By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Campuses will be buzzing with students in the coming weeks and Baptist Collegiate Ministry directors emphasize the importance of establishing a pattern of building relationships with them early in the fall semester. “Collegiate life is all about relationships,” said Ryan James, director of the Louisiana State University at Eunice BCM. “Relationships, especially to campus organizations, often begin where impressions can be made. If a student is coming to campus for the first time in which a positive, loving and relational impression is made by someone involved in BCM or a local Baptist church, that could be the kindling that initiates a long-lasting relationship.” Most campuses resume classes for the fall in late August, giving BCMs ample time to prepare for activities and events that serve as a platform to welcome students. These include but are not limited to dollar steak nights, freshmen survival weeks, neon night, a picnic on the parade grounds, late night laser tag and a welcome back barbecue. BCMs and churches should make every effort during the first two weeks of the semester to do all they can to reach the students, believes Louisiana BCM State Director Mark Robinson. He … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor The art of debate in American public discourse has, it seems, gone the way of the dodo bird. Insults and accusations have replaced the reasoned presentation of ideas buttressed by points of fact. Take, for instance, the subject of homosexual marriage. Those who oppose same-sex marriage are accused frequently of being bigoted homophobes, end of discussion. As a result, real public debate on the issue has been squelched. The average American, who must sort through media portrayals of the debate to arrive at a conclusion, is thus vulnerable to manipulation. A case in point is the disparity between the percentage of Americans who identify as homosexual or bi-sexual and the public perception of that percentage. The Centers for Disease Control released a study in July which found that slightly more than 2 percent of Americans (male and female) identify as homosexual or bisexual. A study released in April of 2011 by Gary Gates, a demographer-in-residence at UCLA, found that only about 4 million adults in America identify as gay or lesbian. This figure represents 1.7 percent of the nation’s population. Keep in mind the previous facts when you consider a 2011 Gallup poll found that “U.S. adults, on … [Read more...]

By Richard Land, President Southern Evangelical Seminary Sometimes things come across your desk that stop you dead in your tracks, and you say, “That just can’t be.” And then you find out, “Yes, it can.” This happened to me the other day when I read a news release that said that at least 40% of Americans (and 90% of under 30 millennials) are afflicted with “nomophobia”-the fear of not having, or losing, their smartphones. This fear actually produces psychological and physical symptoms. One colleague said it should be called “no-more-phoneaphobia.” Seriously, this is no laughing matter. These statistics reveal the extent to which technology is changing our personal lives. When people don’t have their smartphones, they feel disconnected and isolated (72% of people report being within five feet of their smartphone the majority of the time.) According to an article in Psychology Today (July 25, 2013) when people who own smartphones (56 percent of all Americans) were asked how they felt when they misplaced their phones, 73% said they were “panicked,” 14 percent were “desperate,” 7 percent “sick,” and 6 percent were “relieved.” Dr. Sylvia Hart Frejd reports that one well-respected study found “the urge to log into social networking … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever, Retired Pastor, Author “Evil people and imposters will become worse (in the last days), deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13) Can we talk about imposters? Specifically church-dropouts who say they love the Lord. Recently, we were having a lively Facebook discussion about church leadership and whether divorced people – specifically someone with multiple divorces – should be considered for deacon. Some of the responses were of the following nature: “People like you are the reason I no longer go to church.”  These are my candidates for “hypocrites of the year.” I submit to you that anyone who points the finger at another Christian – even someone who is mean-spirited and wrong-headed about everything – and says, “You are the reason I no longer go to church” is being dishonest. A liberal professor is the reason I don’t read my Bible. My parents are the reason I don’t go to Sunday School (“I was made to go as a child!”).  A bad preacher is the reason I don’t like long sermons. A church practiced racism or elitism or liberalism or was unfriendly, and so you decided to write off all churches? A pastor ran off with the organist and you abandoned the kingdom of God? Your father was the pastor and … [Read more...]

