Anyone who seriously doubts the sin problem of the world has not read newspapers or heard or seen news broadcasts recently. Anyone who seriously doubts the sin problem of the world has not read newspapers or heard or seen news broadcasts recently. Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his wife and unborn son. While he has not spoken about his crimes, one can draw the conclusion that he did not want his desire to roam freely on the dating scene to be impaired by them, nor did he want the financial responsibility of paying alimony or child support. Brian Nichols, the Atlanta courthouse killer, shot dead four people to escape the consequences of the crime for which he had been charged. In Florida, John Evander Couey reportedly has admitted kidnaping 9-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford, sexually assaulting her, then killing her. Mourners gathered in a Baptist church where they had last seen her the Sunday evening before her disappearance. Scott Peterson and Brian Nichols seem to have all the advantages of this world. They were both well educated, had good jobs, grew up in good families. Many would say that the cure for murderous actions are good educations, financial security and positive environments. … [Read more...]
Evangelical leaders urge involvement on broader range of public policy issues
A leading evangelical association has issued a call for a broader approach to public policy issues than evangelicals have been known for in the past. A leading evangelical association has issued a call for a broader approach to public policy issues than evangelicals have been known for in the past. The National Association of Evangelicals recently released a document that promises policy efforts related not only to such issues as abortion, marriage and religious liberty but to poverty, human rights, peace and the environment as well. It notes that evangelicals “have failed to engage with the breadth, depth and consistency to which we are called” and lists seven guidelines for political engagement by Christians: • To guard religious liberty and freedom of conscience. • To promote family life and defend children. • To uphold the sanctity of human life. • To gain justice and compassion for the “poor and vulnerable.” • To safeguard human rights. • To work for peace and the restraint of violence. • To protect creation. Nearly 90 evangelical leaders signed on to the document, including Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; James Dobson, founder of … [Read more...]
Witness – hostage talked to captor about faith, God
Add another chapter to the amazing story of “The Purpose-Driven Life” book by Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist pastor in California. Add another chapter to the amazing story of “The Purpose-Driven Life” book by Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist pastor in California. After being taken hostage last week, Ashley Smith calmed her captor by reading an excerpt from “The Purpose-Driven Life” and talking with him about God. She eventually escaped by persuading Brian Nichols to let her pick up her daughter from an AWANA children’s program at a Southern Baptist church. “I asked him if I could read,” Smith, 26, said in recounting the ordeal to reporters. “He said, ‘What do you want to read?’ “‘Well, I have a book in my room,’” Smith told her captor. “So, I went and got it. I got my Bible, and I got a book called ‘The Purpose-Driven Life.’ I turned it to the chapter that I was on that day. It was chapter 33. And I started to read the first paragraph of it. After I read it, he said, ‘Stop. Will you read it again?’ “So, I read it again to him,” Smith said. On Day 33 of the book, author Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist pastor in California, writes – “We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms … [Read more...]
Basketball once was his god – but all of that has changed now
Anthony Moore’s god used to be an orange, bumpy, black-grooved sphere – and college basketball and even the NBA seemed like sure things. Anthony Moore’s god used to be an orange, bumpy, black-grooved sphere – and college basketball and even the NBA seemed like sure things. Young, and athletically gifted, Moore had it all. At least, that is the way he saw it. The Missouri native remembers accepting Christ as a third grader. However, by his own account, either he did not understand the commitment or he was not truly saved. Instead, basketball became his sole focus in junior high. By high school, it defined his identify. Though he ran with a rough crowd off the court, Moore managed to avoid alcohol and drugs. Various family members had provided real-life examples of the devastating consequences of drug abuse, including alcoholism. He also was protecting the strength and endurance he depended on when he played basketball. But he played the role of big-man-on-campus to the hilt. And some temptations available to him proved too strong to resist, Moore admits. “The reason why it was not worse was not because I was trying to live righteous for the Lord,” he says. “I was afraid that if I had committed … [Read more...]
SBC disaster relief efforts hit record highs for 2004
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responses in 2004 reached an all-time high, including record numbers for meals prepared, buildings repaired and cleanup and recovery projects. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responses in 2004 reached an all-time high, including record numbers for meals prepared, buildings repaired and cleanup and recovery projects. More than 15,000 trained Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers gave their time, talents and energies in response to 193 natural disasters which included hurricanes, an earthquake, floods, tornadoes and ice storms. Southern Baptists prepared more than 3.5 million meals, repaired more than 2,600 buildings and completed nearly 11,000 cleanup and recovery projects – all record highs. “The service accomplishments of 2004 are a shining example of how God allows us to be part of his great work when Christians come together to work in cooperation with each other, ...” said Robert Reccord, president of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. “I know of no better way Southern Baptists can build bridges to the world than to be there with desperately needed help during the darkest hours of disaster.” Last year began with mobilizing volunteers for … [Read more...]
