By Mark Moore Associate Pastor, Worship, Third Baptist Church, Murfreesboro A few summers ago, my son attended a baseball showcase in Lebanon. The stated goal of the showcase was to be chosen for a larger event in Atlanta — one that would be attended by college coaches and professional scouts. The cost was minimal and only involved about two hours of our time. It was more evaluation than anything, and
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector I imagine there’s a lot of laughter in heaven these days since the arrival of Tennessee pastor Thom Tapp on June 11. Thom was not the stand-up comic type. Rather, he was just the opposite. He did not stand out in the crowd. While he could carry a conversation with the best of people, he also was content to listen. Thom’s humor came
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Last week’s national nightmare seemed unending. The unrelated shooting deaths of two African-American men and the heinous sniper attack killing five Dallas police officers left me crying out to God in desperation over the hate, division, and spiritual darkness consuming our country. Habakkuk’s words ring loudly with contemporary clarity. “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?
By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R God blessed me with birth in a Christian home. My parents instilled within me the culture of what it meant to believe in and live the Christian life. From my earliest days, I learned the core of the Christian faith. I accepted my inherited convictions and values from my parents; and we never missed attending First Baptist Church, Midland, Texas. Step by step as
By David Leavell We Baptists are a peculiar people! We are saved by grace, called by God into community, and sent for kingdom advancement. Over the years, God has used us in special ways to bring His fame and renown across this globe. I have the privilege of serving on the Administrative Committee of the Executive Board for Tennessee Baptists. Because of that area of service, I have had the
By David Crutchley Editor’s Note: Crutchley, a native of Zimbabwe, Africa, is chair of the religion department at Carson-Newman University. He has led a group of C-N students to Africa for nine years. We arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, after a 12-hour flight from London. Home again … African soil. Table Mountain peers down from her lofty throne and welcomes us. Our group of 21 has traveled 10,000 miles
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Another annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention has come and gone. By all accounts it was historic and for the most part Southern Baptists left with a good feeling. Tennessee Baptists should be extremely proud as one of our own — Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, was elected president in an unusual and historic election (see also column by Chris
By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC Steve Gaines, pastor of iconic Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, sat at the table in the pressroom at the annual Southern Baptist Convention meeting and waited for questions. Gaines had just been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention by a historic vote of acclamation. “Any questions,” the moderator asked the media. Silence. Stunned silence. Finally someone spoke up and said, “I think we’re
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Tennessee Baptists are about emptying mosques, not building them. There are a few pseudo-news websites authored by bloggers who produce satirical “news” stories, and some of their recent stories state that the Southern Baptist Convention is building mosques. Those stories have gained traction through social media and people are assuming their truth. At least one of those stories states the Tennessee Baptist Convention
Steve Freeman Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Springfield In our most recent Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board meeting, the Administrative Committee brought a proposal to change the name of our current standing governing body from “Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention” to “Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.” The proposal overwhelmingly moved forward in bringing the possible “name change” to The Summit in November, seeking the affirmation of messengers. During the
By Mark Moore Associate Pastor, Worship, Third Baptist Church, Murfreesboro A few summers ago, my son attended a baseball showcase in Lebanon. The stated goal
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector I imagine there’s a lot of laughter in heaven these days since the arrival of Tennessee pastor Thom
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Last week’s national nightmare seemed unending. The unrelated shooting deaths of two African-American men and the heinous sniper
By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R God blessed me with birth in a Christian home. My parents instilled within me the culture of what it
By David Leavell We Baptists are a peculiar people! We are saved by grace, called by God into community, and sent for kingdom advancement. Over
By David Crutchley Editor’s Note: Crutchley, a native of Zimbabwe, Africa, is chair of the religion department at Carson-Newman University. He has led a group
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Another annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention has come and gone. By all accounts it was historic
By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC Steve Gaines, pastor of iconic Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, sat at the table in the pressroom at the
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Tennessee Baptists are about emptying mosques, not building them. There are a few pseudo-news websites authored by bloggers
Steve Freeman Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Springfield In our most recent Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board meeting, the Administrative Committee brought a proposal to
