FIRST-PERSON: The swap & the cross
Seminary professor Malcolm Yarnell, reflecting on the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, points to a greater freedom for all of mankind.
FIRST-PERSON: The grace of unity: a prayer for the Southern Baptist Convention
Malcolm Yarnell discusses a passage from Psalm about unity, saying it reflects his prayer for unity among Southern Baptists over the discussion about Calvinism.
GCRTF VIEWPOINT: What does Scripture say?
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–The Southern Baptist Convention’s decision last June to create a Great Commission Resurgence Task Force was motivated by our growing realization that the baptisms within our churches are slowing. The highly anticipated interim report from this blue-ribbon committee chaired by pastor Ronnie Floyd recently fostered much debate. However the upcoming national and […]
FIRST-PERSON: The relevance of the past for a Great Commission resurgence
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--At the beginning of the 20th century, Southern Baptists numbered 1.6 million people. And now, at the beginning of the 21st century, Southern Baptists number over 16 million people.
FIRST-PERSON: The unchanging relevance of biblical revival
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Last week, we learned that the baptism numbers reported by the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention suffered another slight decline, 2007-2008.
The relevance of the Word of God
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--We often hear today that Christians must make the Word of God relevant to their culture. During my first full-time pastorate, I learned a difficult lesson that challenges such an idea.
The desire for relevance
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Relevance before the culture is a great concern for many Christians, and rightly so.
Which Denomination, Which Convention?
On a Sunday evening in mid-September, my assistant and I drove for three hours from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, to a forum at a church in central Texas. The church was examining its relationship with its association, state convention, and national convention. I had agreed to serve as a representative of […]
