I hope you have been blessed by the fine series articles Pathway Associate Editor Ben Hawkins has written commemorating the 40th anniversary of Adrian Rogers’ election to the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). It was Rogers’ election that set in motion events that would lead Southern Baptists to reject the liberal direction of the mainline Protestant denominations and affirm the infallibility, inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture. The fact that Southern Baptists were … [Read more...]

They are there. Thirteen graves. A number associated in foolish lore as being unlucky. No identity is provided for any of them. Only a small percentage of Missourians know they even exist and virtually nothing is ever written or said about “the 13.” Such indignity is not what you would normally think about anyone buried among such luminaries as Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams and Dred Scott, the slave who sued for his freedom … [Read more...]

One of my fondest memories as a 10-year-old occurred one summer afternoon in the backyard of the new home my parents, Tracy and Cecelia, had built on my aunt’s farm about 25 miles north of Nashville, Tenn. I do not recall what dad told me to do, but I sassed him. Like a lightning bolt, he came after me with a broom. Never let it be said dad did not adhere to Eph. 6:4! I took flight like a frightened hyena. He would get close enough to take a swing at my fanny, but whiffed every time. After … [Read more...]

Bodies were curled-up on the floor. Not in the condition and location where one would expect to find people in their State Capitol.  Yet it was understandable given that it was 4 a.m., following 20 hours in which we had prayed, encouraged one another and urged senators to save the lives of Missouri’s unborn. So it was for everyone in Missouri’s pro-life movement in the pre-dawn hours of May 16. The hallways of the Missouri Senate sporadically erupted with activity, triggered by Republican … [Read more...]

America is in the midst of a moral revolution. With debate still raging over the deceptively named Missouri Non-discrimination Act (MONA), Missouri’s battle over this dangerous legislation reflects a nation besieged by moral revolution. British theologian Theo Hobson argues that for revolution to occur, three conditions have to be met: (1) What is condemned must be celebrated; (2) What was celebrated must be condemned; (3) Those who will not celebrate must be condemned. A May 2001 Gallup … [Read more...]

April marks the anniversary of John Winthrop’s sermon delivered to his fellow Puritans aboard the Arabella before landing in the New World in 1630. Its most famous line was the modified words of Jesus designed for the occasion: “We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all the people are upon us.” The phrase, “A city upon a hill," comes from the parable of salt and light in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In Matt. 5:14, Jesus tells His listeners, "You are the light … [Read more...]

I visit the State Capitol when the Missouri General Assembly is in session, but less than 10 percent of my time is involved talking to lawmakers about legislation that will impact Missouri Southern Baptists. Since no Baptist speaks for all Baptists, I generally limit my activity to what I call the “Big Five” issues: the sanctity of life, the family, advocating for victims of sex/human trafficking, promoting adoption/foster care and protecting religious liberty. Why those five? Because they … [Read more...]