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Mental health advisory team gives final report

August 12, 2015

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Noting that we are in "a new day of awareness" about mental health issues, Frank S. Page expressed appreciation to the Mental Health Advisory Group at its culminating meeting and received the group's final report. In response to a motion on mental health ministry and a resolution on mental health concerns introduced at the 2013 SBC annual meeting, Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, appointed the Mental Health Advisory Group to "report and advise [him] on possible ways of better informing Southern Baptists about available mental health service providers and resources." Numerous individuals both within and outside the SBC have been encouraged by the elevation of mental health ministry needs and the work of the advisory group, Page said. Following the group's first meeting in spring, 2014, chairman Tony Rose, pastor of LaGrange Baptist Church in LaGrange, Ky., divided the group into teams to investigate various facets of mental health ministry in SBC life. The full advisory group met again on Nov. 21, 2014 in Nashville to discuss each team's findings and begin the process of collating their findings into its report. Professional and Church Counseling Services The … [Read more...]

3 states defund Planned Parenthood in wake of videos

August 12, 2015

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Three states have acted swiftly to accomplish what the U.S. Senate could not -- defund Planned Parenthood. Alabama, Louisiana and New Hampshire all have eliminated funding for the country's leading abortion provider after the release of videos providing evidence Planned Parenthood trades in baby body parts. Since mid-July, an investigative group has released five undercover videos that show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted children for research. It is expected more videos will be released in the next few weeks. Thirteen states have initiated investigations into Planned Parenthood, according to The Christian Science Monitor. After investigations in their states, Florida and Indiana officials have reported they found no evidence of violations by the organization regarding fetal tissue. While some states have canceled contracts with Planned Parenthood, supporters of defunding in the U.S. Senate fell short in their attempt Aug. 3. Senators voted 53-46 to bring to the floor a bill to eliminate federal funds for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. While a majority of senators favored consideration of the proposal, the attempt to invoke … [Read more...]

Domestic violence: Why pastors can’t ignore it

August 12, 2015

NASHVILLE, (BP) -- When Mark Bagwell started Golden Corner Church in Walhalla, S.C., 22 years ago, he was shocked by the prevalence of domestic violence among the people he sought to reach. "A huge number of the people I was counseling -- within just a short time of even the first meeting, I would start discovering that they had been abused," Bagwell, now Golden Corner's care pastor, told SBC LIFE. That reality "broke my heart and started bringing about a great passion" to confront the problem. Consistent with Golden Corner's vision of "loving God, loving people," Bagwell educated himself about ministering to domestic violence victims. Today, along with other area ministers, he works in conjunction with a local women's shelter to help abuse victims. He was quoted last year as an advocate for battered women in a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles on domestic violence by Charleston, S.C.'s The Post and Courier. Bagwell is among a growing coalition of Southern Baptists encouraging pastors to place more emphasis on combating domestic abuse -- a common but often overlooked problem within churches. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than one in three women (35.6 percent) and one in four … [Read more...]

Views on divorce studied

August 12, 2015

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Pastors believe not all divorces are created equal, but for many Americans any reason is as good as another, a new study shows. "Pastors make a distinction about the rightness of a divorce based on the reasons behind it," said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research in Nashville. "They want to account for the parts of Scripture that speak of possible rationales." However, Americans view virtually all reasons for ending a marriage in the same moral light. In a phone survey of 1,000 Americans, LifeWay Research found 39 percent say divorce is a sin when an individual's spouse commits adultery; 38 percent when the couple no longer loves one another; 38 percent when a spouse abandons the other; 37 percent when a spouse is abused; and 35 percent when a spouse is addicted to pornography. Close to the same (37 percent) say divorce is not a sin in any of these. "About one in seven Americans are saying divorce is a sin in all of these cases, more than a third don't think any of these would be a sin, and almost half believe some circumstances would be sinful, but not others," McConnell said. In a separate phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors, less than a third want to classify as sinful an … [Read more...]

Ferguson tensions show need for SBC’s Crossover

August 12, 2015

FERGUSON, Mo. (BP) -- More than 200 Baptist pastors and leaders gathered at First Baptist Church in Ferguson, Mo., on the day violence had broken out in the early morning hours during the one-year anniversary weekend of the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. Baptist leaders from the Missouri and Illinois sides of the Mississippi River met to hear plans for and the challenges of Crossover St. Louis, which will precede the Southern Baptist Convention's 2016 annual meeting, June 14-15 in St. Louis. "This has been a city in crisis for more than a year," SBC President Ronnie Floyd said during the sessions at First Baptist in Ferguson. "When we set up this meeting, we didn't realize it would be the anniversary of that horrible event. But God did. "The entire metropolitan area needs an awakening," Floyd continued. "We need to pray for an outpouring of God's Holy Spirit. God is getting His people ready and this is our moment to make a difference." On Sunday (Aug. 9) after an estimated 1,000 protesters had marched peacefully in Ferguson, police returned gunfire from a suspect around 11:15 p.m., critically wounding the man. Dozens of protesters were arrested throughout the day on Monday, the St. Louis … [Read more...]

