Baptist Messenger of Oklahoma https://www.baptistmessenger.com A Ministry of Oklahoma Baptists Tue, 25 Feb 2025 20:46:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://cdn.baptistmessenger.com/2020/11/17112117/cropped-icon-32x32.png Baptist Messenger of Oklahoma https://www.baptistmessenger.com 32 32 ERLC releases guide for addressing gambling in the church https://www.baptistmessenger.com/erlc-releases-guide-for-addressing-gambling-in-the-church/ <![CDATA[Timothy Cockes]]> Thu, 27 Feb 2025 18:00:49 +0000 <![CDATA[Family & Society]]> <![CDATA[Feature]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55837 <![CDATA[This article was originally written by Timothy Cockes and published to BaptistPress.com NASHVILLE (BP) – The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has released a practical guide designed to help pastors and church leaders navigate difficult ministry scenarios regarding the growing problem of gambling. The guide, titled “Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in […]]]> <![CDATA[

This article was originally written by Timothy Cockes and published to BaptistPress.com

NASHVILLE (BP) – The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has released a practical guide designed to help pastors and church leaders navigate difficult ministry scenarios regarding the growing problem of gambling.

The guide, titled “Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in the Church” and released Monday (Feb. 24), was written by the ERLC’s research team and is meant to go in tandem with another recently released resource laying out a biblical foundation for opposing sports gambling.

Although a large portion of the guide is focused on the rapid expansion of sports betting, the content is written to be applicable to all forms of gambling.

RaShan Frost, director of research and senior fellow for the ERLC, hopes the guide will assist ministry leaders in addressing this issue in their congregations.

“It’s nearly impossible to watch a sporting event without seeing an advertisement for sports betting, and it is a pervasive problem that impacts individuals, families and society,” Frost said.

“Our team produced this guide to help churches better understand gambling from a biblical and theological framework, while also providing them with practical scenarios to address the negative impacts of gambling. We pray this guide will serve our pastors and congregations to better understand the dangers of sports betting and the damage it can do spiritually, relationally and financially.”

The guide states that Southern Baptists have historically opposed both the expansion or legalization of gambling and the practice of gambling in itself. Messengers most recently spoke the topic in a 2017 resolution, “On The Sin Of Gambling.”

The resource explains the rapid expansion of sports betting in the last several years has been caused by a 2017 Supreme Court decision overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This federal law banned most sports betting in the country from 1992 until the 2017 decision.

Following this decision, 38 states and the District of Columbia quickly legalized sports gambling amid promises of increased state revenue.

“The impact of sports gambling on American life and culture since the overturning of PASPA has been overwhelmingly detrimental to individuals, families, and society,” ERLC Vice President Miles Mullin writes in the guide’s forward.

“As a result of this rapid expansion, we have witnessed significant increases in many societal ills, including financial ruin, addiction, and domestic violence. These are tangible outgrowths of the gambling industry’s new footholds in our culture, plaguing the everyday lives of millions of people – including Southern Baptist church members. Southern Baptists’ committed opposition to gambling is more important now than ever.”

The resource addresses both the legal side of opposing the predatory gambling industry and the ministry side of how to help those who struggle with gambling.

It begins by laying out a theological framework for addressing the topic of gambling and then offers answers to 15 different practical scenarios ministry leaders may face in their churches.

The theological framework presented contains the following points:

—The Great Commandment calls for the love of God and neighbor.

—Every person bears God’s image and possesses inherent dignity.

—Humans are called to trust in God’s provision.

—Humanity is responsible for the stewardship of God’s creation, using resources wisely and ethically.

—Scripture emphasizes cultivating virtues such as self-control, generosity, patience and wisdom.

—Scripture commands Christians to abstain from vices such as greed and covetousness.

—Government has a responsibility to protect citizens from exploitation and predation.

Some of the practical scenarios addressed include the following:

—A faithful member of your church reaches out to you and says she is worried about her husband’s secretive gambling habit.

—A young man you have been discipling comes to you and confides that he has been spending inordinate amounts of money on online sports gambling.

—After a Wednesday night service where you teach about the need to push back against the predatory gambling industry, a church member approaches you with a disagreement.

—You are a pastor in a state where gambling is legal. A recently proposed ballot initiative would regulate the gambling industry by implementing higher protections against targeted advertising in impoverished areas. Some members of your congregation want to vote for the initiative, as they desire to stand against predatory business practices, but others worry that doing so would implicitly legitimize the gambling industry overall.

