R. Albert Mohler Jr/president, Southern Seminary LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – On the last day of its term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today on two same-sex marriage cases. Both are important cases, and both will go far in redefining the most basic institution of human civilization. The court knew it was making history. A majority of the justices clearly intended to make history, and future generations will indeed remember this day. But for what? In the first decision handed down today, the … [Read more...]
Missouri’s Chambers keeps SBC meeting on task, on time
HOUSTON – They’re perhaps the most appreciated words at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting: “I recommend we advance the agenda 20 minutes.” The bearer of that good news has been a Missouri Baptist: Andy Chambers, a member of West County Community Church. His day job is senior vice president for senior development and professor of Bible for Missouri Baptist University, but he has served each summer as the chairman of the SBC Committee on Order of Business working behind … [Read more...]
Luter, MBC’s Yeats, Wells re-elected to SBC offices
HOUSTON (BP) – Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was elected without opposition to a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, leading a slate of candidates who ran mostly unopposed. Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmersville, Texas, was elected first vice president, while Jared Moore, pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, Hustonville, Ky., won a term as second vice president. John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri … [Read more...]
Supreme Court decisions do not end marriage debate
JEFFERSON CITY - Decisions June 26 by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding California’s Proposition 8 and a key provision in the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) do not sound the death knell for the marriage debate, according to John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention. The Court let stand a lower court ruling setting aside Prop 8, which California voters enacted in 2008 barring same-sex unions. Prop 8 is similar to laws in more than 30 other states. The court … [Read more...]
DON HINKLE: Reflecting on Houston, homosexuality, RU-486
Some random thoughts on a variety of subjects as we enter the summer of 2013: Three thoughts come to mind as I reflect on this year’s Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in Houston June 11-12. 1. The low attendance. Barely 5,000 messengers showed up and the question everyone wants answered is why? The SBC surveys messengers to gauge their feelings about various aspects of the meeting. It may be awhile before we have that data, but I am sure it will be studied closely. I … [Read more...]
SBC Annual Meeting: Missourians named to Committee on Nominations
HOUSTON – Two Missourians are among the 70 Southern Baptists from 35 state Baptist conventions that were named to serve on the 2013-14 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Committee on Nominations during the SBC annual meeting here June 11-12. They are: Ted D. Middleton, pastor, First Baptist Church, Lewiston, and Jennifer Farr, a member of First Baptist Church, Steelville. The Committee on Nominations will nominate people to serve on the SBC’s boards, commissions and committees. They will … [Read more...]
Missourians front, center at Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting
HOUSTON – Missouri Southern Baptists will maintain a steady presence on stage at the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) annual meeting June 11-12 at the George R. Brown Convention Center here. Among those prominently appearing will be Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Director John Yeats, who will again serve as SBC recording secretary. Yeats is also slated to receive “The Distinguished Alumni Award” from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during the school’s alumni … [Read more...]
Interstate 29/49 Task Force moving forward
Omaha, Neb. – The newly organized, 11-man Interstate 29/49 Corridor Task Force met in Omaha May 17 to discuss strategy and begin to lay the groundwork for taking the gospel into unreached areas in the region. Five state conventions are participating in the task force: the Baptist Convention of Iowa, the Dakota Baptist Convention, the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention and the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). Missouri Baptists’ … [Read more...]
Pathway wins four national awards
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Pathway garnered national recognition by winning four awards at the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) annual meeting here April 19. Up against competition from other state Baptist newspapers, Baptist college public relations offices, Baptist Press and agencies like the International Mission Board, The Pathway garnered one first place award, two second place and one third place in the annual competition. “While we are humbled by this recognition by our … [Read more...]
Churches urged to consider marriage policy
JEFFERSON CITY – With the U.S. Supreme Court weighing the issue of gay marriage and the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, now is a good time for Missouri Baptist churches to develop policies that clearly define their biblical stance on marriage. That’s the advice of Michael K. Whitehead, the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) chief legal advisor and principal of Whitehead Law Firm LLC in Kansas City. “Southern Baptist churches around the country are considering ways to … [Read more...]
When did it become unconstitutional?
Perhaps the most important question asked in the Supreme Court during the two days of argument on gay marriage was a rhetorical question posed by Associate Justice Antonin Scalia to pro-gay marriage attorney Ted Olson. “When did it become unconstitutional to exclude homosexual couples from marriage?” Implicit in the question “when did it change” is the question “who changed it?” The answer to those questions exposes the fundamental difference between two competing worldviews in the … [Read more...]
New Omaha, Neb., church aided by MBC
OMAHA, Neb.—With the help of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), Changed Life Church launched Jan. 13 with some 200 people in attendance at Burke High School. They have been averaging more than 100 ever since. Pastor Craig Liscom said one of the most compelling values at the heart of the church is its focus on the concept of restarting over. “We believe that when you open the pages of the Bible that some of the people who lived the greatest lives for God at some point needed a … [Read more...]