Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
February 26, 2021
Editor’s Note: The following is an open correspondence to Tennessee Baptists by Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Tennessee Baptists, it’s time for vigilance and action. We stood for life and were heard just a couple of years ago when we needed to speak into prolife legislation […]
February 26, 2021
Oʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴘᴏsᴛᴇᴅ Nᴏᴠ. 9, 2016 Editor’s note: The following column, written in 2016, has continued to be one of the most widely read articles ever posted on the B&R website. In 2020, it was the seventh most viewed article of the year. With COVID-19 still with us, it may be time to run the article […]
February 25, 2021
By Chris Turner Director of Communications, TBMB Two years ago, few had ever heard of Critical Race Theory and now it is on the verge of becoming an ideological pandemic. Lines are drawn, passions are high, sides are forming, and the divide is widening. For Christians, it gets complicated. Where should we fall on the […]
February 23, 2021
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series by TBMB Executive Director Randy C. Davis. Part Two will appear in the March 10 issue of the Baptist and Reflector. By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director One of our Tennessee Baptist pastors recently asked what were things that kept me awake […]
February 18, 2021
By Charles A. Fowler President, Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City During these days of COVID-19, it seems that every task leaders perform takes longer, is more complex, and draws more criticism than appreciation. Consequently, many pastors and leaders of Christian ministries are discouraged, frustrated and even depressed. These are difficult days for all of us. None […]
February 11, 2021
By Norman Ridenhour Baptist Layman & Retired Journalist Faith does not make things easy, it makes them possible (Luke 1:27). I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard people ask “Why do I need the church?” My answer would be “who do you turn to in times of need? Who do you call when all […]
February 11, 2021
By Mike Farmer, Dir. of Missions, McMinn-Meigs Baptist Assoc., Athens This year is not looking very different from the previous year, however, I think that will not hold true for the entire year. I have been thinking about the new year as I am sure many of you have. What lies ahead? When are things […]
February 9, 2021
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org Messengers from across the Southern Baptist Convention will travel to Music City in June (COVID-permitting) for their annual meeting to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The last time the SBC annual meeting was held in Nashville in 2005 , it drew 11,641 […]
February 5, 2021
By Roger S. Oldham Pastor engagement specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Faith, not fear! These words appear routinely on social media sites. They have been turned into wall art and splashed on T-shirts by Christian retailers during the global pandemic. For some, this is a whisper of faith directed to the Lord, a declaration that […]
February 4, 2021
By Bruce Chesser President, Tennessee Baptist Convention Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Hendersonville On Nov. 20, 2020, I was conducting a wedding rehearsal in southern Kentucky. The plans for the wedding had changed significantly. It had gone from a large celebration of several hundred family and friends to a very small gathering of just family. […]
February 3, 2021
By Carolyn Tomlin Contributing Writer, B&R As a teacher of young children, I often observed how my students adapted to change and how they were ready for kindergarten. I recall one family who lived in an expensive house and drove costly automobiles. Mom and dad were so involved in careers that little time was left […]
February 2, 2021
By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director It only takes a spark to start a controversy. It was just one article, but its publishing in 1896 ignited a flashfire reaction across the Southern Baptist Convention. Sides formed. People postured. Proverbial lines were drawn in the sand. Rhetorical flames fueled by passionate conviction rose […]