Brewer makes executive role changes at Louisiana College

August 11, 2015

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College communications PINEVILLE - Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College, announced Aug. 7 a shift for two senior executive team members. Brewer named Byron McGee as vice president for Institutional Advancement, a position he already has filled as interim. McGee vacates his long-tenured service as vice president for Enrollment Management. Brandon Bannon, vice president for Student Life, succeeds McGee and leaves his role as dean of students. "Although I have spent most of my career at Louisiana College in Enrollment Management, I am very excited about moving into the Institutional Advancement role,” said McGee, a 1979 alumnus of LC. “This wonderful institution has meant so much to so many through the years, and I believe that, with our new leadership, our community and alumni are ready to partner with us to make Louisiana College the best that it can be," McGee said. Beginning his thirty-third year of employment at LC, McGee joined the staff in 1983 as an admissions counselor, advanced to director of admissions in 1987, and has twice served as alumni director. “More than anything else, institutional advancement is about relationships. And Byron’s longevity of service to the college … [Read more...]

Videos lead Louisiana, two other states to defund Planned Parenthood

August 10, 2015

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana is among three states that have eliminated state funding for Planned Parenthood. After Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals was canceling its Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast as of Aug. 3, Alabama and New Hampshire followed just a few days later. New Hampshire’s Executive Council made its decision to terminate the state’s contract on Aug. 5 while Alabama ended its Medicaid agreement with Planned Parenthood on Aug. 6. “In recent weeks, it has been shocking to see reports of the alleged activities taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country,” Jindal said in a news release. “Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life.  It has become clear that this is not an organization that is worthy of receiving public assistance from the state.” The action came after videos surfaced showing Planned Parenthood senior directors and others affiliated with the organization discussing the sale of body parts from aborted children. Jindal then asked for an investigation into the organization. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast … [Read more...]

As crane and construction company prepare for arrival, more volunteers needed to help with building of Georgia Barnette Conference Center

August 10, 2015

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – Volunteers are needed to assist with setting large trusses at the Georgia Barnette Conference Center. A construction company is donating the use of a crane and workers for the project, with a targeted start date of Aug. 24, but additional volunteers are needed to assist those workers. The 8,400-square-foot center on the grounds of Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth will have six small group rooms and a large auditorium that can be arranged for up to 580 participants. Also included will be a state-of-the-art sound system and lighting. With the exception of professional contractors who poured the concrete slab on June 29, construction of the project has been comprised entirely of volunteers. Nearly 50 Kingdom Builders from Louisiana and Texas helped with framing work on July 13. After that, a group from Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, two men from Texas and a husband-wife team from Arkansas has volunteered their time. The center is named after Georgia Barnette, the first elected and paid Woman’s Missionary Union executive director/treasurer in Louisiana. Every year Louisiana Baptists collect the Georgia Barnette State Missions … [Read more...]

Two South Sudanese pastors banned from travel

August 7, 2015

JUBA, South Sudan (BP) -- Two South Sudanese Christian pastors released from prison Aug. 5 after eight months' detention have been banned from leaving the country, Morning Star News reported. The two face no additional charges. Yat Michael, 49, and Peter Yein Reith, 36, were preparing to board a plane Aug. 6 with their families when Khartoum International Airport authorities stopped them, according to one of the men's attorneys. Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) ordered the ban when the pastors were initially detained -- Yat on Dec. 14, 2014 and Reith on Jan. 11, 2015 -- and gave the orders to the airport personnel, the attorney said. A relative asked for prayer. "They have been prohibited from leaving Khartoum," the relative said, "but we are working now with their lawyer, and your prayers are very needed." The two men had been released after being acquitted of charges that could have garnered the death penalty, being convicted of lesser charges instead and given credit for time served. The attorney clarified that Reith was convicted of "establishing or participating in a criminal organization" (not "breaching the peace" as Morning Star News previously reported), while Michael was convicted of … [Read more...]

GOP debate: social, religious issues prominent

August 7, 2015

By David Roach, Baptist Press CLEVELAND (BP) -- Abortion, gay marriage and God were among the topics addressed Aug. 6 at a Republican presidential debate in Cleveland involving the top 10 candidates in polls as determined by Fox News. While no candidate expressed support for abortion rights, one -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- said the country should not divide over gay marriage. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee criticized the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration last month for not securing the release of four American political prisoners including Pastor Saeed Abedini, though he did not mention Abedini by name. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson invoked the biblical concept of a tithe to illustrate a fair system of taxation. Among the reactions of Southern Baptist commentators was approval of at least two explicit mentions of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, prompting Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson to tweet, "Heard more Gospel content in Republican debate than one often hears in some churches." When candidates were asked whether they had received a "word from God" related to their candidacy, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Southern Baptist, responded, "I am blessed to receive a word … [Read more...]

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Editorial

Running the race

If you want to run the race of life successfully, then don’t look back. If you’ve ever run a race and looked over your shoulder to see what your competitor was doing, then you know that looking back can break your stride and ultimately cause you to lose. … Read More

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