It wasn’t the first time J.L. Franklin had been to an evangelism conference, but last January’s Louisiana Evangelism Conference got his attention, said the pastor of Bethel Metropolitan Church. LAKE CHARLES – It wasn’t the first time J.L. Franklin had been to an evangelism conference, but last January’s Louisiana Evangelism Conference got his attention, said the pastor of Bethel Metropolitan Church. Now, everything is different. “If there’s any one thing that’s important, it’s to have a hunger for what God has, a hunger for lost souls,” Franklin said. “The real priority is the Great Commission, and as a pastor, it starts with me. I need to get the leaders praying for that hunger.” Bethel Metropolitan is across the street from a high school and elementary school;  firefighters and police are housed nearby, on a main thoroughfare. But until the evangelism conference, the evangelistic opportunity inherent in the location hadn’t registered. Franklin recently completed his fourth term as a school board member, but during the five times in those four years that he walked the streets, knocking on doors for school board business, he didn’t think of evangelistic possibilities – until the … [Read more...]

Stan Johnson and his wife Patti had been members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Hammond for 14 years when they felt God calling them to something new. HAMMOND —Stan Johnson and his wife Patti had been members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Hammond for 14 years when they felt God calling them to something new: Crossroads Community Church, a new church plant designed to reach “a community that was in desperate need of a church to communicate an ancient message in contemporary ways,” according to the church’s website. The new church plant is designed to reach a growing younger generation, aged, 18-34 who would likely never darken the doorway of a traditional church, said Stan. Many have labeled this age group “postmodern.” “I don’t know what postmodern is; all I know is I’m not that,” Johnson joked. “The only reason I qualified was that they averaged my chronological age with my mental age.” Johnson will be 60 in March, he said, which makes him the oldest man at Crossroads, though one other person is older, a lady who is 65. But the lightheartedness belies the passion that spills over when Johnson begins talking about the need to reach a generation that he says is slipping through the … [Read more...]

Ministers, and all who live visibly for Christ, spend their days handling spiritual dynamite, carrying about in their words and deeds that which is eternally radioactive. Ministers, and all who live visibly for Christ, spend their days handling spiritual dynamite, carrying about in their words and deeds that which is eternally radioactive. We speak of God in familiar terms and pray as if in conversation with a neighbor. We claim that the One who created and now sustains the vast light years of space is our Confidant. We are personal spokesmen for the One who is Ruler Over All. This is terrifyingly wonderful. Years ago a young pastor called me in a panic. He was driving down a long, empty highway in the western United States when it dawned on him what it meant to stand before people, Bible in hand, and speak something from and about God. He trembled as he spoke with me and then asked, “How can I, knowing what I know about myself, even think about standing to read the sacred Word of God to His beloved children?” He was awakening to the near presence of Jesus, not as a set of truths or a carefully orchestrated set of emotions, but as the living One who was Eternal God present with him. He was, … [Read more...]

In his first letter Peter commands his readers to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). Christian apologists rightfully see this statement as a mandate to defend the faith. It is certainly this – and more. In his first letter Peter commands his readers to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).  Christian apologists rightfully see this statement as a mandate to defend the faith. It is certainly this – and more. This passage is first and foremost a call to devotion.  “Christ as Lord” is central, making a defense for the hope that we have is certainly important but it follows from sanctifying Jesus as the center of our lives, not vice versa. What does it mean for Christ to be Lord?  In short, it means that he is master of every arena of our lives, our private thoughts and desires, our relationships, our vocations—every area. This includes how we relate to our culture. Christ as … [Read more...]

According to a recent U.S. Census report, 54 percent of mothers with advanced degrees do not work full time. Additionally, Census Bureau statistics reveal that over the past 10 years there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of stay-at-home moms. These figures reflect a trend that more and more women are choosing to focus on their families rather than their careers. According to a recent U.S. Census report, 54 percent of mothers with advanced degrees do not work full time. Additionally, Census Bureau statistics reveal that over the past 10 years there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of stay-at-home moms. These figures reflect a trend that more and more women are choosing to focus on their families rather than their careers. This exodus of women from the workplace has at least one feminist up in arms. Linda R. Hirshman, who recently retired as the Allen/Berenson Distinguished Visiting Professor at Brandeis University, has written a book and numerous columns assailing the trend of women choosing home over office. In an article titled “Homeward Bound” that appeared in The American Prospect magazine, Hirshman pulled no punches when she indicated that educated women who choose to … [Read more...]

