Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

THERE WOULD BE NO CELEBRATION WITHOUT READERS

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

COVID-19 has caused a lot of planned activities in 2020 to be canceled or postponed.

One of those planned events that we had to push back was a planned celebration of the 185th anniversary of the Baptist and Reflector. The B&R is the official news journal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and is one of the longest continuously published newspapers (both secular and religious) in the country.

And, that needs to be celebrated in an era where newspapers are ceasing print publications. The New York Times reported in December 2019 that one in five newspapers have shut down over the past 15 years.

Just this year, three papers in our own Southern Baptist family of state publications have foregone print publications for online publications only — The California Southern Baptist, Arkansas Baptist News and, most recently, the Baptist Record in Mississippi. [Read more…]

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THINK ABOUT JESUS WHEN IT’S TIME TO WEAR MASK

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

There is an ongoing debate in our nation today over the effectiveness of facemasks preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Some of the debate centers around the perception of government leaders telling us to wear one. I must confess. I don’t like to be told that I have to wear a mask. I can’t stand to wear one if you want to know the truth. I’d make a terrible bank robber because I would pull it off while standing under the surveillance cameras. [Read more…]

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WE ALL NEED A BREAK FROM INFORMATION OVERLOAD

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

Though we are nearing the four-month mark of the pandemic and some churches have begun to meet again, we’re still not back to where we were (before COVID-19).

And what’s more, it may be a while before we get there.

Add to it over the past few months, tornadoes and other storms, racial tension and protests in our nation, a presidential election in November, a Supreme Court decision giving non-discrimination protection to sexual orientation and gender identity and who knows what else, our nation is dealing with a “brain overload.”

That’s why the June 24 issue of the paper advocated that churches give their ministers a break and allow them to regroup before the new church year begins in a few months and possibly a second round of COVID-19. But a break from the insanity of today’s world is good for everyone. [Read more…]

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AN EXCUSE BAPTISTS CAN NEVER USE AGAIN

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

“We’ve never done it that way before.”

If Southern Baptists had a national motto, it would be that simple sentence.

I have attended a Baptist church all of my life — and that now spans 62 years. I have heard that Baptist motto all of my life, and sadly, I have used it myself more than once. And, my guess is that most Baptists, if honest with themselves, will admit they also have said, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Oh, I almost forgot. The second part of that motto is, “And, we’re not going to start now.” [Read more…]

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COVID-19: IT’S NOT A MATTER OF BLACK AND WHITE

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

Maryville Baptist Church in Hillview, Ky., made national news recently when the church chose to hold in-person worship services on Easter Sunday, defying the Kentucky governor’s stay at home order.

What’s more, Kentucky State Police officers patrolled the church parking lot, handing out citations. The church sued the state but a judge tossed it out of court.

On one side, people are screaming that the government is violating the freedom of religion clause in the United States Constitution. [Read more…]

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WILL COVID-19 MAKE YOU REEVALUATE PRIORITIES?

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

COVID-19 has turned lives upside down all over the world. Thousands of people have died and thousands have gotten the disease. Thankfully, many have survived and have recovered from the virus.

Millions of people, however, have not gotten the disease but their lives also have changed. Whoever heard of “social distancing” a month ago? [Read more…]

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KEEPING YOUR SANITY IN ‘THE TWILIGHT ZONE’

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

For decades upon decades, Americans have always raced to the next big task or achievement.

In the late 1880s to early 1900s, the United States entered the machine age where invention after invention improved society and our ability to move about. Automobiles and airplanes became primary modes of travel, far surpassing the horse and buggy and even trains. [Read more…]

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VOLUNTEER SPIRIT SHOWN IN AMAZING WAYS

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

This church sign at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Donelson, which was destroyed by the March 3 tornado, is a timely reminder of God’s love, grace and mercy.

In the early morning hours of March 3, Tennesseans were awakened by tornado sirens across Middle Tennessee. In just a few minutes (though it probably was an eternity to those directly impacted), the storms moved on to another portion of the state.

The tornadoes left behind at least 24 fatalities, massive destruction and lives turned upside down. According to AccuWeather the total damage and economic loss caused by the March 3 tornadoes is estimated between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. That’s billion with a “B.”

And, after checking out sites throughout  Benton, Davidson, Wilson and Putnam Counties, that is not as farfetched as it sounds. Hundreds of houses in the affected counties were just piles of rubble after the storms moved through. [Read more…]

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EASTER OFFERING FUELS MISSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA

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

The Week of Prayer for North American Missions is fast approaching — March 1-8.

Thousands of Baptist churches will be focusing on missions all across North America on these dates, praying for specific missionaries, including Rob and Annabeth Wilton in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Wiltons have Tennessee ties. See story.

Then, on Easter Sunday, or even before, Southern Baptists across the nation will collect the annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The national goal for 2020 is $70 million. Every dollar of the AAEO goes to train, resource and deploy thousands of missionaries who serve as church planters or in compassion ministries.

Through the combined gifts, Southern Baptists are making a difference in North America by meeting needs, planting churches and discipling new believers. According to the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, “transformation is taking place one life at a time.”

The theme for this year’s week of prayer is “It’s All About the Gospel” and is based on I Corinthians 15:3-4 (CSB): “For I passed on to you as most important what I first received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. …” [Read more…]

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REMEMBER YOUR BLESSINGS AS A NEW YEAR NEARS

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

Eli Beasley stands beside the sign at his school, Mountain View Elementary, on his birthday.

Due to the way the calendar fell this year, the Baptist and Reflector this week is actually dated Dec. 25. As a result, most of our readers will not read this issue until after Christmas.

The staff of the B&R hopes all of you had a very Merry Christmas and that you had a great day celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I also trust that we all took time to count the blessings that God has given each of us. [Read more…]

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Franklin, TN 37064

Contact Information

Mail: Baptist & Reflector, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin, TN 37068
Physical Address: 4017 Rural Plains Circle, Franklin, TN 37064
Email: bandr@tnbaptist.org
Phone: 615-371-2003

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