Submitted by philip on Mon, 07/01/2013 - 13:49 Hundreds of same-sex marriage supporters await June 26 Supreme Court decisions at a rally in front of the federal court building, which is undergoing repair. By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a historic ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, but it stopped short of redefining marriage nationwide. In one of two rulings regarding gay marriage, the high court struck down on June 26 a federal law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. In a breakthrough for homosexual couples, the court said in a 5-4 decision the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violated “equal protection” under the Constitution by refusing to recognize gay marriages. The opinion means same-sex couples will have access to employee, Social Security, tax and other benefits previously limited to heterosexual couples. In the other case about gay marriage, the justices appeared to provide a limited victory for same-sex marriage advocates. The court’s 5-4 ruling on a procedural question apparently will have the effect of allowing to stand a federal judge’s invalidation of a California amendment that limited marriage to heterosexual couples. In its … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 07/01/2013 - 13:53 Community Roots is a Farmer’s Market at Redeemer Community Church in Keithville. Church members Kate and Sarah sell handmade headbands. By Robert Lemoine, Regional Reporter KEITHVILLE – The building housing Redeemer Community Church might have become so much a part of the landscape that townspeople don’t even notice it anymore, but church members have come up with a way to change that. They’ve started a Farmers Market! Farmer’s markets draw people from all walks of life. Some visit them to save money. Others are looking for healthier food choices. Redeemer Community Church in Keithville is using its Farmers Market to witness to those who would never visit a church, or who have forgotten there is a church at the intersection of Jersey Gold Road and state Highway 525. “People pass by the church without even seeing it,” said Pastor Billy Sutton Jr. “This is a way to get the word out about the church, reach the community, and serve the community.” Since Redeemer’s Farmers Market is located on church property, it comes with low cost and high exposure. “This is another avenue to break down barriers,” Sutton said. “We can hand out literature on Christianity like at a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director STATEWIDE – Users of the iPad now have a new way to navigate the pages of the Baptist Message. Launched in mid-June, the Baptist Message app allows users to scroll through pages of current and some recent past issues of the Baptist Message. The app – internet application – is available by visiting the iTunes store or the Newstand app on the iPad. Just type “Baptist Message” into the search features to gain access to the new app. Those with a paid subscription to the print or online edition can receive the app at no additional cost. An access code is available to those with a paid subscription by contacting Baptist Message atsubscribe@baptistmessage.com or call 318.442.7728. Just provide your name and address and a code will be provided. For those without a paid subscription to the print edition or the website, there is an annual subscription fee of $13.99 to access the Baptist Message via the iPad app.  A subscription can be obtained by visiting the iTunes store “I think the future for most periodicals is going to be via a tablet in some shape, form or fashion. For now, we hope the app will meet the needs of our readers who utilize the iPad,” said Message Editor Kelly Boggs. Apps are … [Read more...]

By Staff, LBC Communications Louisiana Baptists are invited to submit names of nominees for service on state convention boards and committees and to submit resolutions for possible consideration for the 2013 Louisiana Baptist Convention. The Louisiana Baptist Committee on Committees is beginning its work to nominate persons to serve on various state convention committees. Currently, 19 nominees are needed for service on committees on Credentials, Louisiana Baptist History, Moral and Social Concerns, Nominations, Order of Business and Resolutions. Committee on Committees Chair is Lloyd Whitman. In addition, the Louisiana Baptist Committee on Nominations is beginning its work to fill vacancies on state boards. At this point, 29 nominees are needed to serve on the Convention Executive Board and as trustees of Louisiana College, the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries, the Baptist Message, and the Baptist Foundation. The Committee on Nominations Chair is Richard Blue. As in previous years, persons should submit names of nominees and the committee or board for which they are being nominated. Submissions should include information on the nominee’s church membership and current employment. Nominations should be … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor Until recent years the discussion over civil rights in the United States has been focused primarily on inherent, immutable characteristics like sex or race. Both are set realities at birth and, unless there is some invasive interference, they do not change. Courts and legislatures have tinkered with the understanding of civil rights for a few years now by introducing the concept of behavior and self-perception to the discussion. However, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on June 26 that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, it took a giant step toward endorsing the concept of behavior as the basis for civil rights. DOMA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and is a federal statute that allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed under the laws of other states. “DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy who authored the majority opinion in the 5 to 4 vote. “DOMA instructs all federal officials, and indeed all persons with whom same-sex couples interact, including their own children, that their marriage is less worthy … [Read more...]

