In my 45 years as a journalist I cannot recall a member of Congress so passionately urging conservative Christians to get involved in the making of public policy. Sen. Joshua Hawley’s impassioned plea for Christian involvement is welcomed, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s disgraceful ruling in the Bostick v. Clayton County case in which it redefined “sex” as written in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In its ruling, the court said “sex” no longer means “male” and “female” as biological … [Read more...]

I am thankful to live in a nation that promotes religious freedom around the world. I am also grateful to be a member of a denomination that aggressively supports that effort. I applaud President Trump for signing an Executive Order June 2 that calls for the prioritization of international religious liberty in United States foreign policy and at least $50 million a year for programs that boost freedom for religious adherents worldwide. The president took that action just as Southern … [Read more...]

On one of the bookcase shelves in my office sits a beautifully hand-made shadow box. It features the baseball I captured off the bat of former Kansas City Royal Matt Stairs during a game Sept. 21, 2005, at Kauffman Stadium. I was sitting in the second deck directly behind home plate when Stairs fouled a pitch straight back that barely cleared the backstop netting. It came directly at me. I raised my right hand and the ball smacked right into my palm, ricocheting straight down. It bounced … [Read more...]

Televangelist Jim Bakker, who was once king of the false teaching known as the “prosperity gospel,” has shifted the focus of his messages to “the end times.” It is in that context that Bakker, who served several years in prison after defrauding his viewers out of millions of dollars in the 1980s, now finds himself the target of a lawsuit brought by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. But, before we rush to judgment, we must realize there is an important issue, perhaps unintended, that … [Read more...]

Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for giving through the Cooperative Program (CP). The Pathway is a Cooperative Program-funded ministry. That is why we do not have a subscription charge for mailing it directly to your homes, businesses and churches. The Pathway’s mission has always been to make Jesus Christ known and that all honor and glory is due Him. We attempt to do that by telling the story of how He is at work in our state through you. It is our desire to “build up the body” through … [Read more...]

Missouri Southern Baptists are the largest non-Catholic denomination in the state. We have always rallied around a commitment to carry the gospel to the world. We are also known for our fierce defense of religious freedom, or freedom of conscience. The Baptist Faith & Message affirms only God – not man or government – is Lord of the conscience. This aligns us with a biblical worldview of reality, one that demands our involvement in God’s created order. Such a worldview includes … [Read more...]

I love yard work. I never lack amazement at the grandeur of God’s creation – even in my rocky backyard. But amidst the beauty of it all, I do not understand it all. For example, I have yet to discover any value in poison ivy. Once I get a little, it quickly turns into a lot – of misery. The spreading blisters and itching can last for weeks. I’m itching now, just thinking about it. It is the same way with poison envy. I say poison because envy is just that to our lives. Once it gets on us … [Read more...]