A Cry for Understanding The day started like any other. As I reviewed about a dozen messages sent me overnight, one message stood out, it was from Hong Kong. My friend wrote, If Jesus is good, why does he not just come and help Hong Kong right now? The private message, sent me through a […]
Re-Thinking Our Lottie Moon Giving (Dr. Steve Horn)
Some years ago, our church hosted an International Mission Board speaker to speak to us about his work and the importance of giving to that year’s offering. As I introduced him, I challenged our church to erase whatever we thought we were going to give and be receptive to hearing from God. At the very […]
The Credentials Committee: A Call for Patience (Susan Codone & Megan Lively)
The Southern Baptist Convention seems to have been frozen in time for a few decades, entrenched in doctrinal disagreements, ongoing concerns of sexual and spiritual abuse, and so focused on operational autonomy that renders it unable to police itself. For good reason, a small army has risen to protest the harm this torpor has generated. […]
Response to Paige Patterson’s 2012 Letter (Dr. Marshal Ausberry)
I was saddened and wounded to read the letter from seven years ago from our Brother Paige Patterson to Jimmy Draper. I was asked by a couple of news agencies to give comment. But as I prayed about it, I felt led to share first with my SBC family through the Baptist Press. I agree […]
An Admonition for Women Serving Christ (Etta Linton)
“Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these WOMEN who have CONTENDED FOR THE GOSPEL at my side…” Philippians 4:2 Ladies, we are not secondary to gospel ministry. Our job here on this earth isn’t JUST to make things pretty and sweet and delicate and feed the men and build them up. Note: […]
Is Dealing with Abuse in the SBC a Distraction from Our Mission? (Casey Hough)
Within the Southern Baptist Convention, some have implied that the current focus on addressing abuse in our churches and entities is a distraction from our mission, which has historically been assumed to be evangelism and missions. However, to view efforts to deal with the sin of abuse in SBC churches and entities as a distraction […]
There Is No Camel (Bill McKinnon)
Since Donald Trump announced his intention to run for president in June of 2015, a lot of people have wondered at Trump’s popularity among evangelical Christians. A man with Trump’s well documented moral failings seems an unlikely choice for a community that railed unrelentingly against Bill Clinton for his moral failures. But evangelical support has, […]
“Big Brother” Comes to Louisiana College (Russell L. Meek)
My mom and dad divorced when I was six years old, and she remarried when I was thirteen. My new stepfather was deeply loved by his church community, was a zealous evangelist, and a leader in our church. So it makes a lot of sense that there were strict rule in our house about telling […]
Legalism, Liberalism, and the “Nameless Ones” (Adam Wyatt)
Several weeks ago, Christian author Josh Harris publically renounced his faith. Harris’ writings were incredibly popular with many in my Christian “bubble” when I was in college at a Southern Baptist College. He spoke of the importance of staying sexually pure in relationships through exchanging a dating culture for a courting one. In short, he […]
Pastoral Reflections on the ICE Raids in Mississippi (Adam Wyatt)
This past Wednesday, United States immigration authorities arrested 680 undocumented workers in Mississippi in what Mike Hurst—the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi—said was the “largest single state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.” As reports came in, it was apparent that this was something important. I live in Mississippi. I […]
Letter to white evangelicals: decision time (Erich Bridges)
RICHMOND, Va.—Dear white evangelicals: It’s decision time. You can’t pretend any longer that President Trump is not a racist. Evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. Any number of examples going back years should have tipped you off. Like when Trump launched his political career by falsely claiming that Barack Obama wasn’t born in America. Or […]
The Art of Pastoral Honesty (Adam Wyatt)
No matter where you pastor, you will have to navigate through difficult issues. A smaller church or a rural church can sometimes be more difficult because the difficult issues are much more entrenched in the church culture. If a pastor is going to navigate the issues and steer the church toward positive Gospel-centered change it […]