Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Collaboration of SBC and CBF Loyalists Hinges on Advancing Common Good
Praying for one another is one thing that Southern Baptist Convention and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship loyalists can do for one another, so argued a Texas Baptist editor prior to the annual meetings of the SBC and...
Grounded in Grace
A sermon by David Hughes, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. June 9, 2013 Galatians 1:1-12 If you’ve ever been around anybody giving birth to a baby—or even watched movie scenes of women in a delivery...
The Last Supper
A sermon by Robert Browning, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky. June 9, 2013 I Kings 17:8-24 This story does not lack for drama or strong emotions. It seems every character is living on the edge of life, and...
For The Love of The Game
A sermon by Randy Hyde, Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ar. June 9, 2013 Psalm 26:8-12; Mark 10:13-16...
Testimony of Grace
Galatians 1:11-24 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from...
The Cycle of Grace
A sermon by, Keith Herron, Pastor, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. The Third Sunday after Pentecost I Kings 17:8-24 June 9, 2013 We know the mind, the soul, and the body, go hand-in-hand through life,...
Richard Land Exits SBC Leadership in Partisan Form
Longtime religious leader Richard Land ended his nearly 25 years of service as the head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) by hitting partisan notes at the...
How Buildings Express Our Societal Values
About a month ago, I visited Macau with a small group of pastors and lay leaders as part of a missions immersion experience with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia. We were graciously hosted by Larry and...
3 Opportunities for Churches in Middle East, North Africa
Hamas' shift from its allegiance to the Syrian regime back to its ideological roots in the Muslim Brotherhood is setting new priorities in the regional politics of the Middle East and North Africa region. I've set...
On being social …
One of the Barna Group's latest studies indicates the unsurprising trend that a growing number of pastors and churches are using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Graphic from Barna.orgThe survery of 1,263...
Myrlie Evers Williams: A Model of Justice-Seeking
She is an outstanding person whom I have come to admire a lot just this year. I am speaking about the woman who was named Myrlie Beasley after her birth in 1933 in Mississippi. In 1951, she married Medgar Evers, who...
Will Churches Speak Up About Suicide?
Three recent events have compelled me to consider the church's position on suicide. First, I was required to participate in a suicide prevention seminar developed by the Mississippi Department of Education. Second, I...
Conservative Icon Calls for Prison Reform
A political icon credited with helping to create the Moral Majority in the 1970s has called on conservatives to back prison reform, citing prison spending as "excessive" and pointing out how the prison system is...
Educating Donors about Where Their Money Goes
"Give a person a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." So runs a popular, traditional adage about economic development. But poor fishing communities don't need us to...
Jesus Told Us to Love Our Enemies, Not Kill Them
It is often expressed that the nature of the church is spiritual, not political. Jesus, the Savior of the world, is primarily, if not exclusively, interested in the salvation of souls. However, when this assumption is...
How The Bible’s Prophetic Literature is Like a Scrapbook
The prophetic performances of the classical Hebrew prophets have been collected in a series of scrolls. Written texts were simply the Iron Age's version of a recording device. All manner of oral performances – stories,...
3 Ways Your Church Can Reach Fathers on Father’s Day
Like most people, I have several titles associated with my life. When being introduced in a formal setting, I am called "doctor." When visiting the hospital, I am often called "reverend." At church, most call me...
Elijah’s Challenge Today: Whom Will You Serve?
The showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is one of the riveting scenes in the Hebrew Scriptures. When King Ahab assembled the Israelites, the forthright prophet offered a stark choice: "If the Lord is God,...
House Members Cite Jesus in Farm Bill Debate; One Favors Food Stamp Cuts, Accepts Farm Subsides
A Tennessee congressman cited the Bible to justify cutting food stamps for the poor while he has accepted millions of dollars in farm subsidies from the federal government. According to press reports and C-Span video,...
The courage of conviction
Folks who follow politics in North Carolina are aware that things are changing fast, and not in a good way for less affluent Tarheels. Last fall's elections gave Republicans control of both houses with a veto-proof...
What’s the Key to Successful Church Ministry?
Graduation week at The John Leland Center for Theological Studies is an occasion that puts me in a reflective mood. In 1970, it was me, and the world was changing. Rapidly. But since the church in general and Baptists...