Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
July 19, 2024
By Baptist Press staffDALLAS — The historic sanctuary at First Baptist Church Dallas burned Friday evening, July 19. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. The Victorian-style, red brick sanctuary building was erected 1890 and is a recognized Texas Historic Landmark. According to media reports, Dallas Fire and Rescue received a call at […]
July 17, 2024
By Jennifer Davis RashThe Alabama BaptistMOBILE, Ala. — In the days following the July 13 assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, an application of Scripture related to the situation (see image below) is making the rounds on social media and drawing growing concern from ministry leaders in the process. Derek Allen, pastor of First […]
July 17, 2024
By Brandon PorterBaptist PressNASHVILLE — A political shift in LGBT policy is evident across the country this week. Legislation passed in California July 15 gives public schools the ability to conceal when students change their names and pronouns. On the same day, the Republican National Convention passed a platform that was stripped of “anti-LBGT” language, […]
July 15, 2024
By Aaron EarlsLifeway Christian Resources writerBRENTWOOD — Most churchgoers believe Christians have a good reputation with Americans in general, but they worry those feelings are starting to sour. A Lifeway Research study finds 53 percent of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say most Americans have a positive perception of Christians. Two in five (40 percent) disagree, and […]
July 13, 2024
By Baptist and ReflectorFRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Mission Board president and executive director Randy C. Davis and Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, were quick to respond in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13. […]
July 11, 2024
Baptist and ReflectorMOUNT JULIET — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been asked to respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Texas and to extreme flooding which occurred in Iowa in late June. Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda around 4:30 a.m. July 8, about 95 miles southwest of […]
June 26, 2024
By Compiled by B&R staffEditor’s note: Full articles on the various items included in this wrap up — along with additional articles on other SBC topics — can be found at baptistandreflector.org and in the B&R print issue. INDIANAPOLIS — In a runoff with Sevierville pastor Dan Spencer, North Carolina pastor Clint Pressley was elected […]
June 24, 2024
By Grace Thornton The Baptist PaperINDIANAPOLIS — While reflecting on his past two years as Southern Baptist Convention president, Bart Barber urged messengers to look past disagreements and struggles in their churches and to “bear one another’s weakness.” He delivered his final president’s address June 11 during the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. While praising […]
June 19, 2024
By Aaron EarlsLifeway news officeBRENTWOOD — Growing up, Aaron Bryant may have dreamed of playing in the NFL, but his family would’ve never dreamed of skipping church. Bryant was part of the Tennessee Titans when they made the Super Bowl in 1999. Despite playing multiple sports in high school, he says he rarely missed church […]
June 18, 2024
By Grace ThorntonThe Baptist PaperINDIANAPOLIS — Baptisms were up more than 26 percent across the Southern Baptist Convention’s churches in 2023, said Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board. “We’re seeing big numbers, but each individual decision is eternally important, and God honors each and every one,” Ezell said during his report to […]
June 17, 2024
By Art ToalstonBaptist Press staff HOUSTON — Paul Pressler, the Texas judge whose grassroots strategy redirected the Southern Baptist Convention, died June 7, 2024, in Houston, Texas, three days after his 94th birthday and less than six months after the settlement of a lawsuit alleging decades-long sexual assault by Pressler against multiple victims. For decades in […]
June 13, 2024
By Brandon Porter and Scott BarkleyBaptist PressINDIANAPOLIS — SBC messengers at the 2024 annual meeting approved the reports of three groups that were formed at last year’s annual meeting in New Orleans. Here’s a closer look at what transpired: