Scott Barkley

I remember hearing the late Michael Catt, long-time pastor of Sherwood Baptist in Albany, Ga., say many times, “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.” That quote has resonated with me for years and especially now.

Ronald Reagan once humorously repeated a story often referred to as the “Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy.” The tale involves shooting a gun at a barn, then painting “bull’s-eyes” around the bullet holes. For the uninformed, the aftermath makes the shooter appear to be an expert marksman, when in reality he only managed to hit the side of a barn.

NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Líderes de todas las convenciones estatales bautistas y entidades bautistas del sur se reunieron los días 15 y 16 de abril para un evento de capacitación enfocado en promover la asociación a través de la convención. El Programa Cooperativo es el mecanismo de casi 100 años para financiar el trabajo misionero cooperativo a través de la Convención Bautista del Sur (SBC) y las 41 convenciones bautistas estatales o regionales.

APEX, N.C. (BP) – The 2024 Committee on Nominations chaired by Matt Capps has released its list of nominees to fill vacancies on the boards and standing committees of the SBC. The nominations will be presented to messengers for approval at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, June 11-12.

FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) – SBC President Bart Barber has announced his appointments to the 2024 Committee on Committees. Adam Blosser, pastor of Goshen Baptist Church in Spotsylvania, Va., will lead the committee as chair, and Elizabeth Graham from First Baptist Church, Concord, Tenn., will serve as vice chair.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — The top legislative body of the United Methodist Church passed a series of measures Thursday (April 25) to restructure the worldwide denomination to give each region greater leeway in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions.

About four years ago, I was a student heavily involved in collegiate ministry, growing in my understanding of Scripture, and being discipled by a woman in our church. However, even as I grew and learned more about the church, I remember asking myself, “Where do I fit in to all this?”

About four years ago, I was a student heavily involved in collegiate ministry, growing in my understanding of Scripture, and being discipled by a woman in our church. However, even as I grew and learned more about the church, I remember asking myself, “Where do I fit in to all this?”

BELTSVILLE, Md. (BP) — I cringe with every remembrance of an occasion when I was the new pastor at First Baptist Church of Beltsville. David Lee, then the BCM/D executive director, invited convention pastors, along with their families, to a getaway weekend at a beautiful retreat center in Pennsylvania. I was happily splashing in the pool with my young children when I became aware of confused and hurt glances cast in my direction. Sweet brothers and sisters in Christ, faithful servants in the BCM/D, were shocked by the Confederate flag emblazoned on my arm, a decades-old tattoo of a former worldview.