Theology News & Updates for Missouri Baptists • The Pathway

Theology Stories

FIRST-PERSON: Islamic eschatology and the war in Iran

“I’m lost,” the Iranian pilot cried into the microphone. I was a few months into my jet training course at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, in 1971. At that time, the Shah of Iran, a close ally of the United States, sent his pilots for training in the United States. They were a friendly, capable lot, but this one became disoriented over the Southwest Texas terrain, ran out of gas, ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to safety. His cry of desperation still rings in my ears.

Missouri

‘God preserved His Word’: Fellowship of Wildwood event highlights history of Bible

More than 340 people packed a gym at Fellowship of Wildwood (FOW) to hear R. Brian Rickett, CEO and principal researcher of the MIKRA (Manuscript Institute for Knowledge, Research and Application) Research Laboratory, share about the journey of God’s Word through time.

Missouri

Tichenor brings academic, philosophical perspectives to MBC apologetics network

Vincent Tichenor, the newest member of the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network (MBAN), is a medical doctor with a family practice in Walnut Shade. He also works urgent care in addition to running his own practice. He brings the perspective of medical science to the defense of the Christian faith, alongside the varied expertise of his 23 fellow apologists.

Ethics

Protesting: How should churches respond?

The Evangelical world was shocked on Jan. 18, 2026, when a group of roughly 30 protestors invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., during a worship service. While Christians aren’t surprised when unbelievers sin, we were shocked to see the sacred space of religious worship attacked so blatantly. This remarkable action should lead Christians and churches to think clearly about what the Bible says regarding protesting and how churches should biblically respond.

International

MBC’s Phillips sees third apologetics book translated into Iran’s Farsi language

When Rob Phillips began writing books to help Christians defend their faith he never foresaw some of his titles being translated into Farsi, the modern Persian language of Iran. Following the publication last year of his first book into Farsi, a second is being finalized for publication, and a third – What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus – is being translated from English.

Columnists

How should we respond when failure no longer surprises us?

Moral failure among pastors has become tragically familiar. What is perhaps most revealing is not that it continues to happen – Scripture already assumes the ongoing presence of sin – but that we still seem surprised when it does. Each new story is treated as an unthinkable collapse rather than a sober reminder of how fragile our assumptions about spiritual health can be.

Faith

Church of England abandons pursuit of spiritual blessings for same-sex couples

The Church of England has abandoned a three-year effort to establish church blessings for same-sex couples after voting in early 2023 to pursue such ceremonies, the church reported.

Faith

Most churchgoers regularly confess sin, according to Lifeway Research

Most churchgoers try to avoid sin before it happens and seek to confess it afterward. For many, confession is a regular part of their faith.

Faith

Key truths about heaven

The New Testament reveals many truths about the so-called intermediate state – the time between physical death and future resurrection. Followers of Jesus enjoy face-to-face fellowship with him in heaven while we eagerly anticipate the day we accompany him in his triumphant and glorious return to earth.

Faith

Lifeway Research finds fewer than 1 in 3 churchgoers read the Bible daily

Most churchgoers place a high value on the Bible, but only about a third commit to reading it every day.

Faith

New MBC Apologetics Network member helps reconcile science with theology

Are the fields of science and theology compatible or are they diametrically in opposition to each other? That’s a question with which many wrestle. Jeffrey Maskrod is immersed in science with his training and occupation. And he believes much of the two disciplines can be reconciled and complement each other.

Faith

The renewal of all things

Yes, Jesus is returning to create new heavens and a new earth. But we should not suppose that he is merely – if we may use that term – sending us back to the Garden of Eden. Rather, the creator causes the new heavens and earth to retain the qualities of creation as “very good indeed” (Gen. 1:31) and then goes beyond “good.” Only the God of creation can improve on perfection.

Theology Stories

FIRST-PERSON: Islamic eschatology and the war in Iran

‘God preserved His Word’: Fellowship of Wildwood event highlights history of Bible