Pastor Jack Graham welcomes Southern Baptists to Dallas. This year's meeting marks the 161st gathering of the convention.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--We live in a culture that continues to push the envelope to become more and more immoral. In the midst of this disintegration, why do Christians seem to have such a small and seemingly insignificant impact?

PLANO, Texas (BP)--Over the years there have been a series of books on various subjects titled, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About [insert subject], But Were Afraid to Ask." Just the same as these book titles, there are things Christians want to know, but are afraid to ask -- questions concerning doubts, fears and life.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--Several years ago, the state of Texas executed the first woman since the Civil War -- well-known murderer and death-row inmate Karla Fay Tucker. Surprising to many, the day Karla died, she was a radically changed, born-again Christian. But just 14 years prior to her death, she was as far away from a relationship with God as one could possibly be.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--I remember when I was a little boy living in Arkansas, there was a small rock church on the other side of town. I heard adults whispering about all the things that went on in that church -- people rolling in the aisles, shouting and hollering, speaking in strange languages, and even some rumors that they handled snakes.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--On Aug. 29, just days before the fourth anniversary of 9-11, another attack came upon America -- not by terrorists, but by a powerful hurricane. Hurricane Katrina crippled the Gulf Coast with its potent winds and unrelenting surge. Katrina has taken the lives of more than 1,000 people, and in ways that we can’t even imagine, its survivors continue to struggle with the prospect of starting over, having lost everything they know and love.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--It’s not hard to figure out that we’re living in a sex-crazed society -- one that operates much like an open sewer. It’s even been called the “new morality” by some, including ministers of the Gospel.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--Millions of dollars are spent every year on advertisements by the alcohol industry in soliciting us constantly to invest in alcohol. As a result of their efforts, there are millions of alcoholics in the United States who spend $185 billion each year for alcoholic beverages. Statistics show that there are far more victims of alcohol than any other drug in this nation.

PLANO, Texas (BP)--The 19th century political figure Charles Francis Adams kept a diary. On one particular occasion, he wrote: “Went fishing with my son today -- a day wasted.” His son, Brook Adams, also wrote in a diary, which is still in existence today. In the entry he made that same day, Brook wrote: “Went fishing with my father -- the most wonderful day of my life!”

PLANO, Texas (BP)--Our nation is locked in a bitter cultural battle. As citizens and as followers of Christ, we have an obligation to become engaged in this struggle.