Christian Action Commission

Cost of the MS Legislative Process

Elizabeth Crisp - Clarion Ledger

The Legislature’s tab for the past year includes $192,484 paid to lawmakers for a special session held during regular session in April and special sessions in June 2009 and July 2009.

Representatives from the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste could not be reached for comment Friday. The group has criticized officials’ spending habits in the past.

Mississippi taxpayers have forked over nearly $18 million for legislative expenses for the past year, with much of the cost driven by lawmakers’ salaries and travel.

The state auditor’s annual report on the Legislature shows about $11 million… Read Full Article

Evangelicals reject gay partners in immigration bill

Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land has joined other evangelical leaders in opposing an immigration reform proposal if it continues to treat homosexual partners the same as heterosexual married spouses.

The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission signed onto a June 4 statement from the religious rights law firm Liberty Counsel taking exception to a same-sex partners provision in federal legislation being proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D.-N.Y.

The bill, which has yet to be introduced, would enable same-sex partners from overseas to become legal citizens of this country in the same way… Read Full Article

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Rob Chambers

On a recent weekend vacation, my wife and I encountered what was not only a message for us but for others as well.  Throughout our short stay we saw old and new friends and made new acquaintances.  The common thread that ran throughout our conversations and experiences was the importance of hope and encouragement.

It’s difficult to encourage someone if you don’t have hope, and one thing that will erode a Christian’s hope in day-to-day living is negativity.  If someone is inundated with negativity, then it’s hard to ward off a despairing attitude.

It is very… Read Full Article

The Yazoo Clay of Our Day

Rob Chambers

Whenever someone plans on building a house, the design and type of materials are always considered, but the foundation is always where the building begins.

The Bible talks about the foundation of a house and its correlation to one’s spiritual house.  The quality of a spiritual house depends on the spiritual foundation.  If one has a bad foundation they will have a house with structural problems.
In Mississippi many house foundations have been built on a type of soil called Yazoo clay.  Yazoo clay has a distinctive, yet destructive, property of expanding and contracting by as… Read Full Article

Jimmy Porter speaks on Choctaw Indian casino

Charlotte Graham of Laurel Leader-Call

Jimmy Porter, executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board’s Christian Action was special guest at a meeting held to hear and discuss issues related to the proposed establishment of a casino in Jones County.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering, member of First Baptist Church Laurel, was also a guest presenter.  Click here to continue.

September Conference Addressing Homosexuality

In September, the Christian Action Commission of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE HERE

Protect your family from the devastating effects of internet pornography

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Baptist Press has published a series of four (4) resource articles about Internet porn addiction.  Click the links below for more information on how to protect your family from internet pornography

Health bill condemned by pro-lifers

Baptist Press and Local Reports

WASHINGTON (BP and local reports) — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a controversial health-care bill March 21, deeply disappointing pro-life Americans who hoped a small group of Democrats would block legislation they say will permit federal funding of abortion and likely increase the rate of the procedure.

Mississippi Con-gressmen Travis Childers and Gene Taylor, both Demo-crats, voted against the bill along with Republican Gregg Harper. Democrat Bennie Thompson voted in favor of the legislation.

Childers is a member of East Booneville Church, Booneville. Harper is… Read Full Article

Pro-Lifers cave, secure health care reform

Doug Carlson

All eyes were on Capitol Hill on Sunday. Late that evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bucking the will of the American people, cobbled together a slim majority of House votes to send a trillion-dollar health care reform package to President Obama, who signed the overhaul into law today. To pro-lifers’ dismay, a flawed concession on the prominent issue that had threatened reform for months, abortion, proved to be a deciding factor in its passage.

Just hours before the House vote, the White House struck a deal with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and a handful of other Democratic holdouts… Read Full Article

Health care reform: Don’t be afraid

Russell D. Moore

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--"Now these three abide: anger, outrage, and fear—and the greatest of these is fear.”

That’s not in the Bible.

But sometimes I wonder if I think it is.

The United States House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill Sunday that I and lots of other Christians opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?

Is… Read Full Article

Four S. Baptist Dems. vote ‘no’ on bill

Staff

WASHINGTON (BP)--Four of five Southern Baptist Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against health-care legislation approved by the chamber March 21.

Reps. Bobby Bright of Alabama, Travis Childers of Mississippi, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee and Heath Shuler of North Carolina voted “no” on a version of health-care reform passed by the Senate in December. A controversial part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590, was language that the major pro-life organizations say will permit federal funding of abortion. President Obama is scheduled to sign an executive order that is aimed at appeasing pro-life concerns,… Read Full Article

Land predicts a ‘tsunami-size’ voter backlash over healthcare vote

Richard Land

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, expressed disappointment with those who passed the healthcare legislation, despite the opposition of the majority of American people.

“What a tragic day for American medicine and for our nation’s citizens. This healthcare legislation will lead to the overwhelming majority of Americans living shorter lives, and experiencing more pain and suffering before they die.

“A majority of Americans are enraged that their elected representatives would so callously disregard their expressed convictions and pass legislation a majority of the populace clearly does not want.”… Read Full Article

Substance Abuse: Methamphetamine

Rob Chambers

Much has been said in the news about the illegal drug methamphetamine (or meth) and cold and sinus medications like Sudafed containing the drug pseudoephedrine.

Meth is a highly addictive, illegal drug that has an intense stimulating effect on the brain.  Meth typically contains ingredients like Drano and ammonia nitrate (fertilizer), but the necessary ingredient for producing meth is pseudoephedrine.  Without pseudoephedrine meth cannot be made. 

In response to widespread use and problems associated with meth, Mississippi lawmakers recently passed a law that will make cold and sinus medications like Sudafed available only by a doctor’s… Read Full Article

The Bible Speaks on Alcohol

Staff -

People have been drinking fermented beverages since at least the days of Noah. The Bible states that after the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk (Genesis 9:20-21). In New Testament times, Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana (John 2:1-11), and Paul admonished Timothy to “use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). After the introduction of distilled spirits with their much higher alcohol content (up to eight times higher than wine) in the Middle Ages, the problems caused by alcohol increased significantly. Today, alcohol… Read Full Article

Legislative Action or Inaction?

Jimmy Porter

Things are tough across the street at the Capitol.  The wants and needs of the citizens of this state are numerous, and they all come at a high price.  A few of our legislators think like our children, “money grows on trees.” Instead of asking the hard questions they prefer to budget more money and increase spending in hopes the economy will improve.

Then there are some legislators who honestly seek ways to be more creative, cost conscious, and to get a greater return on monies expended.  Even though money is tight, this session is important because there… Read Full Article