LONDON, England – Blue crosses marked many doors of disease-ridden London homes in 1563. That year, the bubonic plague once again ravaged England’s capital city, despite efforts to prevent the spread of disease: Stray dogs throughout the city, thought to transmit the plague, were rounded up and killed. Bonfires – believed to “consume the corrupt airs” – filled the streets at sundown three times each week. Plays, fairs and other gatherings were prohibited, and London’s Christians were … [Read more...]
Is the Trinity a late invention?
This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Trinity, excerpted from “What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity,” available by contacting the MBC or through Amazon. Some critics of the Trinity doctrine protest that it is a late invention, formulated only after the Roman Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, decreed an end to all persecution of Christians in AD 313 and convened the first ecumenical council at Nicaea in AD 325. But the charge of doctrinal invention … [Read more...]
Baptism continues, though Rome church services canceled
Church planter explains impact of coronavirus response in Italy EDITOR'S NOTE: The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) has a missions partnership in northeast Italy. To learn more about this partnership, contact MBC Multiplying Churches Director Rick Hedger (rhedger@mobaptist.org) or visit https://mobaptist.org/partnership-missions/ends-of-the-earth/. The article below is written by Reid Karr, a church planter with the IMB serving in Italy. ROME, Italy – Although the actual number of … [Read more...]
Three simple truths about the Trinity
Consider three simple truths the Scriptures teach about the Trinity: 1. There is only one true God. 2. The Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Spirit is God. 3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, but inseparable, persons who exist simultaneously. 1. There is only one true God. Christians do not worship three gods; that’s polytheism. We do not worship one God made up of three parts; that’s tritheism. Nor do we exalt God as a lone actor who wears three different masks; … [Read more...]
Defining the Trinity
How do we biblically define a term that never appears in the Bible? As Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, and others are quick to point out, the word Trinity is conspicuously absent from the pages of Scripture. Therefore, they argue, to embrace such a term goes against the Bible’s clear teaching. Not so fast. While it’s true the term Trinity is not found in English Bible translations, that doesn’t mean the doctrine is missing in action. We might point out that phrases such as “the second … [Read more...]
Why study the Trinity?
Would it surprise you to know that six out of 10 U.S. adults say the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being? Or, more shocking, that 78 percent of Americans with “evangelical beliefs” agree with the statement that Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father? These views, part of Ligonier Ministries’ 2018 State of Theology survey of 3,000 Americans, expose the soft underbelly of evangelical Christianity in our country. If Jesus is God’s first and greatest … [Read more...]
Ready Conference at Midwestern Seminary equips youth to defend their faith
Midwestern Seminary welcomed over 1,000 students from more than 90 local and regional churches on Jan. 24-25 for its annual Ready Conference, which exists to equip the youth of the church to defend their faith. This conference—which is based off of Jude, verse 3—encourages students to be ready to defend “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints”—featured main sessions from speakers Sam Bierig, Cam Triggs, Jared Bumpers, and Noe Garcia, and included a number of breakout … [Read more...]
South Carolina volunteers reach refugees in Greece with gospel
GREECE – During the summer of 2019, South Carolina Baptist volunteers developed a greater understanding of the plight of refugees. Tom Hilliard* and Brett May*, two of the state’s volunteers spent a month ministering to refugees crowded into a camp on the Greek island of Lesvos. Their service was arranged through South Carolina Baptist Convention’s Missions Mobilization office. Hilliard and May looked into the eyes of desperate, exhausted people who fled Syria’s war or Afghanistan’s … [Read more...]
IMB worker learns from delayed harvests
More than a decade ago, Liam Remington*, an IMB worker new to the mission field, found himself in a riverside town in the mountains. That same day, a young nomad named L.T.* came to the same town. Remington, a trained linguist, was hoping to conduct language surveys in the area. L.T. happened to be from the people group Remington was hoping to meet. Remington and L.T. happened to meet on a street corner. It was a divine encounter. Remington was a willing witness and L.T. was a seeking … [Read more...]
IMB missionary: ‘I’ll continue to pray’
CENTRAL ASIA – Praying in the local language is one of the hardest things I’ve done on the mission field. My face has flushed hot with embarrassment as I trip over grammar and falter over each word. I can’t count how many times I’ve wondered if any of the spiritual words I’m stringing together in prayer make sense. But I’m convinced praying in the local language is one of the most important things I’ve done. I recently visited my neighbor who had just celebrated her 98th birthday. She … [Read more...]
Host an apologetics workshop at your church
2019 was a busy year for Christian apologetics in Missouri Baptist churches. Not only did the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network complete its fifth year of service with 16 certified pastors and lay leaders, but I was privileged to speak 65 times in 26 different locations throughout the year – including apologetics events in Florida and California. Just to be clear, Christian apologetics simply is offering a reasonable defense of the Christian faith. The English word “apologetics” comes … [Read more...]
Can we trust the biblical manuscripts?
Fiction writers like Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code) and popular scholars like Bart Ehrman (The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture) have convinced many people the New Testament is unreliable. We are led to believe that Emperor Constantine determined the New Testament canon in the fourth century; that Christian leaders, vying for power, changed the Gospels to suit their personal agendas; and that amateur copyists butchered early New Testament manuscripts. If these charges are true, the Church … [Read more...]
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