—During a Bible study, some of the members of your group share that they hold a weekly poker night among friends for the purpose of building fellowship.

The guide’s introduction closes by doubling down on the importance of opposing gambling and ministering to those ensnared by it.

“The battle to end the gambling industry’s predation is sure to be hard fought, a long road marked by small-yet-significant steps forward,” it says.

“Despite the challenges, we must press forward, confident that our opposition to legalized gambling is rooted in God’s Word. At the same time, we must come alongside those caught in gambling’s snare, ministering to them, and exhorting them toward godliness. We hope that this guide provides help in both areas.”

The full guide can be downloaded here.

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Youth labs create pipeline for mission service https://www.baptistmessenger.com/youth-labs-create-pipeline-for-mission-service/ <![CDATA[Tessa Sanchez]]> Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:00:43 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Missions & Church]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55813 <![CDATA[High school students have long been integral to IMB strategy, and those who serve as teenagers often follow a career path that leads them to the mission field, International Mission Board missionary Charlie Worthy said. Worthy saw a need for missions education and discipleship and wanted to develop a pathway within the IMB’s existing structures […]]]> <![CDATA[

High school students have long been integral to IMB strategy, and those who serve as teenagers often follow a career path that leads them to the mission field, International Mission Board missionary Charlie Worthy said.

Worthy saw a need for missions education and discipleship and wanted to develop a pathway within the IMB’s existing structures in Europe to host high school students. He piloted a program called youth labs.

A team who participated in the youth lab in London poses for a photo. The team came alongside local partners to help extend their ministry into communities they wanted to engage with the gospel. IMB Phot

The five-day labs are an opportunity for high school students entering their junior or senior year of high school to learn about missions alongside a long-term IMB missionary, a Journeyman, a national partner and IMB summer interns. The students put into practice what they learned by going out and sharing the gospel.

In the youth labs, Worthy wanted to take things from ground zero, covering material like, “what does missions mean?” and “what does evangelism mean?” The teaching times take place in a “lab,” where interaction is built into the program.

London and Budapest hosted youth labs this past summer.

In London, a local church lent its facilities for the training, and in Budapest, a church plant’s community center provided space for the lab. Worthy explained he plans for all student teams to partner with and invest in local churches, so the ministry is locally led, continues past the lab and connects with the ministry of the church.

High schoolers participating in a youth lab in Budapest, Hungary, work in groups during one of the sessions. A community center of a church plant lent its facilities for the lab.

During the 2024 labs, after listening to presentations on missions and evangelism methods, the students saw it modeled and then practiced what they learned amongst themselves before taking what they learned to the streets, where they interacted with people for three to four hours a day.

Having teachers in varying stages of service with the IMB was intentional.

“We wanted them to know that ‘you could be in this seat next year,’” Worthy said.

His hope is that the labs will lead the students to return to serve as summer interns and, after graduation, to serve as Journeymen.

Two seniors from churches in Florida who attended the labs in 2024 are returning as summer interns in 2025. They will be leading labs in Eastern Europe.  Summer internships are six to eight weeks. Many summer interns continue their service as IMB Journeyman, and some Journeymen go on to serve long term. This is the pipeline progression Worthy hopes to see.

Students take Gospel to the streets

Scott Belmore, who hosted the labs in London, said he also wants to use the labs as a time to train high schoolers to develop a pipeline of service to the nations.

“These are opportunities to begin to raise up the next generation of missionaries to continue the work across the globe for the kingdom,” Belmore said.

High schoolers pose in front of the community center of a church in London where they participated in a youth lab.

The team he hosted in London worked with local church partners to share the gospel in neighborhoods where they wanted to engage people with the gospel.

Belmore said they made tremendous advancements for their partners, who continue to outreach each week in communities where the students spent time.

In Budapest, students learned a method of sharing the gospel and took the knowledge to the streets. Budapest hosted breakdancing and skateboarding during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Students spent time sharing the gospel at the Olympic venues, and the team met the gold and silver medalists in breakdancing.

Through the high school students’ witness, they contacted 900 people, had 350 full gospel presentations, more than 70 people asked for more information and six people committed their lives to Christ.

Lamar Schubert, an IMB leader and missionary in Budapest, said the students advanced their team’s strategy by modeling faithful evangelism for their Hungarian partners. Their Hungarian partners will join the youth labs in 2025.

