As we approach July 4th, many pastors preach about Christians in America repenting of sin and turning back to the Lord so that He will bless His churches. One text they often use is 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NASB): “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Is that an appropriate application of this text? To be clear, these are God’s … [Read more...]
The good of Southern Baptist polity: SBC messengers condemn Alt-right white supremacy
By now most of you have probably heard about the confusion which occurred with relation to the Alt-right resolution at this year’s Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix. Allow me to share the non-media, unbiased version of what happened. An African American Baptist pastor from Austin, Texas, asked from the floor to have his resolution condemning the alt-right movement accepted and presented to the whole convention for approval. The Alt-right movement is a loosely organized group of people, … [Read more...]
Resolutions: Heart of Southern Baptists in brief
I first attended the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in 1982, early in the days of the Conservative Resurgence. The next few years saw some of our best-attended and most contentious meetings. In those days, news media from everywhere descended on our meeting sites, trying to figure out who we are and what we’re doing. They mostly failed; we are notoriously hard to understand. Then and now, the aspect of convention business most comprehensible to non-Baptist observers is the … [Read more...]
Contagious missions
One of my first memories of missions was when I was only 3 and my dad went with a short-term mission team to Guatemala in March 1978 following a massive earthquake there. My dad was part of our church’s second team who went to help Guatemalans after that tragedy. The first team worked alongside our Foreign Mission Board (now the IMB) missionaries to rebuild Damascus Baptist Church in Guatemala City. The second team went to the village of Santo Domingo Xenaco outside Guatemala City to … [Read more...]
Historic Baptists, liberty and the Trinity case
KANSAS CITY – What would John Leland say about scrap tires? Missourians, including churches that own vehicles, pay a fee to keep used tires out of streams and landfills. The fee underwrites a rebate for rubber playground surfaces. It’s open to all nonprofit groups, to keep kids safer and the environment cleaner. Trinity Lutheran Church, in Columbia, applied for a rebate. It was rejected, but not because the money ran out. It was rejected because it is a church. Missouri’s Constitution … [Read more...]
On the eve of a major religious liberty ruling: The nation’s eyes on Trinity Lutheran case
EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Whitehead has practiced law in Missouri for more than 40 years. He practices with his son, Jonathan, in suburban Kansas City, and he serves as MBC general counsel and represents numerous individuals and ministry organizations. Both Mike and Jonathan are on the legal team defending Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, in a religious liberty case that was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court this spring. A ruling on the case is expected by the end of the month, before the … [Read more...]
The foundational principles of worship
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Francis is an Assistant Professor of Music and Worship at Hannibal-LaGrange University where he teaches music and trains young musicians to be worship leaders through HLGU’s Bachelor of Music with Worship Concentration degree. John has a blogsite, www.gloryhorn.com and is available for worship leading and speaking across the state on the subject of worship. You may email John at john.francis@hlg.edu. To explore the essence of a subject, a helpful exercise is to go all … [Read more...]
Ken Parker: The Nostalgia of HLGU & Highway 36
It’s easy to become pessimistic, isn’t it? I mean, every time we turn on the television, check the news on the web, read the paper (some of you know what I mean when I say “read the paper”. . . if not, ask your grandparents). We all need things, people, and experiences to help us maintain perspective. I’m afforded the rich opportunity to meet a lot of people and sometimes have the chance to represent Jesus and our church in some really great places. Such was the case last Wednesday. I had … [Read more...]
Netflix builds buzz with suicide series ‘13 Reasons Why,’ but critics cautious
NASHVILLE (BP) – A streamed Netflix series dramatizing the fictional story of a teen’s suicide has drawn disparate reactions from secular and Christian sectors in the U.S. and abroad as the show’s popularity continues strong. Netflix strengthened viewer warnings May 1 regarding the content of the series, “13 Reasons Why,” after cries of possible “suicide contagion” and the glamorization of suicide spilled from religious, educational and clinical sectors within the U.S. and as far away as … [Read more...]
Cooperative Program – ‘incredibly thankful’
PHOENIX (BP) – Despite being raised in Baptist churches most of my life, the Cooperative Program and North American Mission Board were foreign to me. Before I became a church planter’s wife, I had very little working knowledge of what they are or what purpose they serve. Today, my understanding of the Cooperative Program and North American Mission Board has deepened. I recognize them as a friend and resource, equipped and eager to maximize efforts in aiding church planters and their … [Read more...]
Theology shapes view of culture, God
There was a time when the term “theology” related solely to issues within the church. Theology was viewed only as a tool to differentiate between denominations or to resolve internal church struggles. However, limiting theology merely to the realm of church-related or scholarly concerns demonstrates forgetfulness regarding the numerous areas of life affected by biblical theology. Since sound theology helps Christians rightly understand the Word of God, theology should practically … [Read more...]
Title VII and government by the judiciary
Who needs Congress to make laws when the judiciary just does whatever it wants? Well, at least that’s what the Seventh Circuit seems to think. On Tuesday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination in employment on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” now covers alleged discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The unprecedented ruling came in response to a complaint filed by Kimberly … [Read more...]
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