Submitted by philip on Fri, 03/06/2015 - 09:12 Beyond the walls of Angola, other prisons have adopted programs similar to the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension center at Angola. The inmate students meet in a classroom such as this one on the prison grounds. So far, prisons in 11 other states have adopted the program used at Angola. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ANGOLA – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is running out of room at its extension center building at the Louisiana State Penitentiary and is expanding. Since early February, construction has been ongoing for the Joan Horner Center of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. A concrete slab was poured and two weeks later inmates began their 24-hour, six days a week work on the 11,000-sq.-ft building, made possible by a $300,000 donation. Warden Burl Cain said when the building is dedicated with a target date of April 18, to coincide with the weekend of the Angola Rodeo, it will provide much needed breathing room for what has become a growing program and cramped workspace for the seminary students there. “What Louisiana Baptists have done is sustain the seminary which has changed lives, so thank you Louisiana Baptists,” … [Read more...]

ANGOLA – The annual revival at the Louisiana State Penitentiary is several months away but those wanting to participate in evangelistic efforts there must register by March 25. Every year, around 150 Louisiana Baptists participate in the opportunity to share the gospel with the 6,000 men, one-on-one, who are in the facility. Worship services also are scheduled to take place in the camp chapels on the prison grounds. This year’s revival begins at 3 pm on Friday, April 10 and ends at 3 pm on Saturday, April 11. Dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch are provided on Saturday. Housing is provided as well in the state police training facility on the grounds to the first 100 men who turn in their Department of Correction clearance forms to the Louisiana Baptists Evangelism Office. Women may attend the worship services but cannot participate in the personal evangelism efforts in the camps. In addition, women must obtain housing in an area hotel. Everyone must complete a new Department of Corrections clearance form, even if participants turned in one last year. Forms must be emailed to Dianne.York@LouisianaBaptists.org or faxed to Dianne York’s attention by Feb. 25 to 318.445.0055. Anyone attending the revival should review the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 03/06/2015 - 09:16 Since Burl Cain became warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 1995, violence inside the prison has decreased by 85 percent. Of the 6,300 who are inmates at Angola, nearly 50 percent are thought to be Christians. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer St. Francisville – Burl Cain, who is the longest-serving warden of any prison in the U.S. and in the history of Angola itself, is mulling over the possibility of running for governor. His name has been mentioned by some in the state as a possible candidate but Cain has yet to committ to whether he will or not. Signs in support of his potential candidacy can be found around Louisiana and the Facebook page “We Want Warden Burl Cain La Governor 2015” has garnered nearly 1,700 likes so far. He said that April 15 is the latest date he would make a decision on whether or not to run. Cain said he has not received an answer from God but is praying about the decision. And he asks for Louisiana Baptists to pray for him as well. “It’s important to serve Him and look for His blessing and direction,” Cain said. “When you are not in God’s will, disaster occurs. No answer would mean I didn’t get an answer and I would … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 03/06/2015 - 09:19 In this graphic, IMB President David Platt outlined his organizational plan for Christians and churches to be mobilized to take the gospel to unreached people. IMB trustees adopted the plan during their meeting Feb. 25 in Houston. By Anne Harmon, Baptist Press HOUSTON (BP) – International Mission Board President David Platt proposed streamlining the mission agency’s strategy and structure – in keeping with his desire for IMB to exalt Christ and work more effectively toward accomplishing the Great Commission – during IMB’s Feb. 24-25 trustee meeting in Houston. Trustees unanimously voted to approve the plan. “We want to empower limitless missionary teams to make disciples and multiply churches among unreached people,” Platt said. “We need a strategy that doesn’t cap our number of missionaries merely based upon how much money we have.” Platt noted the IMB operated “in the red” last year, with the agency’s operating expenses exceeding income by nearly $21 million. “Right now our funnel is really small ... such that we’re turning people away,” Platt said. “And what I’m saying, what we know, is that we need to blow open this funnel and create as many pathways as possible … [Read more...]

By Erich Bridges, IMB Global Correspondent RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Will a new Cold War begin over the hot war in Ukraine? Will the European Union crumble, sparking another global recession? Will Iran go nuclear? Will the tottering Arab world collapse? Tyranny is cruel, but anarchy may be worse. Ask anyone living in one of the increasing number of failed or failing states around the world as 2015 stumbles toward ... what? “Our age is insistently, at times almost desperately, in pursuit of a concept of world order,” writes Henry Kissinger, chief architect of U.S. foreign policy for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, in his recent book “World Order.” During tumultuous times, Kissinger engineered Nixon’s historic 1972 opening to China. He also helped craft the détente that eased decades of nuclear-armed tensions with the Soviet Union. Today, however, order and agreement are becoming hard to find. “Chaos threatens side by side with ... the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the disintegration of states, the impact of environmental depredation, the persistence of genocidal practices, and the spread of new technologies threatening to drive conflict beyond human control or comprehension,” Kissinger warns. “Are we facing a … [Read more...]