Worthy said in both cities, every high school student shared their faith at least once.

High school juniors and seniors spend time sharing the gospel outside an Olympic venue in Budapest, Hungary. Budapest hosted breakdancing and skateboarding during the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Lauren Morris, who is the student consultant for South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union, led a team to serve in Budapest. The students came from seven churches across the state. Morris said the trip was an incredible experience for her students.

“I saw them embrace their faith in new ways as they pushed themselves to start conversations and share the gospel with complete strangers. They learned that once they took the first step of obedience, God made it incredibly easy for them to have gospel conversations,” Morris said.

Several of the teens on her team had the opportunity to sit with a homeless woman. They showed her love and compassion by listening to her story, sharing the gospel and purchasing lunch. While the woman did not accept Christ, they were able to plant a seed and understand just how rewarding obedience to God can be, Morris said.

She said there was a healthy peer pressure to not be the one to say they hadn’t talked to anyone about God that day.

“Everyone knew that we were all in it together, all fighting for obedience when the temptation to stay silent arose, and all cheering one another on each step of the way,” Morris said.

The beauty of the program is that what the students learn is not only applicable to ministry in Europe.  They are tools they can use at home.

Morris said her students came home more confident in sharing the gospel and have been employing the strategies they learned on the trip within their communities.

Youth labs will take place in eight European cities in 2025. Worthy expects more than 200 students will attend the labs this summer. Plans will be made soon for 2026 labs. Interested churches, associations or conventions can email info@imb.org for more information on upcoming labs.

He emphasized that the youth labs are open to everyone — from the rural church with a small group to a state association or WMU group that might gather students.

High schoolers participating in a youth lab worship in a church in London. The church provided the facilities for the team. The teenagers went into communities the church wanted to engage with the gospel to share the gospel.

Some names changed for security reasons.

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Lifeway: Protestant pastors bring attention to global Christian persecution https://www.baptistmessenger.com/protestant-pastors-bring-attention-to-global-christian-persecution/ <![CDATA[Aaron Earls]]> Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:00:30 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Missions & Church]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55809 <![CDATA[This article was originally written by Aaron Earls and published to LifewayResearch.com BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — As pastors speak and pray with their congregations, they say they’re also keeping persecuted Christians around the world in mind. More than 9 in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors (93%) say their church has engaged in at least one of six […]]]> <![CDATA[

This article was originally written by Aaron Earls and published to LifewayResearch.com

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — As pastors speak and pray with their congregations, they say they’re also keeping persecuted Christians around the world in mind.

More than 9 in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors (93%) say their church has engaged in at least one of six ways to bring attention to Christians suffering persecution within the past year, according to a Lifeway Research study. Around 1 in 14 (7%) say they haven’t done any of those six, and less than 1% aren’t sure.

“The United States has extensive freedom for people to practice their faith without fear of retribution,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Despite the distance from persecution, pastors and churches are not ignoring the persecution Christians are experiencing throughout the world.”

Prayers for the persecuted

Praying isn’t all churches are doing for global persecuted Christians, but it is what the most congregations are doing. More than 5 in 6 pastors say they have encouraged their congregation to pray (86%) or prayed in a worship service (85%) for persecuted Christians worldwide within the past 12 months.

“While persecuted Christians may be hard to reach, churches are bringing requests to God on their behalf,” said McConnell.

Evangelical pastors are more likely than their mainline counterparts to include prayer as part of their churches’ response to persecution. Compared to mainline pastors, evangelical pastors are more likely to say they have encouraged their congregation to pray for persecuted Christians worldwide (92% v. 80%) and have prayed in a worship service for Christians suffering persecution (89% v. 79%).

Pastors in the South are among the most likely to have encouraged their congregation to pray (89%) and to have done so during a worship service (88%). Those in the Northeast are among the least likely to encourage prayer (80%) and pray during a service (78%) for persecuted Christians.

Denominationally, Presbyterian/Reformed pastors are among the least likely to have encouraged their congregation to pray for Christians experiencing persecution around the world (75%) and prayed specifically for those persecuted during a service (72%).

Other means of ministry

Most pastors have used their sermons as an opportunity to bring up the topic of persecution, but fewer have gone beyond that. Two in 3 (66%) have talked about modern persecuted believers from around the world in a sermon.

