One of the most misunderstood issues some younger Southern Baptists have about their more senior Southern Baptists is that the “old gray-hairs” care little to nothing about the poor or social issues when it comes to public policy. Another, closely related, is that older Southern Baptists confuse Christianity with the Republican Party. Perhaps an attempt to shed some light – rather than heat – on both misunderstandings is in order. Southern Baptists care about social issues – and … [Read more...]
On bathrooms, discrimination, and Baptists seeking office
Ladies, be careful using the restrooms in Walgreens. Corporate leaders recently distributed a memo stating men may now use women’s restrooms and vice versa. The policy change was a result of Walgreens being pressured by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California. “All individuals have a right to use restroom facilities that correspond to the individual’s gender identity, regardless of the individual’s sex assigned at birth,” the memo stated. A similar policy was … [Read more...]
Prayer, deadbeat parents, hunting human traffickers
In recent years, I have had the privilege of praying at a variety of events at the State Capitol. Most have been traditional services, like the National Day of Prayer held on the first Thursday in May. Others have been in more private settings with individual lawmakers and staffers who work at the State Capitol. But I have to say I have never had the privilege of praying at an event quite like the “Keep Faith in America” service held Jan. 17 in The Rotunda of the State Capitol. What made … [Read more...]
Prayers, pro-life bills and Good Samaritans
A reproduction of Arnold Friberg’s iconic painting of General George Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow at Valley Forge hangs over my desk. The original hangs in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I love Friberg’s painting because it reminds us that we must pray and ask God to heal and bless our land. Ever since our nation’s founding, America’s leaders have prayed for Divine guidance. Even today, with Christianity seemingly losing influence over American society, many … [Read more...]
Christmas ruminations; farewell to 2017, hello 2018
During this Christmas season as you pray for what God would have you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for our foreign missionaries, also pray for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world facing persecution. Every six minutes a Christian dies for their faith around the world, making Christianity the most persecuted religion on Earth. * * * * It was a blessing to be among the more than 400 who attended the American Renewal Project event in … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists follow Leland’s lead in historic case
It may be the most important religious liberty case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in our lifetime – and Missouri Southern Baptists are right in the middle of it. Such action is not unusual because Baptists have always been champions of religious liberty. So it is right and proper for Missouri Baptists to challenge tyranny whenever it threatens a free conscience. “God alone is Lord of the conscience,” states The Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Our rights come from God, not … [Read more...]
America dangerously downplaying sin
Given recent events in Las Vegas, New York and now Sutherland Springs, Texas, we ought to ask ourselves if we are ignoring the seriousness – and inevitable consequences – of sin. It seems the instances of sin preached from America’s pulpits are too few, particularly among mainline churches. The prosperity gospel reigns. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a sermon that triggered a national revival, is relegated to antiquity while human relational adjustment dynamics is all the rage. … [Read more...]
Dangerous prospects loom, Pathway points to Scripture
America seems adrift. Familiar markers that have guided our personal and social lives from birth to death have faded. We seem disoriented, groping in an ominous direction. Western civilization – especially Christianity and patriotism – is mocked. Our dead veterans are despicably politicized while our children are taught nothing virtuous and only America’s sins – past and present – are highlighted, creating dangerous prospects for the future. It was two decades ago Missouri Baptists put … [Read more...]
A conflicted culture: Calling evil by its name
It is often the arts in which worldviews are communicated in culture. I am reminded of Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, a horror novel made into a grisly, terrifying movie. An imprisoned serial killer, Hannibal Lector, a monster who bludgeoned and cannibalized his victims, is asked by a young female FBI agent to help catch another killer. “What possible reason could I have for cooperating with you?” Lector asks. “Curiosity,” says Agent Starling. “About what?” Lector … [Read more...]
A personal testimony of God’s faithfulness
It has been 14 months since my wife, Bernadette, went home to be with the Lord. I have been reluctant to remove many of her personal items. That time will come, but not yet. God and His people have sustained me through the grieving period and I am in a much better place today than I was even six months ago. I thank God for his faithfulness even as you have prayed for me and extended so many acts of kindness. They are too many to acknowledge individually. I have learned that God’s grace … [Read more...]
Satanists invade Missouri, fighting in courts for abortion
Satanists are attacking Missouri. They are doing so in many ways and we are foolish to think they are not doing it in the halls of our government. Government is one of only three institutions ordained by God (the others being the family and the Church). It should come as no surprise when they attack God’s ordained institutions. Scripture warns us about this conflict and the impact such evil may have on God’s creation. The Apostle Paul warned us of this reality in Eph. 6:10-12: “Finally, … [Read more...]
Ruminations as a busy summer gives way to another autumn
The Missouri Baptist Foundation Trustee Board’s presidential search committee is getting closer to recommending someone for the position. The committee could have a recommendation for the full board sometime in September. The committee, which was formed Dec. 9, includes Foundation Board Chairman Larry Shoaf, a Cape Girardeau-area businessman and member of First Baptist Church, Jackson; Jay Hughes, a staff member at Second Baptist Church, Springfield and Joby Steele, pastor, Macedonia … [Read more...]
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