By James Draper Jr., Former President LifeWay Christian Resources The excitement of independence boiled in the streets of Philadelphia as John Adams rose early on July 2, 1776. He sat at a small desk in his rented room and quickly wrote a note to his wife, Abigail. “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epochal in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forevermore.” July 2, 1776 was the day for final debate regarding Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence. The document served England notice that America would no longer live under England’s tyranny. It was officially adopted two days later. However, just declaring a separation from England did not make it so. As Congress met in Philadelphia, British warships massed in the harbors of New York waiting for an opportunity to subdue the city and push inland by river to capture … [Read more...]

By Jim Law, Pastor of First Baptist Gonzales Charles Spurgeon in his autobiography tells a story from his youth years that speaks to the priorities in a believer’s life. On one occasion his grandmother promised him a penny for every hymn of Isaac Watts that he could perfectly repeat to her. Possessing a photographic memory, he began to quickly learn the hymns at such a pace that she reduced the price to a half-penny. Spurgeon recalled that even with the reduction in price there was still risk “that she might be ruined by the calls on her purse.” In time Spurgeon faced a lucrative distraction.  His grandfather, finding his home place overrun with rats, promised Spurgeon a shilling a dozen for all the rats that he could kill. With such an offer, his priorities shifted as he gave up hymn-learning for rat-killing. In later years, Spurgeon confessed that memorizing the hymns paid the best, for they fed his young life with God’s truth and in his ministry was able to use them in his sermons. Thinking through the tyranny of the urgent and the cacophony of demands and appeals for our time and energy, we are faced with similar choices as Spurgeon. In the Christian life, often the issue is not between good and evil, but between better … [Read more...]

By Jay Dennis, Pastor First Baptist Church in the Mall, Lakeland, Fla. Exhilarating yet very challenging – that was my experience of the Join One Million Men launch at the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston. The reception to this initiative to combat pornography exceeded expectations. This could not have happened without the enthusiastic endorsement of Richard Land of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and Wanda Lee of WMU. They are heroes. Other heroes are Andrea Mullins of New Hope Publishers who have made Join One Million Men resources available and John Sullivan, executive director of the Florida Baptist Convention, who opened the door for me to discuss the strategy with state Baptist convention executive directors and newspaper editors in Oklahoma City this past February. Now, the heroes will be the pastors and lay leadership who say to their congregations concerning pornography: “Not with our men. Not with our women. Not with our sons and daughters. We will be 1 of 1 million men committed to a pornography-free life. We will be 1 of 1 million women praying for 1 million men to live pornography-free lives.” Thank you, Southern Baptists, for once again leading the way in addressing the hard issues. At the … [Read more...]

By Archie England, NOBTS Question: Are all (major) translations of the Old Testament essentially the same? (Or, why should my pastor study the Hebrew and Greek for preaching God’s Word?) Archie England responds: Basically, most major translations sufficiently relay the meaning of God’s word. But at times, some serious understatements or overstatements occur – and the biblically untrained readers can’t see these unless shown by someone knowledgeable in the original languages. Pastors, study the Greek and Hebrew Bible to show yourself approved. Christians, accept nothing less than God’s best from your pastors. Let’s examine a few of these issues. Just one word can make a significant difference. In Isaiah 7:14, most major translations render the baby’s mother as a “virgin.” Though that’s clearly the expectation for a young Hebrew girl about to get married, it’s not the point emphasized by the Hebrew. Avoided here is the specific word for virgin (which fits any female of any age who has never had sexual relations) and uses a far less common word for a girl who’s come of age for marriage. The rendering of this idea as virgin comes from the Greek Septuagint, which was a translation of the Old Testament hundreds of years later, … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 07/01/2013 - 14:09 By Philip A. Pinckard, NOBTS Jesus made it clear that the cost of discipleship would be high: Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life must lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it – Matthew 16:24-25, NASB. When my wife and I attended orientation for new Southern Baptist international missionaries, little did we realize we would meet a couple who would lose their lives in taking the gospel to the nations. Chu Hon, M.D., and his wife, Kei Yi, a nurse, were charter members of the Tidewater Korean Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va. They never had children of their own, but had many friends and neighbors who remember them like family, according to the church’s website: www.tkbcva.org. They attended orientation for members of the Cooperative Services International, a Southern Baptist aid organization, in the spring of 1993. That summer they began ministry in Khabarovsk, Russia, a city in Siberia. Dr. Yi, a retired cardiologist, taught medicine at the Khabarovsk Medical Institute and practiced medicine in a local hospital. Dr. Yi also … [Read more...]