Pastors are less likely to say they’ve handed out information about persecuted Christians (31%). Even fewer had an event to bring awareness of Christian persecution (17%) or showed a video during a worship service about persecuted Christians (16%).

“Examples and stories of newly persecuted Christians worldwide are readily accessible, and most pastors are sharing this news in sermons at least annually. Whether pastors are preaching from Bible passages that include persecution or those that promise Christians will face persecution, today’s global persecution is relevant to today’s biblical teaching,” said McConnell.

 

As with prayer, evangelical pastors are frequently more likely to be involved in other ways of raising awareness for Christians suffering persecution. They are more likely than mainline pastors to have talked about modern persecuted Christians in a sermon (75% v. 53%), handed out information about the issue (36% v. 24%) and shown a video about the persecution of Christians worldwide (22% v. 9%).

Pastors at larger churches are among the most likely to have included something about modern persecuted Christians worldwide in a sermon in the past year. Pastors at churches with 100-249 attendees (75%) and those with 250 or more (74%) are more likely than those with fewer than 50 (59%) to have broached the subject in a sermon. Pastors of the smallest congregations are also the least likely to have shown a video (10%).

Additionally, Pentecostal (82%), Baptist (74%), non-denominational (72%) and Restorationist movement (70%) pastors are more likely than Lutheran (56%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (47%) pastors to have mentioned modern global persecution in a sermon.

Non-denominational (39%) and Baptist (33%) pastors are more likely than Presbyterian/Reformed (23%) and Restorationist movement (20%) pastors to say they handed out information about persecuted Christians in the past year. Non-denominational pastors are among the most likely to have had an event focused on the issue (27%). Lutherans are the least likely to have shown a video about persecution (4%).

Pastors 65 and older are among the most likely to say they have handed out information about persecuted Christians (37%) or hosted a related event (23%).

“Pastors are quick to say they are praying for persecuted Christians, but remembering them with other emphases or events is much less common,” said McConnell.

For more information, view the complete report and visit LifewayResearch.com.

Click here to read the original article.

 

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Oklahoma Baptist University to Launch Master of Divinity Degree in Summer 2025 https://www.baptistmessenger.com/oklahoma-baptist-university-to-launch-master-of-divinity-degree-in-summer-2025/ <![CDATA[Bryan Painter]]> Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:00:32 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55804 <![CDATA[Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) will offer a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree beginning in the summer of 2025, providing students and ministers in Oklahoma and the surrounding region with new opportunities for ministry education. The program will be available in several formats, including a five-year Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Ministry / Master of […]]]> <![CDATA[

Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) will offer a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree beginning in the summer of 2025, providing students and ministers in Oklahoma and the surrounding region with new opportunities for ministry education.

The program will be available in several formats, including a five-year Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Ministry / Master of Divinity track, a traditional in-person MDiv, and a fully online option.

The MDiv program aims to serve both current students and active ministers who wish to pursue advanced theological training close to home or while continuing their ministry work in churches and communities.

“I could not be more excited to announce the forthcoming launch of our Master of Divinity,” said Dr. Brandon Smith, chair of the Hobbs School of Theology and Ministry and Graduate Director of Theology and Ministry Programs. “Students and churches in Oklahoma and the surrounding region have been requesting an MDiv from OBU for years and we are happy to serve them in this way.”

Smith said the five-year program will also help OBU provide current and prospective students with a rigorous, well-rounded, highly affordable, and streamlined path toward earning two essential degrees for ministry training and preparation.

A key feature of the OBU MDiv is its blend of subject expertise and practical experience. Faculty experts will partner with seasoned ministry practitioners to ensure students receive a well-rounded education that bridges academic preparation with real-world application.

“OBU is proud to provide a Master of Divinity to our Oklahoma churches, pastors and future ministers,” OBU President Dr. Heath A. Thomas said. “Based on requests from students and ministers, the time is right for OBU to offer our churches an MDiv that is biblically rooted, practically relevant and theologically orthodox. We will prepare real ministers for the real world of ministry, prioritizing local church engagement and gospel advancement. I could not be more excited.”

By offering flexible formats and strategic partnerships, OBU’s new Master of Divinity degree seeks to equip a new generation of ministers and church leaders to serve their communities and beyond effectively.

For more information, go to okbu.edu/mdiv.

