By Art Toalston & Erin Roach, Baptist Press COLUMBUS (BP) -- An international religious freedom office in the Mideast will be opened by the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore announced at the SBC annual meeting June 17. Moore, the ERLC's president, told messengers, "We must contend for religious freedom for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for everyone else wherever they are on the globe." He added, "We will not stand idly by while those with whom we will share eternity are being led to the slaughter." Also during the ERLC report, Barronelle Stutzman, the Washington state florist punished for refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding, received a standing ovation by messengers at the convention in Columbus, Ohio. "Mrs. Stutzman knew that the truth is not up for sale and the Gospel doesn't bend to the highest bidder," Moore said, "and faithful Christians do not stow away their convictions in a blind trust when they enter the public square." International religious freedom The ERLC announced the appointment of Travis Wussow of Austin, Texas, as ERLC director of international justice and religious liberty in a news release, also on June 17. Through … [Read more...]

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- Christians should not undervalue the effect of love or the Gospel in relating to gays and lesbians, recognizing, however, that faithfulness to the biblical definition of marriage will prove costly, members of a special panel told messengers at the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention. During the Wednesday afternoon session (June 17), five panelists answered questions from SBC President Ronnie Floyd about how churches and pastors can minister in an American culture that increasingly approves of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The discussion occurred about two weeks before an expected U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could result in gay marriage's legalization nationwide. Same-sex marriage already is legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, the conversation came on the same day Floyd and 16 former SBC presidents released a statement saying they will not perform and the churches they pastor will not host same-sex ceremonies. Rosaria Butterfield, an author who has chronicled her journey from lesbianism to Christ, told messengers not to "deny the power of the Gospel to change lives and to travel at the grass-roots level. Your friendships … [Read more...]

By Staff COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) - Two Louisiana Baptists are among 68 Southern Baptists from 34 state Baptist conventions who will serve on the 2015-16 SBC Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations will nominate people to serve on the SBC's boards, commissions and committees. They will present their report to the 2015 SBC annual meeting in St. Louis. The committee, announced during the June 16-17 SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, is made up of two people from each state convention, with at least one layperson. An asterisk denotes the committee member is a layperson. All others are church vocation workers. ALABAMA - *Joyce Overstreet, First Baptist, Bay Minette; Timothy Cox, Liberty Baptist, Chelsea. ALASKA - *Amanda Elkins, True North, Anchorage; Bryan Myers, Faith Baptist Fairbanks. ARIZONA - *Paula Hoyt, White Mountain Apache Baptist, Whiteriver; Chet Anderson, Calvary Baptist, Lake Havasu City. ARKANSAS - *Jerry Byrum, The Summit, North Little Rock; Stephen Davis, First Baptist, Russellville. CALIFORNIA - *Natalie Baggs, First Baptist, San Francisco; Mark Hammond, Village Baptist, Norwalk. COLORADO - *Janila Beach, Applewood Baptist, Wheat Ridge; Matthew Perry, Arapahoe Road Baptist, … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- Thousands of messengers at the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention knelt in prayer and raised their hands to heaven July 16 as they prayed for revival in the church and a great awakening across the United States. Spiritual leaders from Southern Baptist churches across America -- including Hispanic, Korean, Native American and African American pastors -- prayed for an end to racism and prejudice as they pledged to work together "as one family." The SBC's National Call to Prayer included participants around the world, connected by broadcasts from the Daystar worldwide television network and the Salem satellite radio network, as well as a live stream on the Internet. "The only thing that can ultimately reshape America is a spiritual awakening and a great movement by God," Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC, told messengers. "There has been no great movement by God without extraordinary prayer. When was the last time you gathered thousands of people on a Tuesday evening and prayed for spiritual awakening across the United States? We have full confidence in what God can do." Floyd, alongside other pastors on stage throughout the evening, said he had participated in prayer a few days … [Read more...]

By Baptist Perss COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- An amendment to the mission statement of the North American Mission Board and a name change for Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary were among the recommendations affirmed by messengers during the Executive Committee's report to the Southern Baptist Convention June 16 in Columbus. Messengers confirmed an update to the SBC constitution regarding qualifications for churches to send messengers to the annual meeting. Messengers also approved a recommendation to approve the use of electronic voting after passing an amendment from the floor on the recommendation. North American Mission Board Messengers approved an amendment to the North American Mission Board's ministry statement to include planting churches overseas in agreed-upon instances with the International Mission Board. The amendment is similar to an amended IMB ministry statement in 2011 to allow the IMB to assist with unreached people groups in the U.S. and Canada. EC members were told during their February meeting that the amended NAMB statement will relate particularly to military chaplains stationed at bases overseas. The possibility of military chaplains facing religious liberty constraints is a key factor for … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) –- Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention's seminaries noted key initiatives as well as enrollment gains in their reports to messengers June 16 at the SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. This year, all six seminary presidents presented their reports jointly. After the report, each president introduced the next and prayed over him. Golden Gate Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, told messengers that the move to a new main campus in 2016 will be completed debt-free and with two new facilities to serve as anchor campuses on the West Coast. "The [Southern California] facility in Ontario, Calif., is a state-of-art 21st-century educational center with more than 150,000 square feet of usable space," Iorg said. Meanwhile, "The [northern California] facility in Fremont, Calif., will serve 250-300 commuter students in the Bay Area as we continue our historic ministry near San Francisco. We are spending about $45 million to complete these facilities debt-free." As part of its move to new California campuses, the seminary has requested a name change to Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, which received the first of two votes June 16 … [Read more...]