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KNOXVILLE PASTOR SUBMITS SBC RESOLUTION FOR CONSIDERATION

June 6, 2023

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

KNOXVILLE — Todd Stinnett, senior pastor of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, has submitted a resolution on women in pastoral ministry to the Resolutions Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Stinnett told the Baptist and Reflector that he submitted his Resolution on Women in Pastoral Ministry for several reasons. “For starters, there is a growing confusion about the role of men and women in the home and in the church. Compounding the issue is that prominent SBC pastors are now ordaining women and encouraging them to exercise teaching authority over men. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee

BF&M 2000 TO UNDERGO SCRUTINY AT SBC

June 5, 2023

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Southern Baptist Convention president Bart Barber, a pastor in Farmersville, Texas, recently announced on a Twitter video that he expects there will be a motion to amend the SBC’s Constitution and Bylaws along with the motion for the newly elected SBC president to appoint a committee to study both the Constitution and Bylaws and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

The proposed amendment from Virginia pastor Mike Law would clarify that the SBC only cooperates with churches that do not affirm, appoint or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind. For the amendment to be voted on by messengers at the convention in New Orleans next week, the SBC Executive Committee will need to advance the amendment at its Monday meeting prior to Tuesday’s annual meeting.

If the EC chooses not to advance it, it could also be considered if a new motion is introduced asking the messengers to vote at this year’s annual meeting. For that to happen, messengers would have to approve voting on it at this year’s annual meeting, then subsequently approve the amendment by a two-thirds vote at both this year’s and next year’s annual SBC meetings. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, Opinion Column

WHY DO WE HAVE SUCH LITTLE FAITH?

June 1, 2023

By Clay Hallmark
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention

One of the adventures I love is leading tours of the Holy Land. Seeing God’s Word come alive in people’s lives is something that I really enjoy. Each time I go to Israel, one of my favorite places to go is the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. 

I seem to always think about that time Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water, and Peter called out to the Lord to walk on the water. Jesus told Peter, “Come!” 

At that point Peter had a decision to make about his faith in the Lord. He had to step out of the boat or sit down in the boat depending on his faith. 

You know it is easy for us to say we believe the Lord, and we put our faith in Him, but it is another thing to step out of the boat and walk on water when He tells us to “Come.”  [Read more…]

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SATANISM IS NOT ALWAYS OVERT

May 31, 2023

By Larry Robertson
Senior pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville

Last month a sold-out crowd of satanists descended on Boston for SatanCon 2023 to celebrate The Satanic Temple’s 10-year anniversary. 

Many within my tribe were upset, and I get that. I really do.“They’re not even hiding their satanism anymore!”

Be that as it may, brothers and sisters, “Satan (also) disguises himself as an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14).

So, if we’re going to be offended by misguided souls parading their hostility against God, let us be equally offended by anything that opposes the holy heart of God. 

When Peter pushed back against Jesus’ talk of dying, do you remember what Jesus said? [Read more…]

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MENTAL HEALTH AND THE GOSPEL

May 30, 2023

By Joana Perez
Sexual assault clinical counselor, Knoxville

Editor’s Note: The following column is also available in Spanish here.

The gospel and mental health are closely related because they both address the human condition and our need for  grace, healing, compassion and restoration. More importantly, it also demonstrates how Christians are to respond to a suffering, broken world.

Unfortunately, there is often a stigma surrounding mental health in Christian circles, and many people feel ashamed or embarrassed to seek help or support. 

But the truth is, mental health struggles are common and can affect anyone, regardless of their faith, culture, race or socioeconomic background.

As Christians we cannot ignore the reality that all creation was negatively  affected by the fall. Consequently, our brains are also exposed to encounter damages.  [Read more…]

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GOING ON A PRAYERWALK ACROSS THE STATE

May 29, 2023

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

A group of primarily women from New Union Baptist Church in Dayton have committed to pray across the state in 2023. The group has already prayed in 20 county seats in Tennessee and hope to finish all 95 counties by the end of the year. From left are Karen Knight, Sue Eidson, Kelly Metts, Amy Sosin, Mildred Arnold, Richard Knight, Bill Arnold and Miles Campbell. — Submitted photo

DAYTON — Kelly Metts and a group of women, primarily from New Union Baptist Church in Dayton, are serious about prayer.