The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” has proven to be true in the battle over abortion. The picture, painted by the decade-plus-long battle to ban the heinous procedure known as partial-birth abortion, has changed the debate. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” has proven to be true in the battle over abortion. The picture, painted by the decade-plus-long battle to ban the heinous procedure known as partial-birth abortion, has changed the debate. Americans are polling increasingly pro-life partly because we’ve had a gruesome demonstration of the baby who – under current law – can legally be murdered as long as his or her foot remains in the birth canal. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the federal ban on partial-birth abortion will be announced next year, and hopefully that will put an end to these murders. But in the quest to end all abortions, it is necessary to continue painting pictures. Before ending the 109th Congress, members of the House of Representatives got out their art supplies once again. The December vote on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act was taken under an expedited calendar, which allowed only 20 minutes of debate and … [Read more...]

When is physician-assisted suicide not really suicide? Apparently when medical professionals say it isn’t. Culture whitewashes words: WASHINGTON (BP) – When is physician-assisted suicide not really suicide? Apparently when medical professionals say it isn’t. The American Public Health Association has joined the Oregon Department of Human Services in redefining the act of a terminally ill person taking drugs to kill himself. Terms such as “suicide” or “physician-assisted suicide” should be rejected in favor of such phrases as “aid in dying” or “patient-directed dying,” the APHA decided in a resolution announced Dec. 20. The APHA’s Governing Council adopted the resolution in early November as an interim policy until it is confirmed in 2007. The resolution calls on reporters, public policy makers and medical personnel to use the “value-neutral terms” to describe a “mentally competent, terminally ill” person taking his own life. The council cited in its resolution Oregon’s October decision to halt the use of “physician-assisted suicide” to describe those who take their own lives with the aid of lethal prescriptions from doctors. Instead, the state’s Department of Human Services will refer to … [Read more...]

Only the church has the authority to completely eradicate AIDS, said Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and an increasingly prominent AIDS activist, during the 2006 Urbana Student Missions Conference, Dec. 27-31 in St. Louis. ST. LOUIS (BP) –- Only the church has the authority to completely eradicate AIDS, said Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and an increasingly prominent AIDS activist, during the 2006 Urbana Student Missions Conference, Dec. 27-31 in St. Louis. “Even if we had drugs for everybody today, if we had a cure for everybody today, we could not get it to the people without [the help of] the churches. It’s not going to happen,” Warren said during a Dec. 30 news conference with his wife Kay and several AIDS activists with World Vision. “The church is the only global organization in the world,” the California pastor said. “It was global 200 years ago before anyone started talking about globalization. It’s bigger than China and India put together. People don’t realize it is the only network in the world. It meets in far more languages than the United Nations.” Because of its unique influence and spiritual mandate, Warren said the church should play a leading role in … [Read more...]

The most recent study by LifeWay Research reveals young adults are falling away from church and many are finding church irrelevant to their lives. NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The most recent study by LifeWay Research reveals young adults are falling away from church and many are finding church irrelevant to their lives. – According to the research, the need to reach people age 18 to 34 can be seen by simply comparing the following statistics: n In 1980, more than 100,000 young adults were baptized in Southern Baptist churches. In 2005, slightly more than 60,000 young adults were baptized in SBC churches; a number drastically lower with the United States population climbing above 300 million. • Seventy-three percent of church members and 47 percent of non-affiliated young adults indicated that community with other young adults is extremely important in their lives. • The second most important thing for young adult churchgoers is participation in small-group meetings to discuss life application of Scripture (71 percent). • The small-group atmosphere is where this generation can find “advice from individuals with similar experiences,” is one of the top five most important things to both … [Read more...]

Is the church losing out on its greatest resource? In underutilizing Millennials -- students born between 1977 and 2000 -– some missions workers believe Southern Baptists may miss out on the greatest opportunity to impact the Kingdom that the convention has seen in more than 50 years. ST. LOUIS (BP)--Is the church losing out on its greatest resource? In underutilizing Millennials -- students born between 1977 and 2000 -– some missions workers believe Southern Baptists may miss out on the greatest opportunity to impact the Kingdom that the convention has seen in more than 50 years. Touted for their global perspective and service-oriented personal goals, Millenials turned out in droves for the 2006 Urbana Student Missions Conference in St. Louis in late December. Yet, Southern Baptist workers indicate there is a downward shift in the number of students volunteering for mission projects. Mike Lopez, director for student mobilization for the SBC’s International Mission Board, says two years ago about 8,000 students signed up for missions through his office. In 2006, the number has dropped to 6,500. “I’m seeing that with other organizations too,” Lopez said. “I don’t want to say our numbers have disappeared, but … [Read more...]