By Ronnie Floyd, President of the Southern Baptist Convention I recently released an article where I pointed out that 60 percent of our Southern Baptist churches did not baptize a single young person between the ages of 12-17 years old. When you combine the lack of effectiveness in reaching teenagers with the lack of effectiveness in most of our SBC churches in reaching, baptizing and discipling young adults from ages 18-29, we must ask ourselves, “If this does not change, what does this mean for us?” Obviously, this means that if we continue in this mode, many of our churches are facing an aging problem that will one day threaten their long-term viability. When we are ineffectively reaching young adults between ages 18-29, we are showing our disconnectedness in the world today, but additionally our disconnectedness in days to come. I believe the church has to reach every generation to impact its community. I see no evidence anywhere in Scripture where churches specialize in whom they reach generationally. Are we willing to do what it takes to become all things to all people? Yes, it is hard, uncomfortable, and it takes sacrifice. But compare it to seeing a generation come alive for Christ and a world impacted. Then, the … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President of Golden Gate Seminary Our culture is full of frustrating inconsistencies. For example, an NFL player was recently suspended for two games for beating up his fiancée (now his wife) in an altercation in a casino. For making disparaging comments about gays, another NFL player was suspended three games. You read that right. In professional football, making a negative comment about gays is worse than beating up your wife. Let’s not single out the NFL. In our culture, derogatory words are the ultimate intolerance. We can’t allow any politically incorrect comments on any subject. Free speech doesn’t go quite that far! Here’s another example – a bit more personal. Last Saturday, Ann and I (along with thousands of other tourists) were strolling the Embarcadero in San Francisco. We were passed by about a dozen naked men riding bicycles. When a traffic light turned red, the peloton stopped and a couple of them got off their bikes to stretch. It was more disgusting than erotic, but nevertheless quite a display of frontal nudity to a mixed audience – including many little girls. Many people laughed, some turned their children away, and others took pictures. I thought of a friend of mine. When he was 19, he … [Read more...]

By Thom S. Rainer, President, CEO LifeWay Christian Research I will be a unifying Christian. There are times when I must take a stand for God and His Word, But I can do so in such a way that is charitable and non-combative. My tone can be helpful, And my demeanor can be Christ-like. I will be a unifying Christian. I will seek to build up before I tear down, To encourage before criticizing. I will learn that my words can be a source of great harm, Or they can be a source of encouragement and joy. I will be a unifying Christian. That means that my needs and preferences will be last. And I will seek to serve others with joy. In all that I do, I will strive to be selfless in my church and in my life. My priority will be to build up the body of Christ. I will be a unifying Christian. I will pray each day that I show Christ’s love more fully, To be compassionate and caring for those in need. In Christ’s strength, I will be a voice of hope To so many who believe this world is cruel and hopeless. I will be a unifying Christian. I know many are watching me. They know I am believer in Christ, a Christian. My words and actions are my witness. The world will know we are Christians by our love. I will be a unifying … [Read more...]

By Connor Headrick, LC Student and intern for Family Research Council Navigating the complex waters of public policy with a skeptical audience can be challenging for even the most thoughtful of Christians. Taking a stand on a pressing moral issue, such as abortion or homosexuality, and backing it up with Scripture often brings accusations of bigotry or intolerance. Because the conversation may turn away from political issues to theological issues once the Bible or God is brought into the equation, it can be easy to simply try to circumvent the debate over Christianity by sticking to secular, empirical arguments, rather than moral Christian arguments. By doing this, we rightly acknowledge that there is immense value in meeting an individual on common ground and reasoning together, from the state of reality around us, to discover truth. However, as we reason, we must constantly remember that empirical data is worthless if not supported by a framework of moral convictions. Speed limits are baseless without the underlying moral principle that human life should be protected. Human trafficking and other forms of exploitation are insignificant unless we begin with the understanding that all humans possess a God-given right to … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BOSSIER CITY – A Louisiana Baptist attorney has started a non-profit legal ministry to defend faith and freedom in the state and beyond. Since its launch in March, Freedom Guard’s team has been involved in a number of high profile cases to safeguard religious liberty and traditional family values. Mike Johnson, chief counsel for the organization based out of Bossier City, is a nationally recognized constitutional law attorney who said the new organization was begun out of necessity. He said far too few organizations exist to adequately defend against today’s countless challenges to our freedoms. “It seems that everyone recognizes now that the hour is late, and the crisis is great in the culture,” said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Bossier City. “The challenges we are facing today—to the basic ability to live out and share our faith—are unprecedented. But our God is great, the Constitution is still on our side, and we can still win these critical battles.” When Johnson announced the formation of Freedom Guard to a gathering of pastors and conservative leaders following the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in March, Freedom Guard was already working on its first cases. In June, Johnson … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation met and conducted a mild day of business for its regular quarterly Trustees meeting at the end of July. LBF investment consultant Lee Morris with Graystone Consulting (a Morgan Stanley company) presented his report to the Investment Committee to begin the day. Investment performance was reviewed through the second quarter. Equities turned in better performance in the second quarter after a slow start to the year. Following the guidelines of the Morgan Stanley Global Investment Committee (GIC), the domestic equity allocation is equally weighted between growth and value stocks as the US is in late stage recovery. The international equity allocation is more weighted to value stocks as most of the economies are in the earlier stages of recovery. Fixed income was positive for the quarter and YTD as interest rates dropped from the higher levels experienced the end of 2013.  For the year fixed portfolios have performed better that expected. The “tactical” portion of the portfolio (a mix of small percentages invested in master limited partnerships, preferred stocks, convertible securities, etc.) once again added value to the overall portfolio … [Read more...]