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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Johnson’s three congressional bills would uphold traditional values

By Staff WASHINGTON (LBM)—U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04), a member of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, introduced three separate pieces of legislation, March 26, with the common objective of advancing traditional values in the 117th Congress. The Oath Act, History and Tradition Protection Act, and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act are each crafted to correct current legislation: -- the Oath Act would require all witnesses who appear before any committee of the U.S. House to be formally sworn in using the standard courtroom oath before being allowed to testify; -- the History and Tradition Protection Act would abolish the award of monetary damages and attorneys’ fees in Establishment Clause cases involving religious symbols, words, imagery and expressions in monuments, public buildings, official seals and flags or by any deliberative body; and -- the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act would make it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without satisfying parental involvement law in the minor’s state of residence. Physicians would also be required to comply with parental notification laws. Johnson said the Oath Act was needed because … [Read more...]

National WMU introduces Missions Journey: Kids

By WMU Communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WMU) – March 23, 2021 – Beginning this fall, children’s leaders will have a new curriculum option for children’s discipleship that is flexible enough to fit just about any setting. “Focusing on missions work both here in the U.S. and throughout the world, Missions Journey: Kids will captivate your children’s minds and hearts as they immerse themselves in a new culture each month and learn about the different avenues missionaries use to share the Gospel with the nations,” said Robin McCall, content and marketing manager, national WMU. Missions Journey: Kids is for any children’s group in grades 1–6, including Girls in Action, Royal Ambassadors or Children in Action missions discipleship groups. With a balanced blend of missions discipleship and Bible study, it can also be used in discipleship classes, children’s church, or by Christian schools who wish to add missions discipleship to their existing programming. “Missions Journey: Kids is a bold step into the future of missions discipleship,” said Zachariah Seanor, children’s ministry consultant and editor, national WMU. “We are so excited to see how God will use this material to foster a love of missions in the hearts and minds of … [Read more...]

Executive committee releases task force report on ERLC

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) — The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention released its task force report about the impact of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission on the funding of cooperative missions and ministries of Southern Baptists. The yearlong investigation found that ERLC actions had caused a $1.5 million loss to the International Mission Board, $700,000 loss to the North American Mission Board, $700,000 loss to theological education at the six seminaries and $100,000 loss to the Executive Committee, according to Mike Stone, chairman of the seven-member task force, immediate past SBC Executive Committee chairman and pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia. But there was a loss of $4 million to state conventions, too, he said. Stone formally presented the report to the SBC Executive Committee during its Feb. 22-23 meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. The published report set the framework for Stone’s comments by sharing that 15 of the 41 state Baptist conventions had responded to a survey from the task force. “These 15 conventions serve 28,379 congregations, or 60 percent of the churches in friendly cooperation with the SBC,” the report … [Read more...]