First Baptist Church of Perryville Archives: September 2007
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30 September 2007
For the Sake of Others - 9/30/2007
Pastor John
Scripture Reference: Romans 8:18; 9:1-5; 10:1-4
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30 September 2007
Prayer Walking
Pray for your town, on site. 
On Saturday, October 6, we will meet at the First Baptist Church campus. We will offer brief orientation and training about prayer walking. Then we will go out in teams to walk through the neighborhoods of our town and pray for God to bless the people we see or the families who live in the homes we pass. (more…)
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27 September 2007
Gov. Huckabee on Values and Beliefs
Another Southern Baptist Running for High Office, INTERVIEW PART 2: Values & beliefs
by Will Hall NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Symbolically at least, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee follows in the footsteps of three high-profile politicians who identified themselves as Southern Baptists.
Unfortunately, once in office Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter rejected Southern Baptist values and beliefs. Jimmy Carter — following his departure from the White House — went so far as to renounce his membership in the Southern Baptist Convention … twice (in 1993 and again in 2000). [Carter remains a member of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., which is a cooperating Southern Baptist church.] (more…)
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23 September 2007
The Foundation of National Morality
by John Adams (1735 – 1826) 
John Adams—second President of the United States and Revolutionary war hero—married Abigail Smith in 1764. Theirs was a remarkable marriage, not only for the constancy of their devotion (they were married for more than fifty years), but also for their offspring, one of whom, John Quincy Adams, would become President himself. The couple counted the spiritual and moral nurture of their children a high duty and privilege, indeed, “a sacrament.” Often separated from Abigail by government assignments (e.g., as emissary to both France and England), John was keenly aware of the mother’s critical role in child raising. In this passage, he honors Abigail and other mothers for their “national service” in the home. (more…)
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23 September 2007
Best News Repent and Believe
Pastor John
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 2:1-10
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23 September 2007
The Atheist Leap of Faith
In a recent issue of Scientific American, arch-Darwinist Richard Dawkins and physicist Lawrence Krauss discussed the relationship between science and religion. Dawkins, whose latest book, The God Delusion, is only one of a slew of recent books attacking religious beliefs, prefers an “in your face” approach. He once wrote that “if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane.” He then added “or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that.” In his discussion with Krauss, Dawkins stood by his statement, calling it “a simple and sober statement of fact.” For his part, Krauss prefers to “reach out” to people and “understand where they are coming from”—not so that he might learn from them: Like Dawkins, he assumes that the people in question have little, if anything, to teach him. Rather, his goal is to “seduce” them into “understanding” and accepting scientific truths. Thus Krauss says that “telling people . . . that their deepest beliefs are simply silly—even if they are” is counterproductive. As you may have inferred from the “even if they are,” Krauss does not deny that religious belief is “irrational.” He simply thinks that religion is too deeply ingrained to be done away with. Better to help people “moderate” their beliefs and “cut out the most irrational and harmful aspects of religious fundamentalism.” All of this begs the question: “Is faith, in particular, Christianity, irrational?” Neither Dawkins nor Krauss comes close to proving this. Instead, Dawkins and Krauss simply assume that materialism—the idea that there is nothing besides matter—is true. Thus, what makes a faith “rational” is whether it can be proven empirically. Dawkins and Krauss do not offer any arguments to justify their assumptions. They do not tell us why materialism is true: Instead, they ask you to take its truth as a given—in other words, on faith. Speaking of faith, what Dawkins means by the word faith is, to put it politely, idiosyncratic. His technique, on display in the Scientific American piece, is to find the most extreme, fringe Christian positions and ascribe them to all Christians. He then cites these beliefs as proof that all Christian faith is irrational. Reading their discussion or anything else associated with Dawkins and what is being called the “New Atheism,” you would not know that many of the greatest scientific discoveries were made by people of faith—not scientists who happened to be Christians, but people whose faith inspired and informed their scientific endeavors. The work of physicists like Krauss would not be possible without Michael Faraday’s work in electromagnetism. Faraday was a devout Christian who believed nature to be intelligible because it was created and upheld by a God who made Himself known in both His Word and in nature. Rodney Stark, the eminent sociologist, writes that Christianity rescued reason. Christians saw reason as a gift of a rational God, and it could, therefore, be used to explore the universe and world that God had made. This belief made modern science possible. If you meet someone who says your Christian faith is irrational, ask him to explain the basis of his faith.
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19 September 2007
Financially Bound?
by Howard Dayton, posted on Sep 19, 2007
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)–Debt is something that we owe to someone else. God’s Word doesn’t say we can’t borrow, but it does warn us against excessive debt, and that’s called surety. Surety is the condition of being in debt without having a sure way to repay.
The way to guarantee that you will be able to repay a debt is if you use collateral. When you borrow money from a financial institution you are required to sign over something of value as collateral that will cover the balance owed in case of default. (more…)
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18 September 2007
Change is Possible for Homosexuals
by Michael Foust NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–In what some are calling groundbreaking research, a new four-year study concludes it is possible for homosexuals to change their physical attractions and become heterosexual through the help of Christian ministries. (more…)
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16 September 2007
Good News - Substitute
Pastor John
Scripture Reference: Romans 6:19-23
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14 September 2007
Barriers Fall When You Pray
“We have observed: when USA teams arrive God often removes barriers. Public schools closed to the Bible Narratives project ‘suddenly’ became open and eager. Churches struggling to reach their community ‘suddenly’ catch a vision and passion for evangelism. USA teams return to the USA, but the barriers remain down. (more…)
