Opinion Column Archives - Baptist & Reflector

MARRIAGE: ONE OF LIFE’S GREATEST JOYS

January 23, 2020

By Todd Brady
Vice President for University Ministries, Union University

Cars and pick-up trucks lined the driveway on a Saturday night. It was obvious that a bunch of men had descended on the home. We all were coming together for one purpose. There would soon be a wedding.

Inside, men gathered around the island in the kitchen. Since it was a few weeks before Christmas, we ate Christmas cake and sipped on egg nog, boiled custard and apple cider. After all the small talk we could handle, we moved into the living room where a circle of chairs lined the room. There was no front and back of the room. There was no table with a head and foot. We were all in this together, and we all wanted the best for the young man who was about to walk into marriage. [Read more…]

CELEBRATING 185 YEARS OF TELLING OUR STORIES

January 21, 2020

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

Lonnie Wilkey

When the calendar rolled over to Jan. 1, 2020 a few weeks ago, the Baptist and Reflector reached a milestone.

On Jan. 1 of 1835, the first issue of THE BAPTIST was produced. THE BAPTIST was the forerunner of the Baptist and Reflector. It was published before the present day Tennessee Baptist Convention was established in 1874.

So, that means the B&R has been telling the story of Tennessee Baptists for 185 years. Think about that. The paper was around during the Civil War, both World Wars and countless others. It survived the Great Depression.

It’s hard to determine, but we know the Baptist and Reflector is one of the oldest publications (both religious and secular) in terms of continuous print publications. There are some publications that are older, but they are now online only. [Read more…]

SING! … EVEN IF YOU’RE TONE DEAF

January 17, 2020

By Scott Shepherd
Worship and music specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

I’ve been in worship ministry long enough to hear nearly every excuse:

• “If God wanted me to sing, He would have given me a better voice.”
• “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”
• “The worship leader and choir sound so good! Why mess them up?”
• “I’m tone deaf!”

I’ll be the first to admit that some have more aesthetically pleasing voices than others. Worship leaders across America can “out sing” me any day!

But that doesn’t matter. Worship is not a competition. If worship services were “American Idol” or “The Voice,” most of us would have been voted off long ago. There isn’t an imaginary dividing line separating singers from non-singers in worship. Worshipers sing. Period.

Scott Shepherd

Why? Because the option not to sing isn’t offered to us in Scripture. There are at least 50 commands in the Bible for us to sing, and singing is referenced hundreds of times. And there are never any stipulations. We won’t read, “Come, let us sing and shout,” as long as you have the most magnificent voice. Or, “sing to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” as long as the person to whom you’re singing isn’t a better vocalist than you. Or, “Sing a new song,” as long as you aren’t “tone deaf.”

Let’s be honest. Your tone-deaf voice singing praise to Jesus is infinitely more beautiful than your silence.

One of my favorite singers at my former church (we’ll call her Suzie) was not a “good” singer. She sang the right notes only occasionally, when — quite by accident — the melody intersected her own unique vocal path. And, yet, I loved to hear Suzie sing gustily to Jesus! Her singing encouraged others to sing — even if they weren’t “the best” either.

Be like Suzie. Sing — even if you’re “tone deaf.” B&R — Shepherd is music and worship specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

SUNDAY SCHOOL — A TOOL FOR MAKING DISCIPLES

January 17, 2020

By Bruce Chesser
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention

We hear much these days, rightly so, about discipleship. It is our commission that the Lord gave to us. We are to go into all the world and “make disciples.” But let me remind you that discipleship is not just for adults. It is a mistake to view it that way. As a matter of fact, the process of discipleship begins very early. It should encompass preschool, children, and students as well as adults.

I personally believe that one of the greatest tools that we must use in order to begin the process of making disciples is through our Sunday School/Connect Group/Life Groups (whatever you happen to call them in your church). For the purpose of this article, I will just use the name “Sunday School” since I think most of us understand what I am talking about. [Read more…]

SOMETIMES, ‘GOOD’ IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH

January 15, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

As December wound to a close, I received word that my great uncle, Blake Wilkey, had died at the age of 98. He was my grandfather’s (Pop) last remaining brother. I remembered “Uncle Blake,” having visited him many times as a child, but I had not really kept in touch with him other than updates from my Uncle Bill (Pop’s son) and Aunt Lynn, who maintained a close relationship over the years.

