Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
April 5, 2021
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org One of the aggravating parts of being a biweekly publication is that holidays don’t always fall prior to a print issue. As a result, I did not publish a pre-Easter column. But, here’s the good news. Easter did not end on Sunday, April 4, at 11:59 p.m. […]
April 5, 2021
By Norman Ridenhour Baptist Layman & Retired Journalist Perhaps every Baptist knows about missionaries and the International Mission Board. These are men and women called to serve somewhere in the world to share the love of Jesus and to invest in lives through their sacrifice of leaving home to serve. Their tasks are many, with […]
April 2, 2021
By Johnnie C. Godwin Contributing columnist, B&R Editor’s note: The following column is Part I of a two-part series. Although Part I is the joint effort of Allan Legard and Johnnie Godwin, it is mostly Godwin’s writing. In Part II, Legard will identify 10 essential next steps when a loved one dies. Ideally, all loved […]
April 1, 2021
By Todd E. Brady Vice President For University Ministries, Union University, Jackson Sometimes what we think are the worst things happening to us can end up being the best things for us. What has been a global pandemic has turned out to be a divine “plandemic” for us at Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Milan. […]
March 29, 2021
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org Late last week, Tennessee became only the third state in the United States to pass legislation that requires transgender students in the state to compete in sports according to their sex at birth. Hallelujah! Finally, a law has been passed based on common sense and not political […]
March 25, 2021
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that same-sex marriage is protected under the Constitution and is now legal in all 50 states. Christians decried that decision then and we still do today. However, there were some who naively believed that was […]
March 24, 2021
By Randy C. Davis President and executive director, TBMB Social media has the potential for good, but it also has a dark side that Christians too often get drawn into. It’s time we evaluate ourselves and assess if what we’re contributing to the public market of ideas leads to edifying the body of Christ and […]
March 23, 2021
By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Over the past several months I have been repeatedly asked, “Are you guys (the church) meeting in person? And, how are you guys doing?” My answer is always the same. Yes, we are meeting for in-person worship. And yes, by God’s grace, we are doing remarkably well. […]
March 22, 2021
By Ben Mandrell President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources “Too fast!” my wife, Lynley, screamed as I drove down a steep hill caked in snow. The vehicle picked up speed like a roller coaster on first fall. “I grew up driving in this!” I snapped, more than slightly annoyed that she doubted my […]
March 20, 2021
By Nan Corbitt Allen Freelance writer “Where have all the flowers gone/Long time passing/ Where have all the flowers gone/Long time ago?” Remember this protest song recorded by the trio Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1960s? Its lyrics describe a sort of cycle of life … of flowers … picked by young girls … […]
March 11, 2021
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org It’s hard to believe, but one year ago, the world was introduced to COVID-19, a deadly virus that has taken to date more than 500,000 lives in the United States and nearly 11,500 lives in Tennessee. Within a matter of weeks, churches had to cancel in-person gatherings. […]
March 10, 2021
By Vickie Anderson Executive director, Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union When most people who grew up in the church hear about being a light in the darkness, they think of the song, “This Little Light of Mine.” “This little light of mine I’m going to let it shine Oh, this little light of mine I’m going […]