Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
Bob Brown
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — Nearly one year ago Bob Brown was contemplating leaving the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Dandridge, to join the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Convention as church revitalization specialist.
Church revitalization is one of the 5 Objectives adopted by messengers at The Summit held last November at Brentwood Baptist Church. [Read more…]
Chris Turner
By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC
Is newspaper dead?
It is a legitimate question. It’s no secret, the newspaper industry in general — and Baptists state newspapers specifically — have fallen on hard times, and both are in a nosedive that at times looks to have reached terminal velocity. But are newspapers really dead?
More importantly for you as a reader of this publication, is the Baptist and Reflector dying, on life support, or hoping for a bright future? Great question, and I’ll answer that in a moment. [Read more…]
Randy C. Davis
By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director
Baptists love baptisms. Baptisms are part of our DNA. We know people are coming to Jesus when the baptismal waters are stirred, and that stokes our engines. We love the stories about large numbers of people coming to Christ during revivals, whether overseas or here in the states. Being present on the Day of Pentecost would have been a Baptist’s dream day.
Two years ago we celebrated Long Hollow Baptist Church (Hendersonville) becoming the first church in Tennessee Baptist Convention history to see 1,000 people in one year won to the Lord, baptized, and set on the road to discipleship. What a great example of effective evangelism and intentional discipleship. May Longhollow’s passion to reach the spiritually lost spread like wildfire! [Read more…]
Johnnie Godwin
By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R
Three persons gave me three quotes that summarize how I believe God wants us to live all life:
(1) From my birth, Mother taught, “Don’t wish your life away!”
(2) In my 40s and in his 80s, Elton Trueblood counseled, “Johnnie, when you retire, don’t retire from everything at once but from one thing at a time as you have to or want to.”
(3) Paul Tournier wrote: “A single ‘Yes!’ goes through the whole of life. It is successively ‘Yes!’ to childhood, to youth, to adult life, to old age, and finally ‘Yes!’ to death. It is easier to turn over a page of life when we have filled it right up” (Learn to Grow Old, p. 179). [Read more…]
Joseph Caldwell
By Joseph Caldwell
Youth Pastor in Philadelphia
Confederate flag. Same sex unions. Abortions. How many more things are plastered all over the news and our Facebook news feeds right now?
I do not write a message to millennials as some older sage dispersing my wisdom onto a younger, more naive generation. I am a millennial myself who is terrified by what I see. And, I’m not talking about the things mentioned above. [Read more…]
Kenny Cooper
By Kenny Cooper
president, TBAH
When asked about my feelings regarding life-ending measures for those with terminal illnesses, my off-hand and truthful answer was that I struggle with both how I feel and what should be done. Over a career of 20 years as a pastor and now 20 years in residential and health services for senior adults, I have witnessed many terminally ill persons — and their families — struggle with pain, loss of control, and the cloud of death that was imminent but not immediate. In addition to these experiences, I watched my father die a painful death from lung cancer and my mother-in-law die after a four-year bout with Alzheimer’s disease, at the end of which she was in immense emotional pain as well as physical pain. One cannot observe and be present in these circumstances without being affected by them. [Read more…]
Assisted suicide legislation is being introduced in a number of states during this session. Interest in the practice becoming law is on the rise across America.
By Randy C. Davis
TBC executive director
The scenario plays itself out thousands of times a day. A family member or friend is racked with a terminal illness, suffering unbearably, and the question comes up: Should they have the right to physician assisted suicide?
That question gained prominence 20-plus years ago with Dr. Jack Kevorkian being brought to trial for helping approximately 130 people end their lives. Right to die activists are back in the news with 84-year-old John Jay Hooker, a lawyer and former Tennessee democratic gubernatorial candidate who is suffering with terminal cancer, leading the charge. He is demanding that a state court declare he has a right to end his life on his terms. In truth what he’s looking for is an accomplice to share in the responsibility of his death. [Read more…]
Jim Collier
By Jim Collier
Pastor in Memphis
My initial response when contemplating this article was anger. To consider that the most heinous of crimes, the murder of the unborn innocent, is being supported by our culture enraged me. To compound that evil, their bodies are being desecrated and dismembered for profit. My only response could be anger. But, because I belong to Jesus, I’m not permitted to be angry in my flesh. Paul’s admonition carries the day: “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26, ESV).
Our culture has armed itself against human life, purging the land of human beings who are inconvenient and unwanted. Over the past several weeks, two issues have resurfaced, drawing our attention back to this war on life. Planned Parenthood, the constant representation of the prenatal genocide called abortion, has confessed to “tissue trafficking” and defended its practice. Unless you have been on vacation from any media, you are aware of the two undercover videos of senior members of Planned Parenthood discussing with disgusting openness the destruction and dismemberment of human babies. [Read more…]
Lonnie Wilkey
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
This article was supposed to be about one of my spiritual heroes — Jack Lewis.
I suppose it still is, but not the way it originally was intended.
Jack came to Tulip Grove Baptist Church as minister of education in a part-time role in 1995 and joined the staff full time a year later. He “retired” a couple of years ago and became part-time senior adult pastor.
He has served our church faithfully and effectively and has been a friend and mentor to me and countless others over the years.
Jack was scheduled to “retire” again this month and a reception was planned for him and his wife, Sandra, this past Sunday (July 26).
God, however, had other plans. He called Sandra Lewis home to be with Him the week before on July 19. [Read more…]
Lonnie Wilkey
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
I continue to mourn the decision made by five Supreme Court justices on June 26. Those five judges redefined marriage as society has known it since creation.
God made it clear in Genesis that marriage is between one man and one woman. That’s the definition I have known for 57 years and I don’t plan on changing it now, no matter what the Supreme Court says.
Let me clarify. I don’t mourn for myself or my generation. I’m old enough and ornery enough that nothing will ever change my mind about marriage. I am actually angry that my generation and those before me sat back and allowed this to happen. We have no one to blame but ourselves. [Read more…]