Metts recalled the effort has been in the making for six years since she first felt God leading her to walk across Tennessee to pray.

A number of factors put her plans on hold for a few years before she looked at it again. When she did, she did not see how she could walk across the state, so it was put on the “back burner” once again. “The burden to do it never left,” she affirmed.

After discussing her desire with friends from her church, they came up with a plan to walk in every county seat in the state, Metts said.

Since March 18, the women have prayed in 20 county seats across the state — Rhea, McMinn, Meigs, Hamilton, Bradley, Polk, Roane, Loudon, Sequachie, Grundy, Marion, Monroe, Blount, Sevier, Bledsoe, Cumberland, Knox, Jefferson, Hamblen and Cocke. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee

GOSPEL CONVERSATION SEMINARS HELPING PAVE WAY FOR EVANGELISM

May 26, 2023

By David Dawson
Communications specialist, TBMB

FRANKLIN — For many believers, the biggest pothole on the road to evangelistic success is the fear that they won’t know the right words to say.

Preston Condra is trying to help them avoid those hazards. 

Condra, a renowned author and founder of Sufficient Word ministries, has been serving as the featured speaker at the Gospel Conversation Workshops being held at various places around the state. 

The workshops, sponsored by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, are an ongoing series of seminars that started in March and continue in September. 

Condra said the workshops have been successful in helping attendees recognize some of their biggest hindrances in regard to witnessing.

“The participants respond strongly to the fact that our approach solves their three main fears in evangelism — what to say, answering objections, and avoiding causing offense,” Condra said. “They immediately identify with these barriers in sharing the gospel, and report feeling relieved to have the solutions that our materials offer.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee

PREGNANCY CENTER PROVIDES ‘HOPE, HELP AND HEALING’ IN LAWRENCE COUNTY

May 25, 2023

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Participating in the dedication service for the ultrasound machine at Hope Haven Pregnancy Center were, from left, Howard Kitter, pastor of Summertown Baptist Church, Summertown and board member; Nicole Miller, member of Summertown and board member), Randy C. Davis, president and executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board; Tiffany Huskey, director of  Hope Haven; Tracey Abernathy, volunteer; Savannah Cothran, volunteer; and Steven Flippo, director of missions, Lawrence County Baptist Association.

LAWRENCEBURG  — Hope Haven Pregnancy Center in Lawrenceburg is appropriately named.

As the pregnancy center approaches its first anniversary on Aug. 1, Hope Haven is living up to its mission of removing the need for abortion by “providing hope, help and healing” by meeting “the practical, emotional and spiritual needs of families facing an unplanned pregnancy crisis” in Lawrence County and surrounding communities.

Tiffany Huskey, director of Hope Haven and member of New Prospect Baptist Church, Lawrenceburg, knows what it is like to have an unplanned pregnancy, having become pregnant at the age of 15.

She had what many young women facing similar situations do not have  — a loving and supportive family. “I have often thought about that throughout my life of how my situation could have been a lot different if I had not had the family and support that I had,” she said. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GROW IN ATTENDANCE, BAPTISMS IN 2022

May 24, 2023

By Aaron Earls
Lifeway news office

BRENTWOOD — For the second straight year, baptisms and giving increased among Southern Baptist congregations. In-person worship service and small group attendance also rebounded, but total membership and the number of congregations slid.

The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions paints a complicated picture for the Southern Baptist Convention but contains some positive news. 

In 2022, baptisms increased by more than 16 percent, in-person worship attendance climbed by more than five percent, small group attendance grew by four percent and giving to Southern Baptist congregations ticked up by almost 2 percent.

The total membership of the Southern Baptist Convention, however, continued its downward trajectory.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, SBC

CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE ‘SQUEAKY WHEELS’

May 23, 2023

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

I have heard all my life that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” According to Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) the phrase is “an American proverb or metaphor used to convey the idea that the most notable (or loudest) problems are the ones most likely to get attention.”

According to a Pew Research report in June of 2022, only 1.6 percent of the United States population identifies as transgender or binary; that is that their gender is different from the sex they were born with — either male or female. That number increases to 3.1 percent of adults age 25 or younger, according to Pew Research.

I am not a math major, but that tells me that at least 95 percent of American adults identify as male or female. [Read more…]

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