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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

APOLOGETICS 101 (Part 7): Israel’s powerful monarchy existed, and why it matters

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Atheistic and agnostic critics reject the Bible’s theology so strong­ly that they also dismiss its historical record, seeking to undermine any evidence that supports the truthful­ness of God’s Word. One of the most sus­tained attacks on the Bible’s historical accura­cy targets the legitimacy of—and even the existence of—the Kingdom of Israel. Some critics go so far as to claim that David and Solomon were not real historical figures. These attacks on Israel’s ancient legitimacy are also attacks on the foundations of Christianity. Even today, Marxists and Commu­nists who oppose Israel’s existence seek to weaken Christianity. Yet despite the ideolog­ical and political theater, archaeological discoveries increasingly refute Chris­tianity’s critics and affirm the biblical account of history. DAVID & SOLOMON Critics have long argued that the historical record is silent about David and Solomon, claim­ing that both men were either fictitious characters or in­consequential to history. However, these argu­ments were largely blunted in 1993, when an archae­ological team digging in northern Israel, discovered three fragments of a stone slab that … [Read more...]

APOLOGETICS 101 (Part 6): Jericho’s walls came tumbling down

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Jericho is significant to the trustworthiness of Scripture because its exis­tence is tied to key historical events documented in both the Old and New Testa­ments. BIBLICAL CORNERSTONE In Jericho Jesus continued his mission to “seek and save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10) with his encounter with Zacchaeus. During the same visit to the city, He healed two blind beggars, including Bartimaeus, on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. Meanwhile, Jesus cited the Jericho Road as the set­ting for His “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” Moreover, Jericho is mentioned in what is known as the “Roll Call of Faith” because “By faith the walls of Jericho fell” (Hebrews 11:30). Jericho also was a key location for events in the Old Testament such as Elijah’s miraculous whisk­ing up to Heaven in a chariot of fire and the first miracle by Elisha, upon succeeding Elijah, when he healed the city’s “bad water” (II Kings 2). But perhaps the city is most well-known for the victo­ry God wrought there, not through military might but through faith and obedience. Joshua 6 records that on the seventh day of Israel circling the heavily fortified city, when the priests … [Read more...]

MLB pitcher contextualizes team’s Pride Night cap with Bible reference: ‘Gen 9:12-16’

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes just a few words can redefine a picture. While professional sports teams continue to put their players through the ritual humiliation of donning rainbow attire that espouses a pro-LGBT agenda in which many players do not believe, some athletes have turned to understated protest. This weekend, San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp added context to his team-issued Pride cap by drawing a Bible reference next to the rainbow logo. … [Read more...]

FIRST PERSON: Promise

By John Kyle, special to the Baptist Message   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) -- Some say, “cross my heart and hope to die.” Others say, “let’s pinky swear.” Many of the seasoned saints reading this will say a person’s word is all you need.   For newlyweds, the exchanging and wearing of rings and the repeating of vows seals the deal, if you will.   The business world calls it a contract while in the financial world, a signed and notarized “promissory note” is required.   Promise.   It has been and continues to be a major part of our culture, of our lives. We promise to be on time when we accept a job. We promise to pay our bills on time. We promise to obey the law and not text while we drive.  There are not many aspects of life that promise does not touch.   If you think about it, the original Easter season ended with a promise. After 40 days of providing many convincing truths about His resurrection, Jesus uttered these familiar words:“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” (Acts 1:8, CSB). Immediately after saying those words, Jesus ascended to Heaven as the disciples watched.   While … [Read more...]

FIRST PERSON: The Fox in the Henhouse — Big Tech’s role in ‘regulating’ AI endangers children

By Gene Mills, special to the Baptist Message BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) -- Big Tech is not your friend and does not share your family values. Now that I’ve said the impolite part out loud, let’s circle back to why that matters and what must be done about it. There are two significant and converging stories in the emerging technology arena. The first is the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) and the legitimate motivation for the United States to win the AI innovation race against China. The second is the reality that Big Tech has knowingly used its social media platforms to monetize ‘childhood attention and affection’ for over two decades, and it is planning to do the same with AI platforms. One current example: A New Mexico jury recently levied $375 million in civil penalties on Meta for misleading consumers about the potential dangers to children interacting with its platforms, namely Meta subsidiaries, Facebook and Instagram. Parents have known this instinctively for years, but the ruling confirms that Meta also understood long ago that its platform was exploitive and addictive to minors, and they continued to market it to children anyway. In fact, that was the goal – design the platforms to capture … [Read more...]

Five insights from Ben Sasse as he faces his last days on Earth

Fifty-four-year-old former Nebraska senator, husband, and father of three, Ben Sasse, was tragically diagnosed only six months ago with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and told he had three to four months to live. While the clinical trial that his doctors put him on has given him more time on earth than doctors predicted, the cancer has sadly continued to spread to his liver, lymph nodes, lung, and vascular system. … [Read more...]

A nation under God: a call to prayer, courage and renewal

On the National Day of Prayer, Americans across the country pause to seek God’s wisdom, mercy, and guidance. It is a moment to reflect on who we are as a nation: a people shaped by faith, rooted in Judeo-Christian values, and united under God. It reminds us that our strength is not found solely in military power or economic success, but in our enduring reliance on the protection and guidance of Divine Providence. … [Read more...]

FIRST PERSON: Proof

By John Kyle, Special to the Message NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) -- How many times have you said to someone, “prove it!”? “Prove it” is a statement of unbelief. You’re not buying what the other person is selling so you stop the conversation by saying “prove it.” This may come across as a prideful statement because you are convinced that the other person doesn’t know what they’re talking about, so you confidently throw down the gauntlet and say, “prove it.” It’s now post-Easter. Jesus did what He said He would do. He said He was going to be handed over to sinful men who would crucify Him and three days later He would be raised from the dead. If we’re honest, no one believed Him. You might recall how Peter pulled Him aside and said “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22). Everyone close to Jesus was surprised that He actually did what He said He would do. What did those early, discouraged and fear-filled followers need? Proof! And God specializes in proof. Proof appeared on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday. Two discouraged and disheartened men had left Jerusalem trying to figure out what just happened. Jesus came alongside of them, yet it wasn’t until He explained the teaching of … [Read more...]

Apologetics 101 (Part 4): Proof of the Tower of Babel

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – In the beginning, God commanded that Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; …” (Genesis 1:28), and He repeated this charge to Noah and his family after their deliverance from the watery death that the rest of the world experienced (Genesis 9:1). But a mere 100 to 350 years after the global calamity caused by the Great Flood, and while mankind was only starting to repopulate the earth, men and women convinced themselves to stop their expansion across the globe and to settle down in one place to “build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens,” choosing to “make a name” for themselves rather than continue to “be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). However, this biblical account about the history of mankind has largely been disputed by scholars and archaeologists, especially during the better part of the 19th and 20th centuries. But today critics will concede at least some nuanced agreement with some elements of this historical account because of the discovery of many tower-like structures, stepped-pyramids called ziggurats, beginning with excavations in Ur (southern Iraq) … [Read more...]