Archive for September 2011
Pastor again refuses to recant as pressure builds on Iran to halt execution
WASHINGTON (BP) -- Iran is under increasing pressure from leaders around the world to halt the execution of Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who on Wednesday refused for the fourth and final time to recant his faith and could be executed at any time. In the U.S., Speaker of the House John [...]
Continue Reading
Police to British cafe: Don't show Bible DVD
LONDON (BP) -- Religious liberty took another hit in Great Britain when a Christian restaurant owner was threatened with arrest for playing a Bible DVD that included passages critical of homosexuality. The incident, reported in the Daily Mail newspaper, is but the latest example of what U.K. conservatives say is an [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC 2011: Praying + Going
IRVING—The missionary zeal of the early church is inspiration for this year’s annual meeting and Bible Conference of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, scheduled for the Irving Convention Center, Nov. 13-15. The theme for the annual business session of messengers, Monday and Tuesday of that week, is “Praying + Going” [...]
Continue ReadingWith central Texas fires mostly contained, disaster relief volunteers press on
BASTROP—Nearly three weeks after wildfires scorched 35,000 acres near the central Texas town of Bastrop, east of Austin, disaster relief volunteers with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention were facing weeks more in clean up work. In Bastrop County alone, 1,554 homes burned. By Sept. 21, the fire was 95 percent [...]
Continue ReadingSouthwestern Seminary conf. examines Biblical Gender roles
FORT WORTH—Marriage is designed to be a living picture of the gospel that God embedded in the creation from the very beginning, stated Russell Moore, dean of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a Sept. 13 sermon at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Emphasizing the importance of following God’s pattern for [...]
Continue ReadingPraying and Going is more than a theme
Embracing the unengaged people groups (UPGs) is a daunting task. The Southern Baptist churches in Texas are up to the challenge. There are over 3,800 people groups that have no church, no strategic witness and in many cases have never heard the name of Jesus. Many of these are in [...]
Continue ReadingWhats different about the New International Version, 2011?
Over 25 years ago, the New International Version of the Bible made a real splash within Southern Baptist churches. I was a youth minister back then and saw many students struggle read the King James Version. Kids would read aloud during our Bible study times, stumble over unfamiliar words and [...]
Continue ReadingAlistair Begg among Bible Conf. speakers
IRVING—This year’s pre-convention SBTC Bible Conference will focus on “Impacting the Next Generation” Nov. 13-14 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas in Irving. Bible Conference President Terry Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, said the conference theme will be based on Deuteronomy 7:9-10: “So realize that the Lord [...]
Continue ReadingEthnic churches take lead as Crossover 2011 approaches
IRVING—Ethnic churches in the Irving area, as well as Criswell College in Dallas and First Baptist Church of Euless, will host evangelistic block parties on Saturday, Nov. 12, as a part of the SBTC’s Crossover 2011 evangelistic effort preceding the state convention meeting the following week. Volunteers from area churches and [...]
Continue ReadingEthnic churches take lead as Crossover 2011 approaches
IRVING—Ethnic churches in the Irving area, as well as Criswell College in Dallas and First Baptist Church of Euless, will host evangelistic block parties on Saturday, Nov. 12, as a part of the SBTC’s Crossover 2011 evangelistic effort preceding the state convention meeting the following week. Volunteers from area churches and [...]
Continue ReadingTranscript of remarks: IMB trustee meeting
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following are the remarks of SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards upon presenting an oversized check symbolizing a $1 million gift from Southern Baptists of Texas Convention surplus funds for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions. The presentation occurred on Sept. 14 in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Elliff, [...]
Continue ReadingBurned by arsonists, Athens church celebrates new worship space, offices
ATHENS—In the early morning of Jan. 12, 2010, Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens, about 65 miles southeast of Dallas, was one of two churches in that town to burn by the hand of arsonists. The week before that, another church near Athens was torched. Twenty months later, Lake Athens has [...]
Continue ReadingMesquite pastor to be nominated for president
Terry Turner of Mesquite will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention during the annual meeting Nov. 14-15 in Irving. Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, announced his intention to nominate Turner, pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, in a statement released to the TEXAN. “After [...]
Continue ReadingWright announces task force to study possible SBC name change
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright has announced the appointment of a presidential task force to study the prospect of changing the 166-year-old convention's name. Wright, who was re-elected to a second one-year term during the SBC annual meeting in Phoenix this past June, said he believes [...]
Continue ReadingWildfires cause pastors to rework 9/11 sermons
BASTROP Raymond Edge, pastor of First Baptist Church of Bastrop, said he had planned to preach from Psalm 46:1-7 a refuge passage on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. But the ferocious wildfires in Bastrop County the previous week left his church feeling far removed from [...]
Continue ReadingAttorney: Students have broad religious freedoms in school
PLANOAs a new school year begins, how much freedom do public school students and teachers have to express their religious viewpoints or even share their faith? A great deal, says Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for the Plano-based Liberty Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes traditional values and helps protect religious [...]
