Christian, reared in the church! Such relativistic … [Read more...]

I had never watched an entire episode of Oprah until her program on The Secret.         I had never watched an entire episode of Oprah until her program on The Secret.       In the promo for the show, Oprah announced that the program would present “the secret” to making more money, losing weight, finding the love of your life and achieving job success.       Who could resist hearing more about such a claim, especially when it is made by the most influential woman in America and touted as the key to all her success?       Apparently I wasn’t alone. After the show, Oprah’s website was overwhelmed, e-mails poured in, and within hours The Secret had become the best-selling book in the nation.       I am writing this review in a Barnes & Noble bookstore, and this particular branch has completely sold out of the book – again. I am told that two days ago, every copy of a new shippment, which had just arrived, disappeared in only a few moments.       Australian author of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, introduces the book by admitting, “A year ago, my life had collapsed … [Read more...]

When my three grown sons were small children, we would often play with a wooden train. Because they were so young, the boys would sometimes construct a track that ended up becoming two separate sections.         When my three grown sons were small children, we would often play with a wooden train. Because they were so young, the boys would sometimes construct a track that ended up becoming two separate sections.       It was at that point that one of them would request with excitement: “Daddy, build me a bridge.”       And so I would. The train could then run smoothly.       I am a part of a denomination that has many tracks but few bridges. And if we don’t start building some bridges quickly, God’s hand of blessing may move beyond us.       Let me share with you an example of recent days.       I recently spoke at the Baptist Identity Conference at UnionUniversity in Jackson, Tenn. From an outsider’s perspective, one might conclude that the crowd was likeminded. After all, it was a gathering of mostly Southern Baptists.       But I knew … [Read more...]

Evangelistic deer hunts. Christian fish fries. Wild game dinners at church. North American missionary Ken Wilson has a lot of tools in his Gospel-sharing tool box to win people to Christ amid the thick woods and crystal-clear lakes of northern Michigan.         MESICK, MICH. – Evangelistic deer hunts. Christian fish fries. Wild game dinners at church. North American missionary Ken Wilson has a lot of tools in his Gospel-sharing tool box to win people to Christ amid the thick woods and crystal-clear lakes of northern Michigan.       “Well, our motto is whatever it takes, we get ‘em anyway we can,” says Wilson.  While he actually was referring to deer as he stealthily walked through the woods with his bow – dressed head-to-toe in camouflage gear – he uses the same strategy for winning souls for Jesus.       As an associational missionary for the Northwest Baptist Association also supported by the North American Mission Board, Ken Wilson – the fanatical outdoorsman – knows he lives in a hunting and fishing paradise.       “I don’t think God could have called me to a better place than northern Michigan,” he says, … [Read more...]

BAGNO, the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, includes all of five parishes – St. Charles, St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson, and Plaquemines – and the majority of a sixth, St. John the Baptist.         NEW ORLEANS – BAGNO, the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, includes all of five parishes – St. Charles, St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson, and Plaquemines – and the majority of a sixth, St. John the Baptist.       Of those, four parishes were impacted by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. To recap the devastation, at least 80 percent of the city of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 20 feet of water. The breach on the 17th StreetCanal levee caused flooding in Jefferson Parish streets, with some lower-     lying areas receiving significant water damage.     Plaquemines Parish was flooded severely, while St. Bernard Parish, east of New Orleans and the most exposed to the storm surge, also was flooded because of extensive levee failure. It is reported that up to 90 percent of these levees were damaged.       Statistics for the association are sketchy at best at this point, said association staff. … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – Despite hurricanes, death, and the many challenges of life, Joe McKeever, director of missions for BAGNO, the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, persists in ministry.         NEW ORLEANS – Despite hurricanes, death, and the many challenges of life, Joe McKeever, director of missions for BAGNO, the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans, persists in ministry.       By far the weirdest thing McKeever’s experienced in the ministry? “That would be Katrina,” the DOM said.       While destruction of the magnitude of Katrina is a test many ministers will never face, death is a constant, and McKeever remembers one in particular that dealt a heart-wrenching blow not only to the family involved, but the community as well.       “I’ve just lost Millie’s baby and I’m losing Millie. Pray!” The doctor, Charles, told his wife, who promptly called McKeever who came and paced the floor with Lenny, Millie’s husband and a church member.       Millie, acting on a premonition, had asked Charles to stay in the hospital near her from the time she was admitted until she gave birth, … [Read more...]

