By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

As a parent and grandparent, one of my primary concerns always has been the safety of my children and now grandchildren. We go to great lengths to make sure they are safe at home, at school, on the ball fields, etc. We should expect them to be safe at church, but perhaps we take that for granted.

Last year we were attending church with our daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons in South Carolina. The kids were singing a song to honor fathers on Father’s Day. As we scanned the children to catch glimpses of Parker and Eli, we did not see Eli. He’s our oldest and you usually see him first. He’s normally the one not paying attention and “doing his own thing.” [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

I am extremely proud to be a Tennessean today.

I held my breath on Saturday, Oct. 28, to see what would happen at planned white supremacist rallies that were scheduled to be held in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro.

By most accounts, nothing really happened. Tennesseans let it be made known that racism is unacceptable in our state. The Shelbyville rally was so uneventful that the rally in Murfreesboro was canceled. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

As I sat in my office earlier today (Aug. 21) I could not help but think how funny it would be if God looked down from heaven and decided to not allow the total eclipse to happen.

He could have stopped it had He chosen, but He allowed it to happen.

The hoopla surrounding this eclipse has amazed me. While they don’t happen often, total solar eclipses are not uncommon.

I understand why non-Christians are so excited. They don’t see the eclipse from the perspective that God made it happen. As a result, they are amazed. Man may have mapped the eclipse and could predict that it was going to occur, but, ultimately, God allowed the moon to pass in front of the sun. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

As I have read news reports of the violence that happened in Charlottesville, Va., nearly two weeks ago, the words of “Jesus Loves The Little Children” have remained in my thoughts.

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world” (those are the original words written by C. Herbert Woolston, not the contemporary or “politically correct” versions that some people sing today). [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Baptist Press released an article this week on results of a survey addressing the effectiveness of Baptist associations.

Like any survey, it pointed out both positive and negative aspects. While most church leaders believe associations are “a good kingdom investment,” others are struggling to find the relevancy of Baptist associations, according to the story. [Read more…]

I recently received an inquiry from Phillip Senn, a minister in West Tennessee. Bro. Senn is a long-time reader of the Baptist and Reflector and often has written letters to the editor.

He observed that he had not seen any letters to the editor published in the paper since February. He asked, “Is this because of a lack of letters, or a new policy by the B&R?” He then observed that “this seemed to occur around the time of the controversy surrounding the North American Mission Board’s alleged attempt at controlling state conventions. Is this, if it is a new policy, a result of an agreement with NAMB, or some other entity outside the Tennessee Baptist Convention?” [Read more…]