Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

ARE PASTORS NEGLECTING A GREAT MISSION?

By Bradford Smith
Missions Pastor, The Way, Clarksville

Bradford Smith

Bradford Smith

Until recently, I’d never heard a sermon on adoption. A great multitude languishes right in our very midst, devoid of hope, desperate in affliction, and ignorant of the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Who will be the one to deliver the words of life to the orphan, even by proxy? This is a great gospel issue.

Here is the logic. Pastors desire to reach the lost with the gospel. Many (most) of the lost are unchurched and statistically unlikely to repent as an adult. Yet, every year, we “graduate” thousands of unchurched children into adulthood via the foster system, swelling the ranks of those least likely to repent. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

APATHY, BUSYNESS HURT EVANGELISM

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

The Fellowship of Tennessee Baptist Evangelists met last week at First Baptist Church in Joelton.

Sad to say, very few people attended though the meeting was publicized.

That is no reflection on the organization. It is made up of some of God’s choice servants – men and women who have dedicated themselves to the biblical call to be an evangelist.

The attendance can be attributed primarily to the twin sins of apathy and busyness. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

2016 RESOLUTIONS? YOU NEED A TIPPING POINT!

By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

Johnnie Godwin

Johnnie Godwin

You will never amount to more than you do right now unless a “tipping point” revolutionizes your life! In other words, your New Year’s resolutions and other resolutions are as futile as trying to keep all the Law to get saved. You’ll never get saved by trying to keep endless laws because salvation comes only “by grace through faith” when a person “repents” (Ephesians 2:8-10; Mark 1:15; John 3:1-18). That’s why one cliché stands out with truth: namely, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” As human beings, “inertia” is our spiritual nature: We tend to stay the same or change!

What I’m really writing about is repentance with the most literal meanings from its Greek word: which is “change of mind.” Until there is a change of mind so radical that it is like getting born again, we will likely keep on with old habits and old ways and the direction of all mankind cycle on till death. But besides the eternal tipping point of trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and getting saved by grace through faith, other tipping points can and have to occur if we change and move toward our potential. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

IMB: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

Earlier this year when the Southern Baptist International Mission Board announced that it needed to eliminate 600-800 positions, Southern Baptists were saddened and shocked.

IMB leaders have allowed the idea to propagate among Southern Baptists that there is a financial shortfall. The cutbacks did not occur because Southern Baptists didn’t give. Cooperative Program giving on the national level has increased in small increments over the past few years and the IMB gets the largest percentage of that offering. Just three years ago (2013), Southern Baptists gave more than $154 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, a record amount. Gifts topped $153 million the following year. In addition, the TBC began moving in 2011 toward a 50-50 distribution of wealth for Cooperative Program funds. This is resulting in hundreds of thousands of more dollars being funneled out of Tennessee and through the SBC for Great Commission causes. When the cutbacks were announced IMB leaders acknowledged that they had overspent millions of dollars over the past few years. Throwing more money at something won’t help it until the main problem of managing its money is corrected. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Randy C. Davis

I love a good story and I love good storytellers and that may be one of the reasons I love the Bible. Talk about good stories. Begin at Genesis and read all the way through and you have real people living lives of suspense, drama, espionage, intrigue, romance, comedy, and more. However, the greatest story in the Bible is the overarching story of God’s activity in history culminating in the crucifixion and resurrection of His Son to save His enemies, to save us. What a story.

My friend and state missionary, Paul Clark Jr., and I share a favorite hymn: “I Love to Tell the Story.” I really love telling God’s story and I especially love sharing it with my grandkids. That’s exactly what the Bible tells us to do. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

SPORTS: AN AMERICAN ‘BAAL’

By Mark Schutzius
Associate & Youth Pastor, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Halls

sports, fans, basketball, arena, worship, audience, people, gymLet me preface everything I’m about to say with this: I love sports. I played organized sports all the way through high school and college and I follow just about every major sport. I do not think anything involving a ball is of the devil.

I want to tackle this subject with patience, grace, understanding, and honesty. In Jeremiah, the southern kingdom of Judah had fallen so far from God that they had committed hideous acts for the sake of worshiping their false gods, especially Baal. Read Jeremiah 19:4-5. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

THE CP STILL WORKS

By Paul Chitwood
Executive Director, Kentucky Baptist Convention

cplogoI received a letter recently from one of our International Mission Board missionaries who is taking the early retirement offer from the IMB but desires to return to the field. Without support from the IMB, the missionary is hoping to raise his own support from his network of relationships with pastors, associational directors of missions, and laypeople who might donate to his cause. Knowing all of the challenges that accompany “faith-funded” missions work, I felt great sympathy for this dear brother. Instead of remaining on the field, he is taking precious time away from the gospel work in order to raise financial support and will live with the stress of knowing his work is always in jeopardy if the pledges of support aren’t kept.

As much as my heart went out to this faithful brother, the letter also reminded me of my calling and how grateful I am for the churches and pastors who support Great Commission work through the Cooperative Program. Why am I so thankful? Four reasons rise to the top among many. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

DAD PONDERS QUESTION, ‘IS CHRISTMAS DONE?’

By Todd Brady
Vice President For University Ministries, Union University, Jackson

Todd Brady

Todd Brady

Although 2015 Christmas celebrations are getting smaller and smaller in our rear view mirrors, a recent question by my toddler several weeks ago continues to linger in my head. On the first Friday in December, we gathered with friends for one of the holiday’s first Christmas parties. We enjoyed the tasty food and the great conversation. A unique twist on our Christmas ornament gift exchange had us all cracking up. It was a lot of fun.

As our family began gathering our things and heading out the door to go back home, 3-year-old Miller grabbed my pants leg and asked “Is Christmas done?” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

REMINISCENCES OF A DECEASED FRIEND

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, Tennessee Baptist Convention

Chris Turner

Chris Turner

An old and influential friend died Jan. 13 and the best way I know to honor my friend is to reminisce about the good times.

My friend actually isn’t a person, it is – or was – the communications department of the International Mission board made up of extremely gifted people who became my friends. At one time, many of these friends, before I knew them as friends, bordered on being my idols. I read their stories, I gazed endlessly at their photos and let their videos wash over me. I wanted to be like them.

The writers who produced copy for The Commission magazine were rock stars to me. I knew them by name and could give you a rundown of their story packages from around the world like reciting stats from the back of a Ryne Sandberg baseball card. I still can 20 years later. People like Erich Bridges, Mike Creswell, Don Martin, Craig Bird, Mark Kelly, Marty Croll, Mary Jane Welch and Anita Bowden took me places I had to find in an atlas. And then there was Mary Speidel. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

NEWSPAPERS MOST EFFECTIVE IN PRINT, ONLINE

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

As a person who has spent the better part of his career and adult life in the production of newspapers, it is sad whenever I hear that a print publication has “bit the dust.”

Such was the case last week  as I held the last print copy of the The Christian Index in my hand. The Christian Index has been in existence for 193 years, making it older than the Baptist and Reflector which celebrated its 180th anniversary last year.

The Christian Index has long laid claim to the fact that it is the oldest continuously published religious periodical in the nation. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

Address

4017 Rural Plains Circle
Franklin, TN 37064

Contact Information

Mail: Baptist & Reflector, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin, TN 37068
Physical Address: 4017 Rural Plains Circle, Franklin, TN 37064
Email: bandr@tnbaptist.org
Phone: 615-371-2003

2025 © The Baptist and Reflector. All Right Reserved.