Looking for a ministry that will help you reach out to your community? A child care program could be the answer for your church.         SHREVEPORT – Looking for a ministry that will help you reach out to your community? A child care program could be the answer for your church. Becky Estes saw that opportunity here at Willow Point Baptist more than 20 years ago and pounced. Again. Making a third go of it after beginning two daycare centers elsewhere proved to be just as rewarding, she said.       According to a Louisiana report, Investing in the Child Care Industry –www.dss.state.la.us/Documents/OFS/Investing_In_The_Chi1.pdf – published in 2005, almost 60 percent of families in the state with children under age six have both parents in the workforce. Translation: more than 2.5 million families in the state may need child care. Yet the state has a mere 1,762 licensed child care facilities, each of which is capable of serving about 45 children, depending on staffing and space.       The need for more quality child care options seems apparent.       Louisiana Baptist churches respond to this need with a variety of … [Read more...]

The Weekday Early Education (WEE) Program at Pineville Park Baptist Church in Pineville teaches four-year-olds through kindergarteners five days a week, three hours a day. On Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays – again for three hours each day – 1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds can attend.         PINEVILLE – The Weekday Early Education (WEE) Program at PinevilleParkBaptistChurch in Pineville teaches four-year-olds through kindergarteners five days a week, three hours a day. On Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays – again for three hours each day – 1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds can attend.       Next year the center plans to offer 3-year-olds the option of two, three, or five days a week.       Similar to Mother’s Day Out, PinevillePark is more than anything a developmental school, Director Jenise Jeansonne said. Besides a 30-minute outside play time and a snack time, children are engaged in structured learning for the entire time they’re at the center.       The center provides physical education on Fridays and music education every day but Thursday.       On Wednesdays children can participate in a Stay-N-Play … [Read more...]

Airline Baptist, Shreveport   Alpine First Baptist, Pineville   Amite Baptist, Denham Springs   Bellaire Baptist, Bossier City   Bethel Baptist, Jennings   BethsaidaBaptistChurch, Many   Broadmoor Baptist, Shreveport   Calvary Baptist, Shreveport   Calvary Baptist, Slidell   Calvary Baptist, Alexandria   CelebrationChurch, Metairie   CentralBaptistChurch, Springhill   Christ Baptist, Houma   Comite Baptist, Baton Rouge   Cypress Baptist, Benton   Donahue Family, Pineville   Eastwood Baptist, Haughton   Ebenezer Baptist, Jonesboro   Emmanuel Baptist, Lake Charles   FairPark Baptist, West Monroe   First Baptist, Baton Rouge   First Baptist, Bossier City   First Baptist, Calhoun   First Baptist, Covington   First Baptist, Denham Springs   First Baptist, DeRidder   First Baptist, Haughton   First Baptist, Homer   First Baptist, Houma   First Baptist, Jonesville   First Baptist, Mandeville   First … [Read more...]

“God’s timing is perfect timing,” said Jamie Wilson, Miss Louisiana 2006 and a competitor this past January for the Miss America title. “I think everything always works the way it’s supposed to.”         MINDEN – “God’s timing is perfect timing,” said Jamie Wilson, Miss Louisiana 2006 and a competitor this past January for the Miss America title. “I think everything always works the way it’s supposed to.”       Wilson, 23, first became involved with pageants when she decided that she wanted to represent her home town and become Miss Minden.       “I initially thought it would be something fun to do, but I’ve become ever more aware of how influential this position can be and how I can use it to encourage others,” she said, emphasizing that she always looks for God’s guidance.       After becoming Miss Minden, Wilson shifted her sights toward the Miss America crown, which required winning the state title first. That goal took five years to accomplish.       At first struggling to break into the top ten, then the top five, then winning first runner up, Wilson was finally crowned Miss Louisiana … [Read more...]