Romans 1 is a graphic depiction of human depravity, which is not a steep vertical fall, but a descending spiral of ungodliness that begins with rejection of God’s revelation and ends with a fateful last step into outer darkness. It’s a story we should tell more often because it cuts to the chase. Paul doesn’t promise happiness, wealth, or comfort to the sinner who receives Jesus as Savior. Rather, he warns those who persist in rebellion against God of the peril they face when the divine … [Read more...]
Nearly 100 years after ‘Scopes Monkey Trial,’ state lawmakers continue to challenge Darwinism
JEFFERSON CITY – On May 4, 1925, George Rappleyea, a metallurgical engineer in Dayton, Tenn., stumbled upon an advertisement in the Chattanooga Daily Times that, he thought, could bring renown and money to this struggling coal town. The advertisement, put out by the ACLU, challenged a Tennessee law that made it illegal “to teach” in public schools “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower … [Read more...]
Philadelphia’s faith-filled football champions
There were plenty of intriguing storylines behind Philadelphia’s amazing Super Bowl win. One of them was the Christian faith of so many of those Eagles. In the days leading up to Sunday, Amazon Echo owners that asked Alexa who was going to win the Super Bowl received an unusual response: Alexa acknowledged, after much coughing and clearing of “her” virtual throat, that the Patriots were the favorites. But she quickly added she was rooting for the Eagles for reasons having to do with … [Read more...]
The ‘prince of preachers’ spars with Darwin
KANSAS CITY – Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), the “prince of Baptist preachers,” died only a decade after Charles Darwin (1809-1882), who infamously proposed a way for explaining the origin of all species without any need for God. Though they lived in the same England at the same time, these men were poles apart in their views of creation and the origin of life on earth, according to Christian George, director of the Charles Spurgeon Center for Biblical Preaching at Midwestern Baptist … [Read more...]
SBC’s Page: 15 Dragons posing danger to pastors & ministers
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Frank Page, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee told attenders at the Midwest Advance leadership summit that there are dragons in Baptist church life that have to be dealt with very carefully. As he spoke on church conflict during a breakout session in the organizational leadership track, Page said he wanted to encourage the pastors and staff members and help them navigate around “dragons” that devour Baptist leaders. He mentioned 15 kinds of dragons who … [Read more...]
Must we choose between preferences?
No kidding. I was reading my half-folded Wall Street Journal. I got to the fold and, subconsciously, I realized my index finger was attempting to scroll the rest of the article up the page. I suppose I am caught in a time warp, preferring to smell ink and read hard copy and at the same time live in an age of digital communications. I can hear the purist for print and/or digital attempting to say, “Choose between the two.” I say not so fast. There is room for both. No need to create a … [Read more...]
Midwest Advance equips Missourians
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A little over a hundred Missouri Baptists took in leadership training and missions inspiration at the Midwest Advance leadership summit in Springfield, Ill., Jan. 23-25. Registration for the event was coordinated through Baptist associations in the state and directors of missions were allowed to recruit a limited number of pastors and associational leaders for the event. Headlining the event were Darryl Gaddy, a church planting strategist from Detroit; Kevin Ezell, … [Read more...]
Whose children are they?
“For there is no partiality with God.” – Romans 2:11 The Bible tells us that children are a gift from God. How proud and happy we are when we look down in a baby’s face and see the miracle God has made! We become so attached to the little ones He has placed in our care! It becomes easy to think of them as only “our” children when they are loved by God as His own. Our desire should be to make sure they become His children through acceptance of Jesus as their personal Savior. God has … [Read more...]
Brookline pastor encourages the use of study tools
BROOKLINE – In this technology age, many online and downloadable Bible resources are available. Dan Swadley, pastor of FBC Brookline, near Springfield, had used various Bible software programs in sermon preparation. After comparing them, he chose WORDsearch, a LifeWay product. Swadley has an education technology degree and said education “has always been important to me.” “We rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the message, but there is a part of it that’s academic. I found WORDsearch is … [Read more...]
Jason Allen: Four reasons pastors should guard their hearts
Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but when a scandal comes out in the church, I feel it greatly. In fact, at times I have found myself not wanting to check social media, dreading to learn about the next scandal. When they come out, it is easy to find ourselves asking, “How could he…?”. Yet, upon sober reflection, we are reminded of how dangerous our sin nature truly is; and that Total Depravity is not just a theological point, but a malignancy within each one … [Read more...]
Franklin Association brings healing to Ghana
YENDI, Ghana – The mission team from Franklin Baptist Association doesn’t do anything halfway. They didn’t bring a handful of people on their recent trip to Ghana; they took 53. They didn’t set up a clinic to deal with minor illness and maladies; they set up a permanent intensive care unit at a local hospital. Joe Nogalski, pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in New Haven, has been going on the trips regularly since he was a student at Southern Seminary in 2001. It began with a partnership … [Read more...]
Sen. Lankford, ERLC’s Moore amplify Baptist view of church-state separation
WASHINGTON (BP) – Two Southern Baptists – one a U.S. senator and the other a convention entity head – said on Religious Freedom Day the idea of “separation of church and state” entails freedom – rather than limitations – to Americans in the practice of their faith. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, co-wrote “The Real Meaning of the Separation of Church and State” for the celebration Jan. 16 of the country’s heritage … [Read more...]
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