FIRST-PERSON: Southern Baptists are not perfect people, but we are a movement making a positive difference
Southern Baptists are transforming lives, healing communities, responding to disasters, caring for hurting people, and funding countless ministries – all at record levels. This may be surprising news since Southern Baptists are often decried for their shortcomings. Because of our desire for transparency – meeting every summer for two days in an open meeting to publicly discuss our problems – there is no shortage of negative stories to support the false narrative we are corrupt and declining.
FIRST-PERSON: An encouraging day for Southern Baptists
It’s morning again in the Southern Baptist Convention. Today, in their communities across the country, members of Southern Baptist Churches will lead at least 622 people to faith in Christ and will celebrate their conversions by baptizing them. Four million people will plan their attendance this weekend at an in-person worship gathering at a Southern Baptist church.
FIRST-PERSON: Lessons on the way to becoming a seminary president
I love being a Southern Baptist. Southern Baptists have given me a denominational home, a world-class seminary education and a meaningful ministry for the past 14 years at an amazing seminary filled with godly and gifted servant leaders.
FIRST-PERSON: Three concerns regarding the Law Amendment
Messengers attending this June’s Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis will cast votes on items of significant importance. The deciding second-year vote on the “Law Amendment” is at the top of that list.
FIRST-PERSON: My testimony in ink
BELTSVILLE, Md. (BP) -- I cringe with every remembrance of an occasion when I was the new pastor at First Baptist Church of Beltsville. David Lee, then the BCM/D executive director, invited convention pastors, along with their families, to a getaway weekend at a beautiful retreat center in Pennsylvania.
FIRST-PERSON: Generation next is generation now
I remember hearing the late Michael Catt, long-time pastor of Sherwood Baptist in Albany, Ga., say many times, “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.” That quote has resonated with me for years and especially now.
FIRST-PERSON: On elections and the responsibility to choose wisely
With the recent announcement of a sixth candidate throwing their hat into the ring for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) presidency, the collective response has been a mix of surprise, amusement, and perhaps even a touch of exasperation. Social media platforms buzz with comments and jokes about the growing number of contenders, but beneath the surface lies a more profound challenge—one that beckons us to reconsider our approach to this pivotal decision.
FIRST-PERSON: Our turn
A little more than 100 years ago, Baptist soldiers and volunteers were returning to America from World War I-ravaged Europe, lamenting the physical, emotional and spiritual devastation they were leaving behind. Back home they found many of those same needs in a traumatized America.
FIRST-PERSON: Flipping the narrative about Southern Baptists and sexual abuse
During Passion Week this year, I contemplated how it took the empty tomb to flip the narrative about Jesus. Leading up to the cross, the narrative was scandalous. Jesus was labeled a lawbreaker, usurper, heretic, and pretender. To most, the truth of the scandal was substantiated on Friday at the Cross. They supposed He wouldn’t allow the crucifixion if he wasn't all the things they said about Him.
FIRST-PERSON: Dinner table debates
It was a cold, wind-swept winter evening in 1921, way out on the wide-open Texas plains in the little community of Texline. The old timers were fond of saying that the terrain was so flat out there that you could stand on a brick and see the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific to the west.
