Opinion Column Archives - Page 2 of 82

WE ALL NEED A BREAK FROM INFORMATION OVERLOAD

July 8, 2020

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

Though we are nearing the four-month mark of the pandemic and some churches have begun to meet again, we’re still not back to where we were (before COVID-19).

And what’s more, it may be a while before we get there.

Add to it over the past few months, tornadoes and other storms, racial tension and protests in our nation, a presidential election in November, a Supreme Court decision giving non-discrimination protection to sexual orientation and gender identity and who knows what else, our nation is dealing with a “brain overload.”

That’s why the June 24 issue of the paper advocated that churches give their ministers a break and allow them to regroup before the new church year begins in a few months and possibly a second round of COVID-19. But a break from the insanity of today’s world is good for everyone. [Read more…]

A LOOK BACK WITH GRATITUDE

July 7, 2020

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Ten years.

That’s how long it’s been since Jeanne and I left a beloved pastorate to follow the clear call of God to serve our Tennessee Baptist Convention network of churches. That decision came only after an intense season of prayerfully seeking the Lord’s direction. It was an agonizing time discovering, as best we could, His direction. I had asked the Lord for two things: A clear call and a compelling reason. He provided both.

The call itself was miraculous in its clarity and affirmed through unanimous support from the TBMB Board of Directors, my family, our church and our praying friends. [Read more…]

MORE THAN HOT DOGS AND FIREWORKS

July 2, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Americans across the country will celebrate the Fourth of July on Saturday with hot dogs, hamburgers, homemade ice cream, barbecue, baseball, swimming and, of course, fireworks.

Sadly, that is all many Americans think of when it comes to celebrating the Fourth of July.

Actually, we are not celebrating the Fourth of July. We are celebrating Independence Day, the day when the Continental Congress declared the 13 original colonies were no longer subject to British rule and were now free and independent states. [Read more…]

FIRST-PERSON: FIVE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM A COVID-19 SPIKE AT OUR CHURCH

July 2, 2020

By Derek Allen

MOBILE, Ala. — In March, April and May, our church staff braced for a wave of COVID-19 cases to sweep through our church family. It never happened. In fact, for the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak, our church family of about 1500 only experienced a handful of coronavirus cases. As far as we know, none of those cases was spread at one of our events. Two weeks ago, that all changed.

Like most churches, we moved to an online-only format in March, but as soon as our governor and state department of health gave us the green light, we started meeting in socially distanced services. A few weeks into those services, we had a coronavirus scare, but it was short-lived.

One of our staff members was exposed to someone who later tested positive for the virus, and our entire staff was with the exposed staff member in a two-hour staff meeting a few days later. The exposed staff member then tested positive. We had the rest of our staff tested, but everyone else tested negative. No one, including the one staff member who tested positive, showed any symptoms. We breathed a collective sigh of relief, and many of us, including myself, came away from that experience more convinced than before that the only real threat we faced from COVID-19 was our services being shut down again. [Read more…]

REBUILDING WHAT WE HAD BEFORE COVID-19

June 30, 2020

By Bruce Chesser
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention
Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Hendersonville

All of us find ourselves now in the unique situation of needing to rebuild what we had going prior to the pandemic. As most of us began the process of regathering in person, we found some things are missing. Most of us have begun with worship gatherings and we will add the Connect Group/Bible Study/Sunday School piece of the puzzle later. Likewise, most will be adding the Wednesday night programming closer to the beginning of the school year.

Let me make a few suggestions.

Take the next couple of months to organize your ministry team and volunteers in a season of discovery and recovery. Discover who has resumed attending your worship services (or whatever else you are currently offering) and make a list of those that were actively involved but who have not yet returned. Make them your target. [Read more…]

BAPTIST EVANGELISTS: READY AND WILLING

June 29, 2020

By Jerry Drace
Evangelist / Senior pastor, Friendship Baptist Church, Friendship.

At one time the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists (COSBE) had more than 600 members. Today it has fewer than 90 and less than 50 of these are preaching evangelists.

COSBE held its annual business meeting using a Zoom conference call on June 12. One of the areas of discussion was how COSBE members can help pastors and their congregations during this time of unrest and uncertainty in our nation. [Read more…]

DON’T FORGET — REMEMBER RULE NO. 1

June 26, 2020

By Roc Collins
Director of Strategic Objectives, TBMB

From my early years of little league through high school, no matter what sport I played, I heard a common message from all my coaches.

Whether it was on the diamond, the hardwood floor or the gridiron, coaches would say it over and over. “Keep your eye on the ball!” Don’t look at the opponent’s eyes. Don’t second guess the play. Don’t get distracted by the crowd, the banners or the venue. Keep your eye on the ball! We’ve all seen what happens when an athlete fails to keep his eye on the ball. [Read more…]

MULTITUDE OF QUESTIONS VS. MIRACLE OF THE CROSS

June 25, 2020

By Joseph McGaha
Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Lenoir City

I have hesitated to wade into the discussion concerning the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta and the mayhem that has ensued afterward for various reasons. Yet I find after much prayer and consideration that I am compelled to speak out as a Christian, as a pastor, and as an American.

Perhaps the one quote from history that continues to echo in my heart and mind the last few days is “To sin by silence makes cowards of us all.” It is very clear from the study of history that no one made, or makes, a difference by continuing to do the same thing over and over again.

I have been, and will continue to be, an ardent supporter of our law enforcement officers and their families. They are doing an extremely difficult job in the midst of increasingly hostile situations from a public that is rarely, if ever, appreciative of the toll that it takes on their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health; as well as the overall shape and state of their marriages and family life. [Read more…]

IS THERE REALLY ONLY ONE RACE?

June 23, 2020

By Chris Turner
cturner@tnbaptist.org

There is only one race, the human race.

Those eight words are an oft-used expression these days as the nation grapples with race, racism, justice, prejudice and a myriad of other topics causing friction among people of various skin tones, especially among blacks and whites.

But the statement is true; there really is only one race. Unfortunately, the phrase is frequently delivered as a politicized retort rather than as a humble declaration deeply rooted in biblical veracity, and Christians must migrate from a political to theological perspective when stating there is only one race. Here are some fundamental questions to which we should seek answers to correctly inform the spirit of our response. [Read more…]

WHAT WE READ IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE REALLY READ

June 22, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

As a Baptist journalist for four decades, I learned early on in my career that what I wrote was not always what was read or understood.

I have had countless conversations over the years with people upset with what they understood that I had written. Normally, I could help them understand what I meant with those words, but not always.

In an opinion piece, a good journalist tries to make a point and get people to think. I know that I have failed on occasion and caused more confusion than I did clarification. Hopefully, I have become a better communicator.

In the June 10 issue, my friend and colleague Chris Turner wrote an opinion piece that has been misunderstood. Chris wrote about an encounter in his neighborhood with a black teenager shortly after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Chris described how the teenager avoided him with fear in his eyes because he didn’t know how Chris would react. [Read more…]

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