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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LACOSBE aligns with Conservative Baptist Network

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists has voted to align with the Conservative Baptist Network of Southern Baptists. During LACOSBE's annual meeting through Zoom on Monday, Jan. 18, the 12 members in attendance -- of the 15-member body -- unanimously approved the motion. The Conservative Baptist Network is a broad-based grassroots movement of Southern Baptists of all generations who are committed to the sufficiency of Scripture for all facets of life and application. According to Brad Jurkovich, Conservative Baptist Network spokesperson and pastor of First Baptist Church, Bossier City, its 57-member Steering Council includes more than 7,000 pastors and laypeople from across America, including well-known figures such as former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, past New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, past SBC President Charles Stanley, and 2021 SBC presidential candidate and immediate past SBC Executive Committee Chairman Mike Stone. “We share the same approach to evangelism and theology as the Conservative Baptist Network,” LACOSBE President … [Read more...]

ERLC’s Moore asks Trump to resign

By Will Hall, Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) – The Religion News Service, a secular outlet based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, reported Jan. 10 that Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, called on President Trump to resign. “Mr. President, people are dead,” Moore tweeted Jan. 8. “The Capitol is ransacked. There are 12 dangerous days for our country left. Could you please step down and let our country heal?” Moore’s tweet followed the riot and break-in at the Capitol by hundreds of attendees who were among 8,000 or so participants at a Trump rally, Jan. 6, in Washington, D.C. The RNS described Moore as an “outspoken Never Trumper,” referencing Moore’s insult of Trump as an “arrogant huckster” and Trump’s retort, calling Moore “a nasty guy with no heart!” In articles he published in the Washington Post and New York Times in 2016, Moore’s opposition to Trump led him also to insult Southern Baptist Trump supporters. He subsequently apologized twice (December 2016, March 2017) after hundreds of churches left the SBC or withheld funding from the Cooperative Program, the primary channel of financial support for … [Read more...]

Georgia Pastor Mike Stone to be nominated for SBC president

By Will Hall, Message executive editor VILLA RICA, Ga. (TCI) – Mike Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia, “will be nominated in June to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention,” according to a letter released Jan 13. Kevin Williams, pastor of Villa Rica Baptist Church, Villa Rica, Georgia, and president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, released the announcement to The Christian Index, the state convention’s news service. The 2021 SBC Annual Meeting will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, June 15-16. STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT “At this critical moment in our history, Southern Baptists need to be led by a trusted local church pastor with strong convictions about the sufficiency of Scripture, a passion for evangelism, and deep experience in the work of our Convention,” Williams wrote. “Pastor Mike Stone is a trusted leader among Georgia Baptists and I believe he is the kind of experienced pastor and statesman Southern Baptists need.” “The Lord has blessed Emmanuel Baptist with great growth. Yet it is not so large that Pastor Mike cannot relate to the everyday challenges of our pastors and churches. The experience Pastor Mike has helping to lead our state and nearly 25 years … [Read more...]

Amite native, Alabama WR DeVonta Smith thanks God after MVP performance

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MIAMI, Fla. (LBM) – Devonta Smith’s stellar career with the Alabama Crimson Tide came to a close with a record-breaking performance in the national championship game Jan. 11, but in his postgame interview the former Amite High School star was quick to give credit to the Lord for his on-field success after a 52-24 win over Ohio State. Smith, who was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player, set championship game records for the most receptions (12) and receiving touchdowns (3) while accounting for 215 of the Crimson Tide's 464 receiving yards, all of which came in the first half, according to Alabama Sports Information statistics. He left early in the third quarter with an injury to a finger in his right hand. “I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my teammates or without God,” Smith said in the postgame interview. “I just put in the work every day no matter what the situation was, just believing in my coaches to put me in the right situations just to make plays.” The week before, during the Heisman Trophy presentation, Smith gave credit to the Lord for helping him win the award given to the nation’s top college football player. Smith, who helped Amite win the … [Read more...]