Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

DAVIS EXTENDS URGENT CALL FOR TENN. BAPTISTS TO SUPPORT HB 1962

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBMB

There is almost a certainty that pro-life legislation in Tennessee eventually will be passed into law, but indecision abounds about what that legislation might look like when it finally lands on the governor’s desk for final approval.

One thing about which there is no longer indecision is Senate Bill 1236, or the “conception bill.”

“Senate Bill 1236 was an important bill that had strong support from Tennessee Baptists because it defined life as beginning at conception,” said Randy C. Davis, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s executive director. “We fought for it, and thousands of Tennessee Baptists faithfully got behind it. Unfortunately, that bill is dead in the water as of last week. [Read more…]

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PREGNANCY CLINIC MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Ministry in Fayetteville has changed lives of many since opening its doors only one year ago

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

FAYETTEVILLE  — In one year, the Crossroads Pregnancy Clinic has made a huge impact in Fayetteville and surrounding towns in Lincoln County.

Crossroads opened its doors to ministry on Jan. 15 of last year and served more than 150 women and men from various walks of life. What’s more, decisions were made to support life and those who walked through the doors heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. [Read more…]

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FOSTER FAMILY PLAYS CRITICAL ROLE IN YOUTH MINISTER’S JOURNEY TO CHRIST

BP EDITOR’S NOTE: Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is Jan. 19 in the Southern Baptist Convention.

By Tobin Perry
Baptist Press

Shaq Hardy preaches during a youth gathering at Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn. Abandoned by his mother not long after birth, Hardy often leans on his experience in foster care to minister to hurting kids. — Photo courtesy of Shaq Hardy

CHATTANOOGA — Much of Shaq Hardy’s childhood is a blur. For the first 10 years of his life, he moved from foster home to foster home, never able to put down roots.

Hardy longed for a sense of home, a place where he belonged.

But what Hardy does remember during that frantic decade in foster care is where he learned John 3:16 and how much Jesus loved him. Although he wouldn’t come to faith in Christ until five years after he left his last foster home, this last family introduced him to Jesus. For the last several years he was in foster care, the family took him to church just about every week and even involved him in Awana. That’s where he learned John 3:16.

“It was them having me in church that made me realize that the only thing that would last is Jesus,” Hardy said. “I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew I needed to find Jesus.” [Read more…]

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STORIES THAT SHAPED 2019

Baptists experience monumental year: I Stand for Life initiative, record GOTM gifts among top news stories

SEE ALSO – RADIO B&R EP. 37: TBMB JANUARY UPDATE WITH RANDY C. DAVIS

 

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

FRANKLIN — Top news stories in the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 2019 included the “I Stand for Life” initiative in support of SB (Senate Bill) 1236, the election of Charles Fowler as president of Carson-Newman University and record giving for the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board initiated the I Stand for Life initiative on July 23 to garner thousands of signatures from Tennessee Baptists in an effort to let Tennessee lawmakers know that Tennessee Baptists would like to see legislation passed that protects the lives of unborn children.

The petition campaign was initiated by Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB who had a desire to make sure Tennessee Baptists were informed about the issue and that their voices were heard. [Read more…]

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IT’S TIME TO DO MORE THAN SIMPLY STAND

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Tennessee Baptists stood for life in 2019. In 2020, we need to mobilize for life.

You may recall that back in August I had the opportunity to represent Tennessee Baptists before a special study committee comprised of Tennessee Senators tasked with more comprehensively reviewing pro-life legislation that had been proposed during last year’s legislative session. The bill being considered was in essence what has become known as a “heartbeat bill;” legislation that would protect unborn babies once a heartbeat is detected. Many surrounding states, and other states around the country, have passed similar legislation.

However, there were many concerns expressed with that legislation and it was moved to a summer senate study committee. In the process, the bill that was being considered was reworked and the proposed legislation for which I advocated is titled SB 1236. It potentially represents one of the most – if not the most – comprehensive piece of pro-life legislation ever written. It clearly protects life from the point of conception, even before a heartbeat is detected. For everyone who recognizes God as the author of life, SB 1236 undoubtedly embodies an opportunity to legally protect unborn children in a way that hasn’t been possible since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. [Read more…]

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MOST-READ STORIES OF 2019 COVER WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS

Stories about Lifeway’s change to pension plan and the “I Stand for Life” initiative had the most views on the B&R website

Baptist & Reflector Staff

FRANKLIN — The Baptist and Reflector website serves multiple purposes for the newspaper.

The website not only runs stories that are published in the print edition of the B&R, but also is the go-to place for breaking news pertaining to Tennessee Baptists.

This past year, the B&R website experienced several significant increases in readership (see chart). In looking at the year-ending numbers, it is interesting to note that the most-read stories of 2019 involved a wide range of topics, from economics to abortion to elections.

Listed below is a look at the most-read stories (based on website views) from the past year:

1. Lifeway to freeze pension plan for pension-eligible employees

• Date posted: July 31, 2019 • Written by: Lonnie Wilkey • Position: B&R editor

This story focused on LifeWay Christian Resources announcing changes to its retiree life insurance and pre-65 retiree medical benefits, including freezing its LifeWay Pension Plan (effective Jan. 1, 2020) for current pension-eligible employees. LifeWay shared the changes in letters to current and future retirees on June 29. The changes were approved by LifeWay trustees at their February meeting. [Read more…]

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TBC LEADERS SEND LETTER TO STATE SENATORS

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Convention leaders Randy C. Davis and Bruce Chesser have followed up on a resolution passed by Tennessee Baptists at their annual meeting in November at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville with a letter to Tennessee’s state senators.

Tennessee Baptists approved without opposition a resolution in support of life and Tennessee Senate Bill 1236. [Read more…]

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NEW REPORT SHOWS ABORTIONS CONTINUE TO DECLINE

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON — The latest statistics demonstrate once again reported abortions in the United States have continued to decline.

The number of abortions fell in one year by more than 13,000 to 623,471 in 2016, the latest year for which data is available, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a Nov. 29 report. That 2 percent drop matched a 2 percent decrease in the abortion rate to 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years, according to the CDC. The abortion ratio — the number of abortions per 1,000 live births — decreased by 1 percent to 188 in the same time period. [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE BAPTIST LIGHT SHINES AMID DARKNESS

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

Evil is real. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.

How do we really know? “For the Bible tells me so.”

Do a “Google” search on the internet and you will find a multitude of verses that proclaim evil is real. I John 5:19 leaves no doubt: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one” (CSB). That’s about as plain as it gets. [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE BAPTISTS RALLY FOR THE CAUSE

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

We really can do more together. That isn’t just a catchy phrase tossed around to describe the Cooperative Program. Last week I experienced it in the form of tangible support.

Throughout 2019, our Tennessee state legislature has wrestled with proposed “heartbeat bills” in the hope of protecting unborn children in Tennessee and creating a law that would overturn Roe v. Wade. [Read more…]

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