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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LifeWay to provide free Bibles to spur evangelism

By Aaron Wilson, LifeWay Christian Resources NASHVILLE, Tenn.—This summer, thousands of Bibles will ring up for free at the registers of LifeWay Christian Stores. It’s an effort by LifeWay to help local churches take the Word of God into their communities through an initiative called “Share the Word. Together.” Churches of any denomination within 15 miles of a LifeWay store can sign up for a designated week in which each member of the church can visit the local LifeWay to pick up a free CSB personal gift Bible. Church members will then give the Bibles away in their communities. “The goal for this free Bible giveaway is to start gospel conversations and spark invitations to weekend worship services or Bible study,” said LifeWay President and CEO Thom S. Rainer. Rainer shared on his blog last week that he was inspired to create this initiative when his church gave away loaves of bread to members and asked them to share the bread with people in their communities. He says many who received the bread came to church the next Sunday. “I began to think, ‘Could I leverage my position at LifeWay to help thousands of churches do the same?’” Rainer said. “The answer came back as a resounding ‘yes’! We will be giving away the … [Read more...]

Ken Hemphill: twelve indisputable strengths

By Michael A. Cox Ken Hemphill is a candidate for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2018, the fact of which most who will read this are already aware. This highest of offices in the SBC will be decided on Tuesday June 12 in Dallas by a vote scheduled for about 1:50 P.M. Here are twelve significant strengths many have observed in Ken’s life and ministry which advise that he would be an outstanding president. He is a man of integrity. Honesty, transparency, truthfulness, and faithfulness seem to be in short supply in America, even in the church of the Lord Jesus, and, sadly, even within our own Southern Baptist denomination. Paul admonished Timothy to entrust his apostolic teachings “to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1 NASB). Ken is a man who is above reproach, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… (1 Tim. 3:2). He is a man of his word; and his word is plain and dependable. His “yes” means “yes” and his “no” means “no” (James 5:12). Yet, nobody is claiming that Ken Hemphill is sinless, or even faultless. But what we are saying is that the trajectory of his life has been characterized by honesty, transparency, truthfulness, and faithfulness. He is a man of … [Read more...]