By Kevin Minchey Church revitalization team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board As we move forward in 2021 it is the desire of the Church Revitalization Team to encourage pastors and their congregations to not be discouraged. II Chronicles 5:17 says “as for you, be strong and do not give up. Your work will be rewarded.” 2020 felt like a good year to give up. If you are reading this, you
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] Over the years I/Baptist and Reflector have been “killed” countless times, not with bullets but with words. Why? We have been the messenger — the bearer or deliverer of bad news or news that strikes those who read it negatively and causes them to blame the messenger, not those who spoke or wrote the message in the first place. I have grown
By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director I loved being a pastor. It was my joy and honor to spend 34 years as a pastor in a local church, so obviously I have a special place in my heart for the men who faithfully labor behind the pulpit serving God and His people. Between those years and the time I’ve spent as president of the Tennessee Baptist Mission
By David S. Dockery Interim provost, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Perhaps in recent weeks you have been given the opportunity to sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” one of Charles Wesley’s great Christmas carols. The angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Nowhere is the theme of reconciliation better pictured than in II Corinthians 5:11-21, which has been called one
By Charles A. Fowler President, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City The violence that took place at Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 is indefensible. It is an egregious violation of law and an extremely sad chapter in the history of our nation. Regardless of how justified some people who take such extreme and destructive actions may feel, violent events like this deserve to be condemned and hopefully those who planned and perpetrated
By Todd E. Brady Vice president for University ministries, Union University, Jackson When toddlers jabber made-up phrases, parents and grandparents say, “Aw, isn’t that cute?” When older adults utter nonsensical language, it’s usually sad. When national leaders use senseless words, it’s downright ridiculous. This week, I could hardly believe the recent headlines that told of House Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) who is also an ordained United Methodist pastor who
By Chris Turner [email protected] Do Christians need to continue confessing sin after they’ve come into a relationship with Jesus Christ? I was recently asked that question by a friend who’d been told that continued confession is unnecessary. Since that conversation with him, I’ve heard and read others propagating that same perspective. I don’t know how widespread that thinking is, but it is categorically unbiblical and dangerous to one’s understanding of
By Randy C. Davis President and executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Racial tensions were high, extremely high. Riots flared and spread across the nation like wildfire. Hundreds of protestors were killed. Lynching was all too common and scarred our society. But it got worse. Politics and political parties were in upheaval, and in less than five years a president, a presidential candidate and a globally recognized American civil rights
By Jerry Drace Evangelist/Senior Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church, Friendship As the last grains of sand ran out of the 2020 hourglass I read once again the speech of Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn given on June 8, 1978, at the Harvard University commencement service. They were profound at the time and prophetic for 2021. A portion of his speech follows and concludes with my personal comments. His entire speech can be found at: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/alexandersolzhenitsynharvard.htm.
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] It’s long been said that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. After writing checks for my property taxes in 2020 and learning of the deaths of two dear friends and a family member in just the past two weeks, I tend to agree with that statement. But, there is a third certainty that far outweighs the first two:
By Kevin Minchey Church revitalization team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board As we move forward in 2021 it is the desire of the Church Revitalization
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] Over the years I/Baptist and Reflector have been “killed” countless times, not with bullets but with words.
By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director I loved being a pastor. It was my joy and honor to spend 34 years as
By David S. Dockery Interim provost, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Perhaps in recent weeks you have been given the opportunity to sing “Hark! The Herald
By Charles A. Fowler President, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City The violence that took place at Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 is indefensible. It is an
By Todd E. Brady Vice president for University ministries, Union University, Jackson When toddlers jabber made-up phrases, parents and grandparents say, “Aw, isn’t that cute?”
By Chris Turner [email protected] Do Christians need to continue confessing sin after they’ve come into a relationship with Jesus Christ? I was recently asked that
By Randy C. Davis President and executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Racial tensions were high, extremely high. Riots flared and spread across the nation
By Jerry Drace Evangelist/Senior Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church, Friendship As the last grains of sand ran out of the 2020 hourglass I read once again
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] It’s long been said that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. After writing