Opinion Column

UNNECESSARY CONFUSION ABOUT HUMAN SEXUALITY

By Randy C. Davis President and executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Ever been to Disney World? Surely you have. Virtually everyone has gone at some point. One of the highlights for me has always been the nightly fireworks show shortly before the park closes.  “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” boomed the announcer triggering the anticipation for the upcoming spectacle. Well, that’s what he said for decades anyway. Not

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THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON

By Chris Turner Director of communications, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Easter doesn’t really have a catchy slogan like Christmas. At Christmas, we say things like “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It’s true, but it seems that truth often winds up being a bumper sticker.  However, Easter doesn’t lend itself easily to bumper sticker slogans. “Sin is the reason for the season” doesn’t exactly invoke Hallmark Channel holiday fuzzies. 

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TBDR — THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] I never cease to be amazed at how quickly and effectively Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers mobilize to be the hands and feet of Jesus. In late March and early April, wildfires swept across portions of Sevier County. While not nearly as devastating as the Gatlinburg fire of 2016, nearly 3,000 acres were burned and many homes damaged or destroyed. Martha and

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CHRISTIANS CAN LEARN FROM ‘CINDERELLA’

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] I love watching the NCAA basketball tournament — even if my beloved Gamecocks aren’t involved. In fact, I enjoy the games even when I don’t have a rooting interest in the tournament of any kind.  Like many Americans, I  normally latch on to that “Cinderella” team, the team that wins against all odds.  This year, that team was Saint Peter’s University.  Quite

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CASINOS GATHERING ON TENNESSEE’S HORIZON

By Randy C. Davis President & Executive Director, TBMB Casino operators must know something about bass fishing. They’ll make the lure of a big jackpot dance and sparkle in the bright lights hovering above slot machines and roulette wheels. They mesmerize their catch with nibbles of what could be, and then before someone realizes it, WHAM! The hook is set, and the person is caught and reeled in.  In the

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DAWNING REVELATIONS

By Kathy McBroom As I was driving down the road at 3:22 a.m. recently on the way to see my granddaughter, I had the Christian music blaring. Zack Williams was singing “This is the sound of dry bones rattling” from his song “Rattle.”  After a long season of despair, I am believing that I heard hope rising. By now, most everyone is aware of the toll that COVID-19 has and

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PASTORS ARE HURTING MORE THAN YOU KNOW

Mike Glenn Pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood I hung up the phone after talking to another colleague who had called to tell me he was leaving his position as the pastor of a nearby church. He was joining the administrative staff of a local university. He could have been retiring or starting his own non-profit. He could have been taking a job in the “real world,” as church professionals call

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THE PLACE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

Clay Hallmark President, Tennessee Baptist Convention The other day I picked up a 24-pack of bottled water at Sam’s Club. Each bottle of water cost me about $0.20 each. That exact bottle of water at the grocery store costs $0.40 each. If you get that bottle of water at a restaurant it will cost you $2. If you were to drink that bottle of water in a hotel room, the

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DON’T LET THE WORLD ROB YOU OF YOUR JOY

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist & Reflector [email protected] Suffice to say, our world is in a mess. COVID-19 is beginning its third year and has shown no sign of going away. People are still catching the disease and, sadly, some are still dying. Russia has invaded the Ukraine. Thousands of people have died and people are fleeing the country. Gas prices are skyrocketing. In Tennessee, gas has exceeded $4 a

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HELPING YOUR PASTOR RECOVER FROM THE STRESS

By Joe Wright Exec. Dir., Bivocational & Small Church Leadership Network Burnout has long been a problem for pastors, especially for pastors of smaller-attendance churches and those who are bivocational. The pandemic has only exacerbated this problem. Many pastors have experienced “decision fatigue” due to the need to make a decision early in the week but then having to change that decision later in the week. The resultant confusion within

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THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON

By Chris Turner Director of communications, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Easter doesn’t really have a catchy slogan like Christmas. At Christmas, we say things like

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