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BLOG – Don’t Bet on It: Counting the High Cost of Legalized Sports Gambling for Oklahoma https://www.baptistmessenger.com/blog-dont-bet-on-it-counting-the-high-cost-of-legalized-sports-gambling-for-oklahoma/ <![CDATA[Brian Hobbs]]> Mon, 24 Feb 2025 03:00:38 +0000 <![CDATA[Editorial]]> <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Word Slingers]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55775 <![CDATA[Did you know Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 in the United States in many key categories? We are ranked 5th in the U.S. for beef production. We are ranked in the top 5 in energy production and 7th in wind energy production. Sadly, Oklahoma is also ranked 6th in the nation when it comes […]]]> <![CDATA[

Did you know Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 in the United States in many key categories? We are ranked 5th in the U.S. for beef production. We are ranked in the top 5 in energy production and 7th in wind energy production.

Sadly, Oklahoma is also ranked 6th in the nation when it comes to gambling addiction, with the second most gambling machines per capita, according to research published in The Oklahoman.

Indeed, Oklahoma is truly a gambling hotspot in this nation. To compound matters, the State of Oklahoma’s lawmakers are on the brink of approving sports betting in our state.

Sports betting is, of course, not new, as it has become a ubiquitous part of professional sports and other levels of spectator sports. Our understanding of sports betting addictions, though, is only now being understood.

A recent Newsweek article called “Sports Betting Hurts American Men” quoted author Charles Fain Lehman, who said, “The rise of sports gambling has caused a wave of financial and familial misery, one that falls disproportionately on the most economically precarious households.”

Sports betting is particularly alluring to young men, with some research showing that three out of every four students are gambling. Thus, the face of sports betting addiction is that of a lonely young man on his digital device, risking money he cannot afford to lose, in a vicious cycle of addiction.

Young men like Malek, whose sports addiction was catalogued in a recent news article online.

“It was a total warping of my mind,” said Malek. “I know what I’m doing. This is easy, this is great.” However, $10 bets became $100 wagers, which quickly morphed into stakes involving thousands of dollars. “When I really started losing and chasing the losses, I had an awareness that it was uncomfortable,” admitted Malek. “But I think I was in such a mode of trying to solve everything that I didn’t see it as really much of a problem.”

There are millions of others like Malek, addicted to sports gambling—an addiction which has been linked to a rise in anxiety, bankruptcies and, most disturbingly, even a rise in domestic violence.

In this recent Baptist Messenger podcast discussion, two Oklahoma pastors talk about the moral, economic and social costs that sports gambling has. They explain how sports betting is even tainting sports and sports competition itself.

While policy makers are being told the move would bring tax revenue to the state, the reality is that taxes of this nature always over-promise and under-perform. Think of the 2004 approval of the lottery, how it was marketed as a cure-all for our schools and has fallen woefully short of those promises. Moreover, sports betting has not been the tax boom it was promised in some states who have already legalized it, or it has come at a higher social cost than first was imagined.

The people pushing for sports betting in Oklahoma are not bad. But they are making a bad bet, one that will have devastating social and personal consequences for individuals, families, and communities, as well as further erode our moral reputation as a state.

For these reasons and more, Oklahomans should not ignore the high cost of legalized gambling; we should reject the further expansion of gambling. After all, sometimes you just need to know when to fold ‘em.

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The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as a Teaching Tool https://www.baptistmessenger.com/the-baptist-faith-and-message-2000-as-a-teaching-tool/ <![CDATA[Staff]]> Sat, 22 Feb 2025 21:00:11 +0000 <![CDATA[Family & Society]]> <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Missions & Church]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55758 <![CDATA[This article was originally written by Nathan Finn and published to The Baptist Courier. In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Memphis, Tenn. At that momentous meeting, messengers made two decisions with far-reaching consequences. First, they adopted the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, they launched the Cooperative Program as a unified funding strategy for […]]]> <![CDATA[

This article was originally written by Nathan Finn and published to The Baptist Courier.

In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Memphis, Tenn. At that momentous meeting, messengers made two decisions with far-reaching consequences. First, they adopted the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, they launched the Cooperative Program as a unified funding strategy for Southern Baptist ministries. In remarks to the SBC Executive Committee earlier this year, SBC President Clint Pressley rightly referred to the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program as the “two rails” of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Our confession was born of controversy. For the first 80 years of SBC history, we had no Convention-wide confessional statement. The reason is not because Southern Baptists were not confessional. Most local churches had confessions. Most Baptist associations had confessions. Many state conventions had confessions. Our three seminaries at the time had confessions. Southern Baptists were clearly a confessional people, and had been since our founding.

