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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Graham: G.H.W. Bush ‘in the presence of God’

By Will Hall, Message Editor CHARLOTTE, N.C. (LBM) -- Asked to reflect about the passing of President George H.W. Bush, Franklin Graham did not hesitate to respond. “I know where my father is, he’s in the presence of God,” he told Fox News interviewers, Dec. 1. “And I believe that President George H.W. Bush today is with my father, in the presence of God.” The 41st president died at age 94 on Nov. 30 in Houston, Texas. His wife Barbara preceded him in death earlier this year. News reports stated that shortly before dying she comforted her son, Jeb, the former governor of Florida, by reassuring him, “I believe in Jesus and He is my Savior. I don’t want to leave your dad, but I know I will be in a beautiful place.” SPIRITUAL CERTAINTY Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, disclosed that Bush’s faith was “a very private thing for him,” but spoke confidently that the president had “faith in God.” “He believed in His Son, Jesus Christ. He believed that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life, and He was the only way to God. He believed that,” Graham said. Graham also offered anecdotes to underscore his observations about the former U.S. president. “[H]e and my father had many … [Read more...]

Paul Chitwood elected unanimously as IMB president

By David Roach, Baptist Press ROCKVILLE, Va. (BP) -- About a decade ago, Paul Chitwood became convinced God was calling him to mobilize missions and missionaries, he told International Mission Board trustees. That call culminated today (Nov. 15), he said, with his election as president of the International Mission Board. "Being a member of this board for eight years changed my ministry and it changed my life, so much so that [my wife] Michelle and I questioned whether God had called us to overseas missions," Chitwood, who served as an IMB trustee from 2002-10 and chaired the board from 2008-10, said upon his election. "During that time on the board of wrestling with that call, it became clear that God's call upon our lives was to be mobilizers of the mission and of the missionaries. And what an incredible privilege it is to have that role. To be able to now see the culmination of that role by sharing in the work of the IMB and leading the IMB is overwhelming to us," Chitwood said. The IMB trustees elected Chitwood unanimously as the entity's 13th president during a 20-minute executive session at the IMB's International Learning Center near Richmond, Va. They also elected IMB interim president Clyde … [Read more...]