Opinion Column

BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH

By Roger P. Freeman Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Nashville But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). The missions strategy for the Southern Baptist Convention ministry through our churches is found in Acts 1:8. “Jerusalem” represents missions through the local

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FOR ONCE, CHRISTIANS SHOULD COMPLAIN

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector LifeWay Research released an interesting study last week (see story). The headline of the story sums it up well: “Christians Face Intolerance; Complain.” Maybe, for once, Christians have a right to complain. For years we have accepted the lie that Christians are intolerant. Some individual Christians are. I won’t dispute that, but for the most part, Christians have been too tolerant and that

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MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Have you ever been asked to “mind your own business?” We probably all have at one time or another, especially by family and close friends who might not appreciate our opinions. Sometimes, as family and friends, we may feel the need to “stick our nose” into someone else’s business, especially if we fear negative consequences for that person. Most of the time, however,

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THE IMB: WE MUST REFOCUS AS WE RESET

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Almost everyone has seen the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels perform their amazing aerial acrobatics. These highly skilled pilots are among the best of the best in the world. The “Blues” as they are nicknamed, fly $60 million F/A-18s inches apart at hundreds of miles per hour. There is virtually no margin for error. These pilots strive for perfection every time. But they are

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BAPTISTS AND A STRANGE IGNORANCE ABOUT MISSIONS

By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R I was born in 1937, which was just 12 years after the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention was born. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offerings for missions were already institutions. For 79 years I’ve known these three factors as the sources for financing SBC missions. I also got educated about Baptist history, the SBC’s birth in 1845,

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BELMONT: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Editor’s Note: Though Belmont University is no longer an institution of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, it would not be here today if not for dedicated Tennessee Baptists who gave sacrificially to purchase the current Belmont campus and establish the school in 1951. By Albert W. Wardin Jr. Professor Emeritus of History, Belmont University, Nashville Some months ago Belmont University published a well-edited history — FROM HERE TO ANYWHERE: A HISTORY

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DATE DOESN’T MATTER: CELEBRATE EASTER

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Easter comes early on the calendar in 2016. Christians around the world will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 27. Normally, but not always, Easter usually falls during the month of April. In today’s world we are used to established dates for most holidays — Christmas is always Dec. 25; Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November;

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WHO IS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE?

By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC Cogito, ergo sum. Meaning: “I think, therefore I am.” The statement is the self-evident revelation of Renaissance philosopher, René Descartes. The Frenchman reduced all of life to nothing by doubting the existence of everything; however, he reconciled that, since he had the mental ability to doubt his own existence, then he must actually exist. He then reconstructed the existence of the world around

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PARENTS ARE INTERPRETERS

By Todd Brady Vice President for University Ministries, Union University Along their journeys of exploring the world around them, children need moms and dads who understand the tremendous privilege and parental responsibility of being interpreters for their children. For a parent, opportunities for interpretation abound. A child wakes up to a new world every day. Nothing is bland. Boredom has not cynically shown up on their doorstep yet. Every day,

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A QUESTION FOR EVERY SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADER

By Mark Miller Sunday School Specialist, TBC Over the last year, I have had the joy of sitting in on over 35 different Sunday School classes or groups. These groups have been from churches that averaged 15 to 1,800. At least three things took place in every one of these classes or groups. People were prayed for. Some type of fellowship took place among the members. And the Bible was

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PARENTS ARE INTERPRETERS

By Todd Brady Vice President for University Ministries, Union University Along their journeys of exploring the world around them, children need moms and dads who

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