Guest Blogger

With apologies, this came through a couple of days ago, but I’ve been a bit overwhelmed and woefully neglecting this site.  I sometimes process grief by writing. Most persons who read this article never met, or heard of my best friend over the past 33 years, Rev. Robert E. Fowler. I encourage you to read […]

Bibligraphical Info:  Yarnell, Malcolm, B., III. Who Is The Holy Spirit? Biblical Insights into His Divine Person. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2019. 121pp. $19.99.    Vera McKissic is a student at Southwestern and is the wife of our good friend, Pastor Dwight McKissic. Malcolm Yarnell is research professor of Systematic Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary […]

Like many of you, earlier in the week, I heard about another seemingly racially motivated attack on a young man in Georgia.  And to my shame, I did not investigate it because I was caught in my own world, doing what I thought was important.  Not long after hearing about this, I started seeing the […]

Today, I am writing two letters. The first is to our county Sheriff, thanking him and his deputies for stellar service during our Easter “drive-in” services yesterday.  Since we held our last “in-person” worship service on March 15, our church had gone almost completely online—live corporate worship at 5 online channels, small groups meeting via […]

On this Silent Saturday, I read the last two chapters in my journey through the New Testament reading plan that I’ve been going through with two close friends. It was fitting, that it was the last two chapters of Matthew—his version of the crucifixion and resurrection. Of course, I don’t think that was a coincidence, […]

I recently engaged an old friend on several questions related to how the Coronavirus has changed the way our church (Memorial Baptist Church, New Castle, Indiana) is currently doing ministry. This informal Q&A amongst friends helped me process what I am learning as I lead our church through some valleys. What I Have Learned. 1. […]

Like many of us, I have been watching closely the coronavirus.  Further, I have seen all the memes and social media posts stating that this is something that China has engineered to take America out or something Democrats have cooked up to undermine Trump’s presidency.  We have been told this is simply the flu by […]

Much has been said regarding Resolution 9, Critical Race Theory, and Intersectionality (CRT/I) since Birmingham. Some are in agreement and some are in disagreement, but from my interactions with others actually aware of the debate, most are indifferent and confused. This is something I understand because I’m just as confused about all the nuances of […]

(This chapel message was preached by Dr. Yarnell after the passing of distinguished SWBTS professor Dr. Garrett.)  Our key texts today are found in Matthew 5 and 11. Among the first beatitudes of his inaugural sermon, Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle [hoi praeis], for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Later, after praying […]

Controversy is not new to Baptist life.  More than sixty years ago many promised fireworks at the annual meeting if their issues were not addressed, others predicted a convention divided, and everyone was grumbling about supposed problems with professors.  I’m not talking about our most recent controversy though.  Those issues and more were at stake […]