EDITOR’S NOTE: This editorial – a favorite among Pathway team members – was originally published in the Oct. 11, 2016, print edition of The Pathway. A memorial service has been scheduled to celebrate the life of The Pathway's founding editor, Don Hinkle, who went home to be with the Lord last week. The service will take place on Friday, Sept. 30, at Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo., at 11:00 a.m. I really shouldn’t do this, but I am going to be transparent. Transparency is not … [Read more...]

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Read related article here.) “Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, though somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.” – Unknown When I step aside as editor of The Pathway on Jan. 1, it will be with a grateful heart for having the privilege of serving Jesus by serving you. It is wonderful doing something I love (producing a newspaper) for the Savior who died for my sins. It has been 20 years of struggles, tragedies and victories, but through … [Read more...]

In the corner of my home library/study sits the rocking chair in which my mother rocked me after birth. Several years ago, mom had it beautifully refurbished. Certainly, a family heirloom, it is also a reminder from whence I came. It also symbolizes the care and affection my mother provided. It was bought brand new in 1954 just to rock me, mom’s first born. One unusual feature: it has no armrests. So, mom relied solely on the strength of her arms to hold all eight pounds, eight-ounces of … [Read more...]

Some of the harshest criticism I have received during my 20-plus years as the founding editor of this news journal have occurred while addressing issues involving public policy. I understand our purpose for existing as a state convention is to make Christ known and for Him to become Lord and Savior for every sinner who believes. But we are to do more. As believers we are called to grow in the faith once for all delivered unto the saints. It is through our growth in Christ that we come to … [Read more...]

If there was ever an argument urging Southern Baptists not to engage in public policy matters, it has been left in tatters following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision overturning Roe v. Wade. For too long we heard liberal voices howl that we should not be involved in politics. I guess Moses, Daniel and the Apostles Peter and Paul did not get the message. Every one of them appealed to the governmental authorities of their time, just as Christian leaders have done through the … [Read more...]

There have been days that were, well, a nightmare. Angry readers calling to cancel their subscriptions and tyrants demanding I be terminated. There were nights I went home, laid my head on my late wife’s shoulder and cried like a baby. Sound familiar, pastors? In its wisdom, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board determined that The Pathway would remain under its influence because they represented the churches. After all, the churches established The Pathway, so it belongs … [Read more...]

It was tried again – and failed. State Sen. Greg Razor, a homosexual from a Kansas City district, offered the so-called Missouri Non-discrimination Act (MONA) and once again the Missouri General Assembly rejected it. MONA, similar to the so-called federalized “Equality Act,” would restrict religious freedom, threaten faith-based charities and undermine the civil rights protections for women and girls. It would represent the most dramatic departure from the foundations of civic tolerance … [Read more...]

I was reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s words from June 16, 1858, to more than 1,000 delegates at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois, after a draft opinion by a U.S. Supreme Court judge overturning abortion was leaked to the media. The leak has sparked protests, inflammatory rhetoric and even violence. It is pitting state against state and dividing families. While Lincoln’s words referred to the inevitable struggle to settle slavery between the states, they should serve … [Read more...]

One of the greatest blessings of my life has been having a mother who lovingly nurtured me as a child and continued to love and support me throughout life. I was the first born of three, so I benefitted in early childhood because mom stayed home. Until the birth of my brother seven years later, I was the beneficiary of her undivided attention. I witnessed what the responsibility of being a mom and a wife detailed – laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishwashing, sweeping, mopping, changing bed … [Read more...]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read a news article related to this editorial at the following link: https://mbcpathway.com/2022/04/12/churches-now-able-to-withhold-funds-from-sbc-entities-in-mbcs-new-plan-b-giving-option/. “Trust is like a vase. Once it’s broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be the same again.” – Walter Anderson One of the greatest unified giving efforts in American Christianity has been the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Every Southern … [Read more...]

Reaction by Missouri Southern Baptists over the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee’s (EC) hiring of a law firm that supports the LGBTQ lifestyle has prompted Pathway readers to respond with phone calls, emails and letters. Such activity by readers is not unusual. But the reaction to this particular story is different. There is genuine concern over how Cooperative Program money is being spent. I reported in the March 8 print edition of The Pathway that up to $2 million of … [Read more...]