election Archives - Baptist & Reflector

2020 ELECTIONS: MOST EVANGELICALS WANT TO PLAY NICE

September 30, 2019

By Aaron Earls
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — Most American evangelicals believe Jesus’ Golden Rule — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — applies to politics. Some, however, see the political realm leading up to the 2020 elections as no place for niceness, according to a new study.

A LifeWay Research study sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC) conducted in November of 2018 explored the perspectives of American evangelicals on civility, politics, media consumption and how likely they are to engage with views different from their own. [Read more…]

REMEMBER THIS: NOT VOTING IS NOT AN OPTION

October 23, 2018

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

We no longer live in a simple Democrat or Republican world. It’s no longer about whose policies are best for the greater good of the country. We have transitioned into a government where it is liberal versus conservative. It’s morality versus amorality.

Americans will go to the polls on Nov. 6. This is the last print issue before the election.

As editor of a religious publication I have no right or authority to tell anyone to vote for any individual and certainly not any political party. But I do have a moral responsibility to encourage our readers and members of our Baptist churches to vote. [Read more…]

TBC MESSENGERS CONDUCT BUSINESS

November 20, 2017

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Tennessee Baptist Convention President Steve Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, delivers the annual president’s address during the Tuesday (Nov. 14) session of Summit.
— Photo by Corinne Rochotte

HENDERSONVILLE — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention overwhelmingly spoke against racism and elected David Leavell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington, as president.

The annual meeting, held during The Summit Nov. 12-16 at First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, drew 993 messengers from 422 churches. Attendance was down from the 1,228 who attended last year’s sessions in Sevierville but was up from the 984 who registered for the 2015 Summit in Millington. The messenger count did not include messengers from First Baptist Church, Jefferson City. Messengers voted overwhelmingly to not seat the eight messengers from First Baptist which called a woman senior pastor earlier this year (see story). [Read more…]

WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA DECLINING, BUT STILL PACKS PUNCH

February 6, 2017

By Jeff Brumley
Baptist News Global

Conservative evangelicals have lost their cultural and political clout as their numbers and vitality wane, author Robert Jones argues in his book The End of White Christian America.

The book was published in the summer of 2016 — just a few months before Donald Trump rode the support of fearful Caucasian Christians all the way to the White House.

As a result, Jones said he received a slew of post-election social media messages, many of them tongue-in-cheek suggestions that he re-title his book. [Read more…]

BAPTISTS TAKE PART IN TRUMP INAUGURATION

January 25, 2017

Baptist Press

Evangelist Franklin Graham read from 1 Timothy 1 and 2 at President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
-Screen capture from Fox News

WASHINGTON — The participation of at least five Southern Baptist pastors in inaugural activities for President Donald Trump continues a tradition of prayer, Scripture and references to God surrounding presidential inaugurations dating back to George Washington.

Evangelist Franklin Graham read from I Timothy 1 and 2 at President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. [Read more…]

INAUGURATION DAY: THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

January 24, 2017

By Steve Gaines
SBC President & Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova

Steve Gaines

Today (Jan. 20) Donald J. Trump became the 45th President of the United States. As you know, Mr. Trump won a highly volatile election last November. Some see him as a candidate of much-needed change, readily resonating with his Reaganish slogan, “Make America Great Again!” Others see Mr. Trump as a less than desirable candidate for the highest office in the land.

What are Southern Baptists to do?

Trump won the election. In doing so, he earned the right to serve for the next four years as President of the United States. Consequently, it is incumbent upon every Bible-believing Christian to pray that the Lord will bless and guide him and his family in the coming days and years. [Read more…]

TENNESSEE MINISTERS CALL FOR COOPERATION IN OPEN LETTER

January 3, 2017

By David Roach
Baptist Press

Micah Fries, Nathan Finn, Jon Akin

NASHVILLE — Controversy surrounding ethicist Russell Moore’s past comments on President-elect Donald Trump has led three Tennessee Baptists — all under the age of 40 — to issue an open letter calling “conservative resurgence generation and their protégés” to “be the statesmen we need them to be in this season of denominational tension.”

Jonathan Akin, Nathan Finn, and Micah Fries wrote in a Dec. 21 open letter provided to Baptist Press, “Now isn’t the time for acrimonious debates over secondary and tertiary doctrinal matters,” such as the extent of the atonement, church polity, methodology, and the appropriate means of cultural engagement.

They directed their comments especially toward Southern Baptists who led the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s as well as those mentored by that generation, noting, “Our real enemy is the Prince of Darkness.” The resurgence attempted to make biblical inerrancy a bedrock commitment of Southern Baptist Convention entities. [Read more…]

AFTER ELECTION: THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

November 10, 2016

By Steve Gaines
SBC President & Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis

Steve Gaines

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) — Today Americans have a new president — Donald J. Trump. As Christians, it is Scripturally incumbent upon us to pray for him and for all our political leaders (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-2). It is also mandatory for us to honor all people, even those with whom we disagree (cf. 1 Peter 2:17).

If we disagree with someone’s opinions, we must do so without attacking the person. There has been far too much inflammatory rhetoric coming from Christian leaders throughout this election. That kind of speech is divisive, ungodly, uncalled for, and sinful. May we heed Paul’s warning when he said, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). May we also sincerely pray the prayer of the Psalmist who said, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). [Read more…]

PAST ELECTIONS: ‘DIRE’ CHRISTIAN PREDICTIONS NOT NEW

October 27, 2016

By David Roach
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE (BP) — During the presidential campaign of 1800, Christian opponents of candidate Thomas Jefferson warned he “abhors the Christian system” and if elected, might send troops to seize Christians’ Bibles.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln’s election was thought by some Southern Baptist leaders to threaten fundamental American liberties. A century later, the presidential campaign elicited the Chicago Sun-Times headline “Southern Baptists Tell Why They Are Attacking Kennedy.” [Read more…]

EVANGELICAL DIVIDE SEEN IN ELECTION

October 21, 2016

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — Americans with evangelical beliefs share a great deal in common. They trust in Jesus alone, evangelize their neighbors, and believe the Bible is the final authority in their lives.

But when it comes to voting, race and political affiliation still divide evangelicals, according to a survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research taken just before the second presidential debate. [Read more…]

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