Baptist Press Archive

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

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  • Arson, coal decline, yet Black Mtn. perseveres
    by Roger Alford/Kentucky Today, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Kentucky Today/Roger Alford
    KENVIR, Ky. (BP) -- Black Mountain Missionary Baptist Church absolutely gleams in the sunshine with a fresh coat of paint on the outer walls and brilliant yellow daffodils blooming on the manicured lawn.

    There are no signs of the arson that charred the insides of the historic church, which dates back to the days when this was a working coal camp. The soot and stain and odor of acrid smoke are long gone. So, too, are the water-logged furnishings, ruined in the mad dash by firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Read More

  • 'In the beginning' is crucial, students told
    by Bonnie Burke, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Photo by Emil Handke
    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- It's not wise to "start somewhere other than, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,'" R. Albert Mohler Jr. told 600-plus middle and high school students.

    "The start of your story is in eternity when God created the heavens and the earth and determined that you would exist," Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said at a wisdom-themed youth conference at the undergraduate Boyce College on the Louisville, Ky., campus. Read More

  • State laws help pastors decline gay weddings
    by David Roach, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Photo by David Roach
    NASHVILLE (BP) -- Pastor Protection Acts adopted in multiple states and under consideration in others seek to protect the right of ministers not to perform same-sex weddings. But the bills have drawn mixed reviews from religious liberty proponents.

    Three state legislators who have served as Southern Baptist ministers told Baptist Press Pastor Protection Acts are helpful even though they should be supplemented by broader guarantees of religious liberty in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage. Read More

  • DR response continues in La., Texas & Miss.
    by Jim Burton, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    NAMB photo by Stewart F. House
    HAMMOND, La. (BP) -- When flood victim Lynell Davis walked into the Southern Baptist Incident Command Center at Woodlawn Park Baptist Church, long-time Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer Marlene Thompson could see that he was distraught.

    "He looked like he hadn't slept in days," said Thompson of Colyell, La. "He sat down and was shaking, said he hadn't had food."

    The volunteers at Woodlawn Park in Hammond, La., provided Davis with food, and then ... Read More

  • Merida: Make 'Life Changer' focus of sermons
    by Katherine Chute, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP) -- Tony Merida challenged students during a series of preaching lectures at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary to "make the Hero of the Bible the hero of your sermons."

    Merida, associate professor of preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, spoke during the Golden Gate's Hester Lectureship March 16 and 17 on the topics "Preach the Word: A Renewed Vision of Preaching" and "Him We Proclaim: The Need for Christ-Exalting Exposition."

    "When I was in seminary, [we used to say] that we need to preach life-changing sermons"... Read More

  • FIRST-PERSON: Champion a church plant
    by Diana Davis, posted Tuesday, March 22, 2016 (8 years ago)

    Diana Davis suggests ways to give a boost to church planters and their wives in addition to your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions and, year-round, through the Cooperative Program gifts your church sends to support Southern Baptist missions and ministries. Read More