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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

DOJ opens sex abuse case against SBC

By Will Hall, Message executive editor WASHINGTON (LBM) – The United States Department of Justice is investigating allegations of sex abuse against the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC Executive Committee revealed that it had been served a subpoena in a letter, Aug. 12. signed by the recently elected SBC president and all 13 national entity heads, stating their organizations are individually and collectively “resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation.” According to news reports, multiple SBC ministries are being targeted. BACKGROUND The investigation is being launched as lawsuits are stacking up against the SBC since the release of the controversial “independent investigation” by the pro-gay Guidepost Solutions which was hired by the SBC Executive Committee to conduct an internal review. The SBC Executive Committee has since acknowledged there are 14 cases filed in North Carolina and 4 in Virginia, but scores of law firms are running ads seeking plaintiffs to join class action filings. The legal situation is complicated by the fact that long-term SBC attorneys Jim Guenther and Jamie Jordan resigned when, against their counsel, the SBC Executive Committee waived attorney-client … [Read more...]

Sen. Kennedy offers encouragement, insights to Louisiana Baptists

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)—U.S. Senator John Kennedy stopped by the Louisiana Baptist state mission center in Alexandria, July 7, to share words of encouragement and gratitude about statewide disaster relief efforts during the last two years, and he weighed in on some key social issues impacting the state and the nation. STATE & NATION In a meeting with Steve Horn, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Kennedy lauded the faith community for its quick and sustained response to the four hurricanes which devastated the state, 2020-2021. “Every place I went it was the churches, they were there. I’m not putting down first responders, but it was the churches who provided the infrastructure,” he offered. “They are the ones who did most of the work.” Kennedy said Louisianans now are having to deal with insurers who do not want the risk of writing policies in areas hit hard by Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and Ida. “I hear complaints every day,” he said. “President Biden implemented a new program based on a computer algorithm they say can measure risk over the next 100 years of every individual home,” he said. “When we asked to see the computer software -- … [Read more...]

Another 62,000 veterans face expulsion due to vaccine mandate

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor WASHINGTON (LBM)—The U.S. military continues to negatively impact operational readiness with the continuing purge of active-duty members and now 40,000 Guardsmen and 22,000 Reservists who have declined the COVID-19 vaccines – many asking for religious exemption. The four FDA-approved drugs that are available to service men and women are tainted by use of tissue from an aborted child either in one or more of the development, production and testing phases. According to military.com, U.S. Army officials announced, July 8, that these 62,000 veterans will be blocked from service for rejecting COVID vaccines. An estimated 20,000 Guardsmen and Reservists combined have asked for religious exemptions. Already, about 20,000 active-duty personnel have asked for religious accommodation: Army (api.army.mil) -- As of July 7, only 19 of 4,782 religious exemption requests have been approved. -- Already, 1,300 soldiers have been separated from military service. Air Force (airforcemag.com) -- Just 118 religious exemption requests (all to airmen already leaving voluntarily) have been approved out of more than 9,000 that have been submitted. -- More than 3,000 non-religious exemption … [Read more...]