Southern Baptists

HOUSTON – The torch for defending biblical truth and practice represented by the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has been passed from its leader of 25 years, Richard Land, to evangelical theologian Russell Moore. The occasion was marked with a special tribute to Land and an address by Moore to more than 4,400 members attending the SBC's annual meeting this week in Houston.

On Wednesday, the day after the ERLC gave its report, Land told The Christian Post that the advocacy group should now focus on the same theme as this year's SBC meeting: revival.

"Our problems in America are only God-sized problems and only God can solve them," said Land, who is retiring from the ERLC president position. "2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that 'if my people, which are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves and pray and seek my (Jesus') face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.' more >>

HOUSTON – Pastors and church leaders attending the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting are being challenged to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission by sharing the Gospel with the growing Muslim populations in the United States and abroad.

John Brady, vice president of global strategies for the International Mission Board, and Nik Ripken, a 28-year mission veteran and author of the book, The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, emphasized the urgent need for Christians to drop their complacency and misconceptions about Muslims and to start sharing the life-saving message of Jesus Christ, during a panel discussion on Tuesday, titled "An unexpected harvest: God's work among Muslims."

"One of the things that's got to be clear is that the Lord really doesn't give us a choice, because He's said we're to go to all people. He exempted none," Brady said. "One of the other things that must be understood when you speak about Muslims is that Muslims are a wide variety of people around the world, and some of the most hospitable. So when you paint the whole religion with the actions of a few, then you really miss the context in which the Great Commission has come to us." more >>

HOUSTON – Instead of business as usual at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting held today and Wednesday, SBC President Fred Luter said he is hoping the meeting will spark a revival in the United States. 

"We will have our first evening service in several years; but not just an ordinary service," Luter wrote in a letter to attendees prior to the conference. "Tuesday night will be an old-fashioned revival service! No business, other than doing business with God! No reports, no resolutions, no announcements, just dynamic music led by the gifted and talented Charles Billingsley, followed by the president's sermon."

Yes, the issues of SBC church's ties to the Boy Scouts of America, differences of opinion on Calvinism, and religious liberty are planned for discussion. However, the special session set for Tuesday evening at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, where the two-day meeting is held, is designed to set the tone for something more. more >>

Statistics compiled from churches belonging to Southern Baptist Convention for the association's Annual Church Profile for last year show declining numbers in several key areas, including membership, average attendance, baptisms and total monetary giving. Despite some positive news shown by an increase in the amount of membership churches, SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page expressed his discouragement.

"When I first heard the report of our ACP, I said, 'God forgive us and God help us.' We are thankful for every person won to Christ and every person enrolled in Bible study and discipleship and involved in missions," said Page, as reported in a Baptist Press article by the communications director for LifeWay Christian Resources.

"We are thankful for the millions who are a part of worship in our Southern Baptist churches," he said. "However, my heart breaks when we realize the overall decline in our numbers." more >>

Dr. Richard Land, outgoing president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and incoming president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), received the 2013 Watchmen Award by the Family Research Council (FRC) last week.

"I am humbled and honored that the Family Research Council has presented me with the esteemed 2013 Watchmen Award," Land began his acceptance speech upon receiving the award on May 23.

"The Church must stand strong against our own immorality in America. That immorality is a greater threat to our survival than we ever faced from the Japanese navy or the German air force or the Soviet missile command or the al-Qaeda terrorist network. We have an enemy that never sleeps but we have God on our side and He is always at work and more powerful than our greatest enemy or fears," Land, who is also the executive editor of The Christian Post, said. more >>

Outspoken Baptist editor and minister R.G. "Gene" Puckett passed away Sunday at the age of 80 near his home in Raleigh, N.C., after enduring a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Puckett has become known in the religious journalism community as a savvy, quick-witted writer who played an integral role as a progressive Baptist critical of the denomination's conservative movement.

After receiving his education from Campbellsville University, Western Kentucky University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Puckett worked for a string of years as a minister in Ohio and Florida, including serving as pastor of First Baptist Church of Dunedin, Fla., in the early 1960s. more >>