Opinion Column

‘How Should We Then Live?’

By Larry Robertson Sr. Pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville The ride ahead is going to get bumpy, so make sure that your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright positions, your seat belts are securely fastened, and all your carry-on items are securely stowed. The Supreme Court’s recent decision legalizing same-sex marriage has changed the landscape of America in unprecedented ways, but this journey has just begun. And

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When the Media Call, Are You Ready?

By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC Picture this scenario from a pastor’s perspective. A same-sex couple contacts you on Thursday and asks you to officiate their wedding ceremony. You politely decline. Friday the couple is making the rounds on the local news. In their mind, you’re a narrow-minded bigot violating their 14th Amendment rights. Your cell phone blows up with interview requests. You decline, and by Sunday when you

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Youth Ministers and the SCOTUS Ruling

By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBC BRENTWOOD — The intersection of a biblical worldview and the philosophy of a secular culture often converge in the youth minister’s office, and there has been no greater collision in that intersection than the recent 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states. “Youth ministers are faced with helping parents and teenagers sort through the reality of a

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Tips for Answering the Tough Questions

By Vicki Hulsey TBC Childhood Ministry Specialist When children are given more opportunities to discover God’s plan for marriage, their tendency to ask tough questions may increase as they see people they know choosing to live a lifestyle that is different than God’s design for marriage. Below are some tips to share with parents when answering tough questions: Take each question seriously. A child who feels embarrassed may be uncomfortable

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Talking With Children About Difficult Life Issues

By Vicki Hulsey TBC Childhood Ministry Specialist Kids are full of questions. If you are a parent or children’s leader at church, you might often hear questions like: • Are we there yet? • Who else is going? • When are we going to eat? • What are we going to do next? • Are you sure? • Why can’t I? • Do we have to?

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Evangelism and the Supreme Court’s Ruling

By David Evans TBC Staff The recent Supreme Court decision confirmed what many people have already observed. Our culture is shifting and behaviors once understood as contrary to a biblical standard have now been legally validated. Although the world proclaims with the social media hashtag, “#lovewins,” it seems that #religiouspersecution is on the rise. Those who claim to be tolerant express intolerance toward religious freedom. How should the church respond?

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From My Pastor’s Heart

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been key players in one of history’s most significant dramas in the founding of the United States. Years had passed since that fateful July 4 Independence Day. Now, they were two stately gentlemen near the end of their lives exchanging letters and reflecting on bygone days. “My friend,” Adams wrote to Jefferson. “You and I have lived

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Blessed to Be a Citizen of the U.S. and Heaven

By Lucyara Usery TBC Staff Blessed to be an American? You should be. Yet, you didn’t choose where you were to be born. God’s sovereignty directs that. Citizenship will shape a lot in life but it will also reflect God’s creative nature. Does your church reflect His nature? Does your church intentionally reach out to a varied universe of citizens? On Sept. 10, 2001, mid-morning, my husband and I arrived

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Jesus Is the Only Cure for Racism

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector It’s time to take down the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State Capitol. As a South Carolina native and born and bred Southerner, I never thought I would ever say those words, much less put them into print. The issue of taking down the Confederate flag in South Carolina did not happen overnight. It has been “on the table”

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One Man, One Woman — Period

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Marriage is between one man and one woman. Period. And, it is impossible for any human institution to declare otherwise. Period. However, the fate of marriage as defined by popular culture has for months awaited a ruling by our United States Supreme Court to codify the definition it wants. What it wants is for marriage to legally mean nothing. Think about it, if

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From My Pastor’s Heart

By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been key players in one of history’s most significant dramas in the

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