Continue ReadingHouse fire causes pastor to live out his sermon series
BASTROP—The Sunday bulletin for River Valley Christian Fellowship in Bastrop challenged those in attendance to number God’s blessings—“a spouse, kids, job, and a roof over your head.” Within a few days, at least 11 families from that church and 20 from a sister Southern Baptist church, First Baptist Church of Bastrop, [...]
Continue ReadingChurches can be local schools biggest fans
CARROLLTONThe school principal spotted the sea of blue T-shirts clustered in the middle section of the bleachers. Hollering above the background noise of cheerleaders and students, Carrollton Ranchview principal David Hicks thanked the 160 or so strangers there to cheer on the Wolves football team. He seemed to marvel at [...]
Continue ReadingKids Beach Clubs taking gospel to elementary campuses after school
EULESSLand-locked Euless is about as far removed from the beach as a ground-soaking thunderstorm was from just about any part of Texas this summer. But despite the apparent disconnect, the Kids Beach Club, founded in the north Texas city, gives elementary school students the chance to encounter Gods Word on [...]
Continue ReadingDR volunteers minister amid devastating wildfires
AUSTINDisaster relief volunteers with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention continued serving firefighters and displaced residents as colossal wildfires raged on in Bastrop County, east of Austin, and in Montgomery County, north of Houston. As of Sept. 8, the wildfires, some jumping creeks and ravines and driven by changing winds, had [...]
Continue ReadingAn anti-religion test for the presidency?
Bill Keller, the editor of the New York Times, wants a president who “respects serious science.” This came from a column in which he pledged to ask tough questions about the faith of presidential candidates, particularly the weird ones. His column is part of a larger debate regarding the evangelical [...]
Continue Reading2011 NIV removed from Bible Drill options for gender-neutral translation philosophy
GRAPEVINEBible drill and speakers tournament participants will rely on either the King James Version or Holman Christian Standard Bible when they compete next spring in regional and statewide competition sponsored by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The decision to drop the New International Version as one of the options [...]
Continue ReadingCriswell College renews SBTC affiliation
DALLAS—Criswell College trustees renewed a three-year affiliation agreement with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, affirmed plans for an undergraduate program in church planting and revitalization, and approved the school’s adoption of an unengaged people group as part of a larger Southern Baptist initiative. Meeting Aug. 26 at the Dallas school, [...]
Continue ReadingSouthwesterns homeschool program begins classes
FORT WORTHSo far, 14 young people are doing a part of their homeschool studies on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. If the vision to help seminary families and homeschooling parents in the community flourishes, more will join them. It has been the vision of Dr. and Mrs. Patterson, who [...]
Continue ReadingOnline course helps certify teachers, gives legal parameters of Bible class
GRAND PRAIRIESouthern Baptist pastor J.D. Stewart remembers a time when the Bible was a commonly referenced resource in public schools. Now weve got a whole generation that has no idea what the Bible is about, he told the TEXAN, emphasizing his concern at the lack of biblical literacy. Stewart, who pastors Westridge [...]
Continue ReadingChristian schools offer parents alternative
In todays educational environment, there is an overwhelming need for Christian education, says Dwayne Oxner, principal at Ridgewood Christian School in Port Arthur. He told the TEXAN that Gods instruction in Deuteronomy 6 for parents to teach their children is more than just a suggestion to teach biblical concepts. Its a [...]
Continue ReadingU.S. judge blocks Texas sonogram law
AUSTIN—A federal district judge blocked enforcement of a Texas law passed in May requiring women seeking abortions to undergo a sonogram at least 24 hours prior to the procedure and to hear the baby’s heartbeat and a description of the baby’s physical features from the abortion provider. U.S. District Judge Sam [...]
Continue ReadingApologetics conference offered Nov. 4-5
EULESS—A conference titled “Confident Christianity: Proclaiming the Certainty of Christ in an Age of Unbelief,” is planned Nov. 4-5 at First Baptist Church of Euless and will feature some of the top Christian apologists. “You’d be hard pressed to find a better group of speakers,” said Bruno Molina, SBTC language evangelism [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC Church Library Convention Oct. 6-8 in Austin
The SBTC Church Library Convention is being held Oct. 6-8 at Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin. The theme for the conference is A Calm Port for Lifes Tempests based on Psalm 107:29. The keynote speaker for the event is fiction writer DiAnn Mills. The cost for the event is $75 which [...]
Continue ReadingSBTC continues ministry in Bastrop, Montgomery County fires
BASTROPDisaster Relief volunteers with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention continued serving emergency workers and displaced residents as massive wildfires raged on in Bastrop County, east of Austin, and in Montgomery County, north of Houston. As of Sept. 8, the wildfires, some jumping creeks and ravines and driven by changing winds, [...]
Continue Reading
