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UNDERSTAND THE DANGER OF THE EQUALITY ACT

February 26, 2021

Editor’s Note: The following is an open correspondence to Tennessee Baptists by Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

 

Tennessee Baptists, it’s time for vigilance and action.

We stood for life and were heard just a couple of years ago when we needed to speak into prolife legislation here in Tennessee, and now we need to stand and express our voices on a national level.

The Equality Act, which is a dangerous piece of legislation that President Joe Biden and his administration set as a priority to pass within his first 100 days, has passed the U.S. House of Representatives vote and is moving to the Senate. This bill, if it becomes law, has deep and wide sweeping implications across our country. Please contact your U.S. senators AND ask them to vote NO. Also, let the White House know of your opposition to this bill. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, Opinion Column Tagged With: childhood, education, Equality Act, legal, Randy C. Davis

NEW YEAR, SAME QUESTIONS

January 14, 2021

Church leaders continue to grapple with tough decisions regarding worship, other ministries

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — A new year has begun, but church leaders must continue to address a question that has been present since the onset of COVID-19 nearly a year ago: Do we have live-person or virtual services?

As COVID-19 cases continued to rise dramatically in Tennessee last month, Governor Bill Lee issued an executive order Dec. 20 declaring “a continuing state of emergency and major disaster in order to facilitate the response to COVID-19.”

During a statewide address on Dec. 20, Lee exhorted Tennesseans to “make some hard decisions.” He noted 10,000 Tennesseans are getting sick every day and 100 people are dying daily from COVID. “We are in a war. With the arrival of the first vaccine, we have launched an offensive that will end this war, but the next few weeks will be critical,” Lee stressed.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus

TIME TO TURN OVER THE HOURGLASS

January 13, 2021

By Jerry Drace
Evangelist/Senior Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church, Friendship

As the last grains of sand ran out of the 2020 hourglass I read once again the speech of Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn given on June 8, 1978, at the Harvard University commencement service. They were profound at the time and prophetic for 2021.

A portion of his speech follows and concludes with my personal comments. His entire speech can be found at: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/alexandersolzhenitsynharvard.htm. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Opinion Column Tagged With: freedom, media

COVID-19 LEADS TO CHRISTMAS CHANGES ACROSS THE NATION

December 15, 2020

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Research

NASHVILLE — Almost all Americans celebrate Christmas, but most say COVID-19 will cause some changes to their usual holiday habits.

A new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found 93 percent of American adults say they celebrate Christmas. That number is essentially unchanged from a decade ago when 91 percent said the same in a 2010 LifeWay Research survey. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, SBC Tagged With: Christmas, coronavirus, data and statistics, LifeWay

TRADITIONS MAY BE ALTERED, BUT FOCUS REMAINS

December 15, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Christmas celebrations may look a little different this year for many Tennessee families as they deal with the reality of COVID-19.

But take heart. One thing COVID-19 can’t affect is the reason we celebrate Christmas — the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christmas is always hard on families who have lost loved ones during the year and 2020 will be no different. As of Dec. 13, there were 5,406 reported deaths from COVID in the state, according to www.tn.gov/health. As this paper is delivered to homes this week, that number will have increased. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Opinion Column Tagged With: Christmas, coronavirus

HEALING STARTS WITH LISTENING

November 19, 2020

‘Barbershop conversation’ focuses on steps needed for racial equality

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Ternae Jordan, pastor of Mount Canaan Baptist Church, Chattanooga, and Grant Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, engage in a discussion for a ‘barbershop conversation’ as part of this year’s Summit.

MURFREESBORO — Among the many powerful moments of the 2020 Virtual Summit was the “barbershop conversation” with Grant Gaines and Ternae Jordan.

The two pastors got together to discuss the topic of racial justice, and how the Bible promotes and defines it. Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, and Jordan, pastor of Mount Canaan Baptist Church, Chattanooga, gathered at the Blue Raider Barbershop in Murfreesboro to film the video conversation.

A portion of their discussion was shown during Summit, and the entire conversation between the two pastors can be viewed at TBCSummit.org. Below are some excerpts from the discussion. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: racial reconciliation

OREGON DECRIMINALIZES OPIOIDS; MARIJUANA, GAMBLING LEGALIZED IN OTHER STATES

November 6, 2020

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon will become the first state in the nation to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs including Oxycodone, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine beginning in February 2021.

Voters approved the measure on Election Day by a margin of 58.6-41.4 percent and concurrently approved by 66.7-33.3 percent a new tax on tobacco and E-cigarettes to fund treatment programs in place of incarceration for drug users. Several other states passed measures legalizing only marijuana.

Voters in several other states passed measures legalizing marijuana. And several states saw gambling measures approved. Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission executive Travis Wussow said the changes in the “predatory drug and gambling industries” are alarming. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, News, SBC Tagged With: 2020 election, marijuana, opioids

PIERSON: EFFECTIVE PRAYER REQUIRES INTIMACY WITH GOD

September 23, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FLINTVILLE — Perhaps no one knows better than Don Pierson how desperately the United States needs to be intimately connected with God through prayer during this point in the nation’s history.

In a nation filled with fear over COVID-19, increasing racial turmoil and divide and a country divided by politics, God is the only answer, said Don Pierson, pastor of Stewart’s Chapel Baptist Church, Flintville.

Prior to accepting the pastorate at Stewart’s Chapel, Pierson served as a Southern Baptist missionary in Belize, a director of missions for William Carey Baptist Association and for about 12 years as the prayer specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, prayer

CHALLENGES BECOME OPPORTUNITIES

August 21, 2020

Student pastors, leaders finding new ways to “do ministry” amid pandemic

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — When the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic first began impacting daily lives, many youth pastors were sent scrambling.

The entire landscape of youth ministry changed almost overnight. Trips and events were postponed or canceled. On-campus gatherings were suspended. Things that were once considered “routine” parts of youth ministry had to be altered or even temporarily eliminated. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, Internet, technology, youth

STANDING FOR GOD’S TRUTH CAN’T BE AN OPTION

August 5, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

In today’s world, anyone who stands boldly on the Word of God will be ridiculed and criticized.

Yet, it’s really not an option to not stand firmly on God’s Word. As Christians, we really don’t have a choice if we have truly given our lives over to God.

Acts 16:13 (HCSB) reminds us, “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong.”

James 4:17 (HCSB) says the same thing, but even stronger, “So, for the person who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, it’s a sin.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Culture, Featured, Opinion Column Tagged With: education, homosexuality, Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, Union University

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  • MAR. 7: NEIGHBORS?
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Recent Posts

  • CAMP CARSON (CARSON SPRINGS) IS A BETHEL
  • C-N SENDS MESSAGES OF HOPE TO STUDENTS, PARENTS
  • PRAYER GROUP HELPS PASTORS’ WIVES CONNECT
  • MAR. 7: NEIGHBORS?
  • MAR. 7: THE NATURE OF GOD
  • UNDERSTAND THE DANGER OF THE EQUALITY ACT

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abortion baptisms Baptist Collegiate Ministries Bible: Acts Bible: Luke Bible: Matthew Bible: Psalms Carson-Newman University childhood Christmas church revitalization Cooperative Program coronavirus COVID-19 Disaster Relief education ERLC evangelism family Five Objectives Golden Offering homosexuality IMB international LifeWay Lonnie Wilkey Lottie Moon missions money NAMB pastors prayer racial reconciliation Radio B&R Randy C. Davis SBC SBC annual meeting sports Summit TenneScene Union University volunteers WMU Woman's Missionary Union youth

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