FIRST-PERSON: Do not forget!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--I had the privilege Sunday of attending my home church, the Thompson Station Baptist Church in Thompson Station, Tenn., and hearing my pastor, Dr. Tom McCoy, preach God's Word and lead the congregation in the partaking of the Lord's Supper. Last week, Bro. Tom was elected as first vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He is a powerful and anointed preacher of the Gospel and when I am not preaching somewhere, I always look forward to hearing him preach.
My Hope For Our Convention
My hope for our Convention is simple. It runs upon one premise. It rides upon one purpose. It rests upon one person. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Our commission for sending missionaries to the ends of the earth is to scatter the seed of the Gospel. Our compulsion […]
FIRST-PERSON: Adrian Rogers: ‘true champion of the faith’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Our hearts grieve deeply over losing a true champion of the faith, yet we commemorate the completion of Adrian Roger’s remarkable journey and celebrate his home-going to be with the precious Lord he loved and served so faithfully.
FIRST PERSON:
A democracy Jimmy Carter cannot support
By Morris H. Chapman
| Morris H. Chapman |
Interestingly, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical fellowship of churches in America, functions as a democracy. The majority of the messengers attending a given annual convention seek the mind of Christ and vote as a democratic body, an annual activity one would think Jimmy Carter would applaud. However, the SBC is a primary target of the former president’s harshest criticism in his latest book, “Our Endangered Values.”
What he writes is nothing new. Carter’s criticism of the conservative direction of the SBC is longstanding. In 1993, he and his wife publicly announced their allegiance with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (a breakaway group of liberals and moderates, formerly of the SBC but now stridently anti-SBC), and in 2000 he felt compelled to announce with fanfare once again his break with the SBC.
FIRST PERSON:
An extraordinary response for extraordinary times
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Southern Baptists have stepped up in an extraordinary way to meet the immediate survival needs of the victims of Katrina. This past week, while meeting with SBC leaders and disaster relief workers, and talking and praying with hurricane victims, I saw firsthand the loving generosity and the tireless labor of Southern Baptists responding to the extraordinary
Conservative and Cooperative: Maintaining That Vital and Essential Link
In my report to the Southern Baptist Convention last year, I defined Southern Baptists as "cooperating conservatives," as contrasted to "separatists." Our heritage, beliefs, and polity are founded upon the two principles, biblical conservatism and cooperation. In the last twenty-five years, Southern Baptists have made it clear that they are biblical conservatives. While we must […]
Preserving and Promoting a Cooperative Spirit
February 21, 2005 I am more optimistic about the state of the Convention and the cooperation therein than I have been since coming to this office. My optimism stems not only from the high standards to which the Executive Committee holds itself and the exceptional quality of our work, but also from the growing passion […]
The Fundamentals of Cooperating Conservatives
They said it couldn't be done. Religious scholars and well-known pastors said it couldn't be done. Historians and futurists said it couldn't be done. Denominational leaders said it couldn't be done. Liberals believed that no band of Bible-thumping preachers, professors, and laymen could ever be used of God to return a denomination to its conservative […]
FIRST-PERSON: Ronald Reagan – ‘everyman’s president’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--My first visit to the White House as a religious leader came during the closing months of President Reagan’s last term in office. To be truthful, I was somewhat overwhelmed to be sitting among dozens of religious leaders from across America, individuals whose prominence made them household names in the Christian community. But nothing equaled the feeling that swept over me when President Reagan walked into the room and began addressing the group in his humorous and down-to-earth manner.
FIRST-PERSON: 4 brave souls
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--We are deeply grieved once again at the tragic loss of brothers and sisters who were brutally slain while serving our Lord. These dear ones -- Larry and Jean Elliott, Karen Watson and David McDonnall -- lived and died for their precious Lord. Indeed, their lives and sacrifice reflect well the example and commands of our Savior, Jesus Christ, as they died ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of the Iraqi people.
