Following the devastating fire that destroyed the historic 134-year-old sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas earlier in July, there is still no answer as to what caused the incident. However, Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn recently provided an update that ruled out the possibility of arson. First Baptist Dallas, located in the heart of the busy city, has served as a historical landmark for the Baptist Church. Leaders of the church have maintained that they will not be deterred by the fire, promising to rebuild the sanctuary in the image of its former glory.
Lovvorn said, “I know many of you continue to ask questions and wonder about the cause of the fire, and we still don’t know that yet. The investigating agencies and various entities have told us that they’ve ruled out arson or any type of foul play, but they continue to look to see if they can identify a source of that fire.”
The executive pastor further noted that that efforts to build a new sanctuary are in process. “The demolition process on the interior of the sanctuary site is underway again,” Lovvorn said. “Removing debris is the next step as we make progress toward the new construction. You’ll start seeing new equipment around campus, including multiple cranes.”
The American Tribune previously reported on early developments surrounding the fire, where leadership at the historic church vowed to rebuild the sanctuary. First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress said, “We’re going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth. The unchangableness, the endurance of the word of God. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
“We can not allow Satan to have the last word,” the pastor continued. “If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we have been defeated by the evil one, so we are going to rebuild, we’re going to recreate.” He further noted that plans are actively being laid to pick up the pieces and reconstruct the church.
In a message about the fire to the First Baptist Dallas congregation, Jefress offered an inspiring message that the church would prevail. “This last Friday night, it looked like the gates of Hell were prevailing, that Satan was going to win,” he stated. “That was Friday night, but ladies and gentlemen, it is Sunday morning. It is a day of resurrection.”
The pastor continued, “It’s not a day of death. And I am pledging to you, we’re going to rebuild that sanctuary. We’re going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth, the unchangeableness, the endurance of the Word of God.” He further noted, “We cannot allow Satan to have the last word. If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we’ve been defeated by the evil one. So we’re going to rebuild, we’re going to recreate.”
Watch the fire below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.