Friday, August 26, 2016

• Baptist DR volunteers witness power of community

  by Carmen K. Sisson, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/NAMB

  BATON ROUGE, La. (BP) -- Jerry Ritter's Tuesday began at 4 a.m., but he was still brimming with enthusiasm as the sun slipped low, closing another day of flood relief in Baton Rouge, La.

  Ritter, a member of Blackgum First Baptist Church in Vian, Okla., arrived in Louisiana last week with other members of a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) kitchen crew. Though his body was tired, he considered the hard day's work to be a blessing. He gazed across the parking lot of Istrouma Baptist Church, watching as each trained volunteer fulfilled a vital role in getting supper -- hamburgers and baked beans -- to those in need. He had another mission for the evening -- accompanying the American Red Cross (ARC) on meal delivery. Read More

• Promises fulfilled: IMB, churches & 27 missionaries

  by Julie McGowan , posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- With white knuckles, Laekan Carter gripped the pew. She listened with her then-11-year-old ears when a college student shared how God was at work while he was on mission in Africa.

  "One day you will walk those dusty dirt roads," Carter felt God promise her.

  Years later, in fulfillment of that promise, Carter is being sent by her church, Calvary Baptist in New Orleans, to train college students to share the Gospel in Sub-Saharan Africa. Read More

• ERLC event: Gospel applies to race, politics, art

  by Tom Strode, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Rocket Republic photo

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Speakers at a Southern Baptist-sponsored conference on cultural engagement provided guidance Thursday (Aug. 25) on how the Gospel of Jesus addresses issues from race relations to politics to the arts.

  The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's 2016 national conference attracted more than 900 attendees for the first of two days of considering how Christians can engage the culture while remaining faithful to the Gospel. The conference continued today (Aug. 26) with a full schedule of plenary and breakout sessions. Read More

• TRUSTEES: ERLC board honors O.S. Hawkins, Barrett Duke

  by Tom Strode, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Rocket Republic photo

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- The trustees of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission honored two fellow Southern Baptists Thursday (Aug. 25) with their annual awards for religious freedom advocacy and Christian service.

  In its annual meeting in Nashville, the ERLC board unanimously approved GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins for the John Leland Religious Liberty Award, which goes yearly to a person exhibiting a deep commitment to religious freedom. Read More

• Sturgis Bike Rally remains fertile soil for evangelism

  by Jim Burton, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Dakota Baptist Convention photo

  STURGIS, S.D. (BP) -- Josh Mueller wasn't exactly sure what he was getting into when he drove to the annual Sturgis Bike Rally.

  His brother Jeff is his pastor at Restore Church in their hometown of Yankton, S.D. Jeff had recruited Josh to volunteer at the Dakota Baptist Convention's Sturgis Bike Giveaway evangelism initiative.

  During their first shift at the evangelism venue, Josh was too nervous to share his faith with anyone, much less a stranger. Like many Christians, Josh was nervous about personal evangelism. Unlike many Christians, Josh develops a stutter when he's nervous. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Evangelize to revitalize

  by Ernest L. Easley, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  If a church needs to revitalize, Ernest Easley believes it must evangelize. "People are having a hard time getting saved because we're not sharing Jesus with them," the college evangelism professor and former pastor writes, asking, "Where are the tears for lost souls across the Southern Baptist Convention?" Read More

• EDITORIAL: ¿Cumplimos lo prometido?

  by Oscar J. Fernandez, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  Recuerdo que cuando era niño, si una persona daba su palabra, o se comprometía en algo, uno podía estar seguro de que esa persona haría lo que había dicho. ... Read More

• DIRECTIVOS: Edgar Aponte afirmado como VP movilizador de IMB

  Por Julie McGowan , posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  Foto de IMB tomada por Roy M. Burroughs

  RICHMOND, Va. -- Los directivos de la Junta de Misiones Internacionales aprobaron la designación de 27 nuevos misioneros, le dieron la bienvenida a 11 nuevos miembros de la junta, y anunciaron un vicepresidente de movilización durante la reunión de la junta el 23 y 24 de agosto cerca a Richmond, Va.

  Los directivos también recibieron la visita de Steve Gaines, presidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur, quien funge como miembro ex-oficio de la junta en su rol de la CBS. Gaines es pastor de la Iglesia Bautista en Bellevue en Memphis. Read More

• Olimpiadas: Voluntarios bautistas comparten a Jesús y ven vidas cambiadas

  Por Tim Ellsworth, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  RÍO DE JANEIRO (BP) -- Aunque las Olimpiadas pueden atraer fanáticos de todas partes del mundo para celebrar los logros atléticos, también atraen misioneros voluntarios interesados en llevar el evangelio a las naciones.

  Steve Paquette, de la Iglesia Bautista Golden Acres en Phoenix City, Ala., y James Gardner, de la Iglesia Bautista McClendon en West Monroe, Luisiana, fueron parte del equipo de cerca de 25 voluntarios de Capellanes de Deportes Internacionales que testificaron a la gente en varios sitios olímpicos en Río. Read More

• Estudio: A pocos pastores se les solicita hacer bodas de parejas del mismo sexo

  Por Bob Smietana, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  

  LifeWay graphic

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Más de 100,000 parejas del mismo sexo se han casado desde que la Suprema Corte legalizó el matrimonio homosexual el año pasado. Pero, para los pastores, sigue siendo raro que se les pida hacer una boda para una pareja del mismo sexo, según muestra un nuevo estudio.

  Un nuevo sondeo de LifeWay Research encontró que al 11 por ciento de los pastores se les ha solicitado hacer una boda para una pareja del mismo sexo. Los pastores bautistas (1 por ciento) tienen la menor probabilidad de que se les pida hacer tal boda. Es más probable que se lo pidan a los pastores presbiterianos/reformados (26 por ciento). Read More

• Debate transexual continúa cuando los estudiantes regresan

  Por David Roach , posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Cuando los estudiantes regresan a sus salones de clase, la directriz transexual de la administración Obama continúa provocando una variedad de respuestas entre las escuelas públicas estadounidenses.

  A un extremo del espectro, estados como Massachusetts, California y Washington han adoptado la directriz de mayo de la administración que las escuelas y universidades públicas deben permitirles a los estudiantes usar los baños y los vestidores correspondientes a su identidad genérica percibida en vez de a su sexo biológico. Algunas juntas locales de escuelas han respondido positivamente también, como en ... Read More

• EDITORIAL: ¿Cumplimos lo prometido?

  Por Oscar J. Fernandez, posted Friday, August 26, 2016 (8 years ago)

  Recuerdo que cuando era niño, si una persona daba su palabra, o se comprometía en algo, uno podía estar seguro de que esa persona haría lo que había dicho. Tal vez esto hoy día, ya sea parte de la historia antigua, pues vemos con mucha frecuencia, como la gente se aparta de sus promesas y compromisos, y como mienten para justificar sus injustificables acciones. Read More