Still, I felt like I should attend his funeral, so on New Year’s Day, my wife Joyce and I made the approximately four-hour trip to Robbinsville, N.C., located in Graham County, which borders Monroe County in southeast Tennessee near Tellico Plains.

Upon arriving to the funeral home, I visited with his wife and two children but didn’t really know very many others who were in attendance. The standing joke with the Wilkey family is that you can tell a Wilkey man “by his ears” so I saw several folks whom I assumed were distant cousins. In fact, I later discovered that the two pastors who conducted the funeral were relatives. [Read more…]

FIRST-PERSON: DENOMINATIONAL DISCOURSE AND THE FUTURE OF THE SBC

January 14, 2020

By Jason K. Allen
President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Klemens von Metternich was one of Europe’s greatest statesmen during the 19thCentury. Both as foreign minister and then for nearly three decades as chancellor of the Austrian Empire, his statecraft shaped Europe and prevented numerous wars. Most consequentially, Metternich presided over the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, which determined the post-Napoleonic configuration of Europe. His era came to be known as the “Age of Metternich.”

Metternich observed that nation-states are motivated to act in their own best interest. That principle outlasted the man himself, and during the Cold War, it informed the United States’ posture toward the Soviet Union. The doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction held that neither superpower would force a direct confrontation, knowing there would be no winner. In other words, it was in both countries’ best interest to avoid war in light of the destruction it would surely bring. [Read more…]

IT’S TIME TO DO MORE THAN SIMPLY STAND

January 7, 2020

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Tennessee Baptists stood for life in 2019. In 2020, we need to mobilize for life.

You may recall that back in August I had the opportunity to represent Tennessee Baptists before a special study committee comprised of Tennessee Senators tasked with more comprehensively reviewing pro-life legislation that had been proposed during last year’s legislative session. The bill being considered was in essence what has become known as a “heartbeat bill;” legislation that would protect unborn babies once a heartbeat is detected. Many surrounding states, and other states around the country, have passed similar legislation.

However, there were many concerns expressed with that legislation and it was moved to a summer senate study committee. In the process, the bill that was being considered was reworked and the proposed legislation for which I advocated is titled SB 1236. It potentially represents one of the most – if not the most – comprehensive piece of pro-life legislation ever written. It clearly protects life from the point of conception, even before a heartbeat is detected. For everyone who recognizes God as the author of life, SB 1236 undoubtedly embodies an opportunity to legally protect unborn children in a way that hasn’t been possible since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. [Read more…]

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

December 31, 2019

By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

According to the dictionary, the term New Year’s resolutions is defined as “making goals for the new year.”

We aren’t certain when this custom started, but this practice was recorded by early Babylonians over 4,000 years ago. These people believed that whatever that person did on the first day of the year had an important impact on their life for the next 12 months. [Read more…]

YOUTH MINISTRY NEEDS ‘RADICAL REEVALUATION’

December 31, 2019

By Richard Ross
Professor of student ministry, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

This year I am celebrating my 50th year focused on teenagers and the adults important to teenagers. What a blessing it has been for the Lord to give me this ministry focused on youth for my lifetime.

Yet, after a half-century in this vital ministry, I’ve come to the inescapable conclusion a radical reevaluation is desperately needed if we wish to see more enduring faith in our youth after they become adults.

Whether as a youth pastor, youth ministry consultant at LifeWay Christian Resources or presently as a professor in the School of Educational Ministries at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, my singular focus has been on ministry to and with teenagers for the glory of God. [Read more…]

KNOW ALL YOUR BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR

December 30, 2019

By Johnnie C. Godwin
Contributing columnist, B&R

Johnnie Godwin

Marcion was a second-century heretic who rejected the Old Testament and cut the New Testament to suit himself. He would have strongly disagreed with my belief that all Christians need to know the Bible as we have it and to know its Author (see II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17; John 5:36-40; Hebrews 5:19; 12:2, KJV). Despite the uniqueness of the Bible as the greatest of all books, we pastors and Christians may be guilty of a type of Marcionism.

Where do you go to know the Bible and its Author? Reading all the Bible prayerfully and for yourself is the best way to get to know the Bible and its Author. When the apostle Paul preached in Berea, eager listeners examined the Scriptures to see if Paul’s preaching matched the Scriptures. Then many of the men and women became believers (see Acts 17:10-12). Each of us is responsible for knowing the Scriptures for ourselves.

Admittedly, pastors and teachers may be able to teach us much more of the Bible than we can discover for ourselves. But this is where the Marcionite type of problem may occur. [Read more…]

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