WOrld of religion
Week of January 31 LC prayerwalk Louisiana College President Joe Aguillard has scheduled a first-ever campus prayerwalk for Feb. 19. The event is set to begin on the Pineville campus at 11 a.m. “We are calling on Louisiana Baptists and all other interested LC family members, regardless of denomination, to join us in praying over our campus as we anoint it to God’s service,” Aguillard said. “God promised us in 2 Chronicles 20 when we declare ‘Our eyes are upon thee’ his reply is ‘Be not afraid, the battle is not your but God’s. Stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord.’ ... God’s promises are real and true, and he will bless our obedience. This call to prayer is a total acknowledgment that God is in charge of Louisiana College and our allegiance to him will bring his blessings upon us. I encourage every church in our state to send their youth and adults to come and pray on and for our college campus.” For details, call (318) 487-7137 or visit www.lacollege.edu. Marriage amendment A constitutional marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution was re-introduced in the Senate late last month with support from 22 senators. The amendment would define marriage as only between a man and a woman, thus … [Read more...]
Correct assessment
In the January 13, 2005, edition of the Baptist Message, the article “Ecumenical group” on the “World of Religion” page (Page Two) stated a well-recognized fact ... In the January 13, 2005, edition of the Baptist Message, the article “Ecumenical group” on the “World of Religion” page (Page Two) stated a well-recognized fact in regard to the Southern Baptist refusal to join an ecumenical group organized under the name “Christian Churches Together.” Martin King of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board was correct in saying that such an alignment by Southern Baptists would cause it “top give up some doctrinal beliefs.” A more fundamental reason as to why Southern Baptists cannot join an ecumenical group is that the convention is not a church as other denominations view themselves. Since Baptist churches are autonomous, the convention cannot speak for them as one voice. The churches in their annual convention could agree to such an involvement. In addition to the issue of the autonomy of the local church is the basic biblical truth that our strength is not found in numbers but in the God we serve (2 Chron. 7:14). The church has a spiritual ministry that changes history by changing the hearts … [Read more...]
‘Prison caused me to see myself. … God used prison to change me’
Inmate Sidney DeLoach said he forever will be thankful for prison. – if he had not entered the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola 26 years ago, DeLoach said he thinks he would be dead. Inmate Sidney DeLoach said he forever will be thankful for prison. – if he had not entered the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola 26 years ago, DeLoach said he thinks he would be dead. “Prison was good for me,” insisted DeLoach, pastor of St. John Institutional Brotherhood at Angola. “Prison caused me to find myself. It caused me to see myself. It caused me to know myself. God used prison to change me.” DeLoach offered his story during a time of testimony at the 2005 Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference last week. He was one of four testimonies at the conference, which also featured a range of speakers and small-group sessions related to evangelism. (See accompanying articles and coverage on Pages Five, Six and Seven) Raised in a Baptist church, DeLoach said he accepted Christ as his personal savior and Lord at a young age. However, he also said he despised preachers because he saw some of them living an immoral life. Once the Army drafted DeLoach to serve in Vietnam, he said his life changed forever. “I … [Read more...]
God still in the business of changing lives, trio of Louisianians maintain
A trio of Louisiana Baptists offered witness last week of one thing they know for sure – that God still is in the business of changing lives. A trio of Louisiana Baptists offered witness last week of one thing they know for sure – that God still is in the business of changing lives. During times of personal testimonies at last week’s Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church of Bossier City, the trio recounted how God had touched – and transformed – their lives. The stories were varied. During his presentation, Bobby Bates from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Winnfield told how God called him out of a life of drinking, drugs, fighting and partying to preach the gospel. “Jesus still saves – you can look right here,” he said. Bates acknowledged his road to faith was not easy. “I’ve been shot at, cut at, beat down,” he said. “I lived life on the edge. ... If I had fell not knowing Jesus, I’d gone straight to hell. ... “The devil pulled on me and pulled on me and pulled on me,” Bates emphasized. However, on January 11, 2004, after years of skirting around the edge of faith, Bates said he surrendered his life to Christ and found release from his previous lifestyle. Six months … [Read more...]
2004 Annie Armstrong offering closes at record high
Southern Baptists celebrated good news on the North American missions front last week with the announcement of a record annual offering. Southern Baptists celebrated good news on the North American missions front last week with the announcement of a record annual offering. Final receipts show that Southern Baptists gave a record $53.8 through the 2004 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. The gifts were fueled by strong showing in a number of states, including Louisiana, where final receipts for 2004 totaled a record of more than $1.6 million. Overall, the Southern Baptist total exceeded the previous year’s offering by almost $4.2 million (8.5 percent). It fell shy of the national offering goal of $54 million by just $154,011 (0.003 percent). Southern Baptist North American Mission Board President Robert Reccord described Southern Baptists’ sacrificial generosity in 2004 as a significant breakthrough in North American missions giving. “Southern Baptists have proven themselves faithful to the cause of missions and reaching North America for Christ,” Reccord said. “Never before has funding been more critical to the mission of ensuring that every person in the United … [Read more...]
