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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LBC’s Hankins addresses Louisiana College President’s Club

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) -- Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director Dr. David Hankins addressed the Louisiana College President’s Club dinner as part of the College’s homecoming festivities, October 13. Hankins’ alliterative remarks noted the primacy of convictions, the prayer of Christians, and the power of cooperation. Louisiana College was founded in 1916 and today is supported by Louisiana Baptists not merely to have “a fine institution of higher education” or to “give young people an excellent education” because those distinctions would make LC only one among many similar institutions, Hankins said. Some of the convictions that began and sustain Louisiana College are “based on the fact that there is a God in heaven, who made this universe, who made us, who has a purpose for our lives, and who has revealed himself to us ultimately through his son, Jesus Christ.” Hankins said that God has a “message for us that can redeem us from our sins and bring the kingdom of heaven to come to pass on this earth. That’s why this institution exists.” Other institutions don’t have such goals but “work pretty hard to disabuse children that come from faithful families of those notions of belief in God, … [Read more...]

Wisconsin judge outlaws tax benefit for pastor housing allowance

By Will Hall, Message Editor For the second time in four years, a federal judge in Madison, Wisconsin, has ruled unconstitutional the tax benefit related to housing allowances for pastors and clergy. Judge Barbara Crabb, appointed in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, ruled in favor of the atheistic Freedom from Religion Foundation, also located in Madison, in a lawsuit that claims such a federal tax break discriminates against secular persons. BACKGROUND Crabb issued the same ruling in 2013, but the conservative U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago later threw it out, saying the foundation was not directly affected and had no legal standing to file suit. Consequently, the anti-Christian group asked the IRS to grant the tax benefit to two FRFF co-presidents. When the IRS declined to extend the benefit to the non-profit executives, the group filed the current lawsuit. At issue is a 1954 law which permitted religious clergy to exclude from federal taxes part or all of their gross income that is related to housing costs. These exclusions include: (1) rent, principal payments, or down payments plus the cost of buying the home; (2) taxes and mortgage interest (even if these are includable as itemized … [Read more...]

Hurricane surge led to baptizing flood

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ORANGE, Texas – A Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer recently was reminded how ministering on the field can lead to changed lives for Christ. Sharon Luke and her husband, Charles, were assessing a house damaged by Hurricane Harvey when they encountered a homeowner named Angel, whose home in Orange, Texas, took in nearly five feet of water. Not knowing what the future held, Angel was comforted by Sharon Luke’s invitation to receive hope in the person of Jesus Christ – and she accepted. “There was a peace I felt came over her,” Sharon Luke, a member of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, said. “It was a great joy to be able to bring the reminder of the peace Christ can give us and the hope He offers. When I returned to the command center, I told everyone this made all we worked on worth it.” The Lukes were in the Texas communities of Vidor and Orange, Sept. 11-14. While there, they shared Christ’s love at each of the 10 homes and one church they assessed. At each site, they prayed with the homeowner and handed out a New Testament Bible, an experience Sharon Luke described as humbling – and much needed for those impacted by Harvey. Because of these efforts, she … [Read more...]