By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The 10 Commandments may be viewed from several perspectives: -- Some believers see them simply as a list of dos and don’ts. -- Others consider them in the context of their origins: As the first formal instruction to the Hebrew nation after escaping from Egypt, these were something of a primer for Israel to transition from being a people of Pharoah for 400 years to becoming the people of the one true God in perpetuity. -- More, still, look at these basic tenets in terms of how they are grouped (the first four address a relationship with God; the fifth involves family relationships; and the last five broadly describe relationships with everyone else). Together, these commandments reveal a hierarchy of relationships within the relational world God created for us as relational beings. In other words, God tells us to make Him the priority in our relationships, then family (and by inference, marriage) and, finally, yet importantly, our neighbors. Regardless, in all three perspectives, the stricture in the third commandment is the same: Do not use God’s name in vain. It is a key to obedience. It is an essential element of how we set ourselves apart … [Read more...]
FIRST-PERSON: Gaining altitude – WMU celebrates 135 years of SBC missions
By Sandy Wisdom-Martin According to an insect identification database, 647 types of bugs and insects are found in Alabama. Some downright scare me. I looked at images of each until I located the entry most resembling the flying insect I watched from a chair on my back deck. I believe it was a common whitetail skimmer dragonfly that captured my attention. I can’t be totally sure since there are 5,000 species of dragonflies. I’m comfortable with that guess since the common whitetail is prevalent in North America. The behavior of the dragonfly drew my interest. It dipped below the top of the deck railings. Then it kept circling inside the deck over and over again because it thought it was trapped by the rails. Only by gaining altitude could it break free from perceived captivity. Watching the dragonfly provided a good lesson. Often, we are caught in a continuous loop, unable to rise above self-imposed limitations. Gaining altitude would enable us to see a larger picture and view things in new and different ways. It was 135 years ago when 32 delegates from 12 states endeavored to gain a new perspective and caught a vision for how God wanted to work in their midst. Woman’s Missionary Union was birthed. Those who have gone before … [Read more...]
EDITORIAL: Rick Warren is wrong on doctrine, but right that the future of the SBC ‘hangs in the balance’
Inexplicable peace
I don’t consider myself a worrywart, but there are times when I can work myself into a little frenzy. I think, “What if this happens? If this happens, then that will happen, and this can happen.” … [Read more...]
Truth, sexuality and gender
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a new Indiana law that prohibits teaching on human sexuality to children in pre-kindergarten through third grade is designed to “control what youth can and cannot read, what they can and cannot learn, and — most troublingly — who they can and cannot be.” … [Read more...]
Remember the Titans
I was a doctoral student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary when the Conservative Resurgence was launched at the 1979 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, Texas. … [Read more...]
God is moving in our midst
It’s no secret that we live in a very dark and confused world. The Left is pushing their genderless agenda down the throats of schoolchildren across America. … [Read more...]
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