There was little felt need for a denominational confession prior to the mid-1920s because we enjoyed widespread doctrinal consensus. The rise of modernist theology changed that. When some liberal pastors and professors began accommodating Darwinism, Southern Baptists responded by adopting a revised and expanded version of the New Hampshire Confession as the Baptist Faith and Message 1925.

Over the years, controversy has continued to result in revisions and amendments to the Baptist Faith and Message. In 1963, we revised the confession primarily in response to some seminary faculty teaching Neo-Orthodox views of Scripture. In 1998, we amended the confession to include a statement on the family that addressed progressive views that were becoming popular in American culture. In 2000, we again revised the confession to clarify our conservative theology on the other side of the Inerrancy Controversy. In 2023, a minor revision clarified that there is only one pastoral office in the New Testament, and that only men are biblically qualified to serve in that role.

Because of the historic relationship between controversy, confessionalism, and cooperation, it can be tempting to think of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 primarily in those terms. But thousands of local churches have adopted the confession since the turn of the century. In some cases, that decision might have been mostly symbolic or perfunctory. But in an increasingly post-denominational age, our confession can play an important role in helping churches understand what it means to be a Southern Baptist.

New members join our churches from all sorts of backgrounds. Some are new believers who might not know much at all about the Christian faith. Others are longtime Christians who have been nurtured in other denominational traditions or nondenominational churches. Still others might have been Southern Baptists for all their Christian life, but they have little idea of what that means. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is the best resource we have for helping all these types of new members – and every type of long- term member – to understand the faith and practice of Southern Baptists.

— The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are orthodox believers who affirm the primary doctrines of the Christian faith

— The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are evangelicals who hold to a conservative biblical understanding of Scripture and salvation

— The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are Baptist followers of Christ who affirm a regenerate church membership, believer’s baptism by immersion alone, congregational polity, local church autonomy and religious liberty for all people

— The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are Great Commission Christians who are committed to evangelism, discipleship and church planting among all peoples

— The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reminds us that Southern Baptists are culturally engaged believers who care about the implications of the Christian faith for authentic human flourishing.

So, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message this year, I want to urge pastors and other ministry leaders to teach our confession in 2025. Don’t just post it on the church’s website, but distribute copies to all members. Consider a teaching series on Wednesday nights, Sunday evenings or during a Sunday School hour. Take your deacons or your small group leaders through the confession. Incorporate articles from the confession into your sermons when they relate to the text. Introduce a new article each week in your corporate worship gatherings by printing it in a bulletin or projecting it on a screen.

You may have other ideas that are better suited for your local church, and that’s OK. What is most important is that you have some strategy for helping your members understand what Southern Baptists believe. There is no better tool for this purpose than the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

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Pastor-In-Focus: Kevin Moss, Pastor of Antioch Fellowship https://www.baptistmessenger.com/pastor-in-focus-kevin-moss-pastor-of-antioch-fellowship/ <![CDATA[Staff]]> Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:48 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[In Focus]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55747 <![CDATA[Pastor Kevin, can you tell us how God called you to ministry and about the places you have served, as well as about your family?  “God called me to the Gospel ministry on Easter Sunday 1996 while I was serving as Minister of Music of the New Hope Baptist Church (Pastor E.J. Tyson) of Vernon, […]]]> <![CDATA[

Pastor Kevin, can you tell us how God called you to ministry and about the places you have served, as well as about your family? 

“God called me to the Gospel ministry on Easter Sunday 1996 while I was serving as Minister of Music of the New Hope Baptist Church (Pastor E.J. Tyson) of Vernon, TX. In Feb. 97, I united with the Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church OKC (Pastor A. Glenn Woodberry) where I served as an Associate Minister serving sick and shut- ins, musician (Director of Jr. Mass Choir), Sunday School instructor for Young Adults, Director of the Young Adult Ministry from 2002-2006 and developed and conducted the Spring Break Abstinence and Music Workshop from 2003-2008.”

“I am married to Tanya Moss since July 2008, and together we share 5 children (mostly grown). Michea Moss (deceased), Samuel Moss (16), Kristin (35), Kelli (33), and Kym (30). We have one son, Israel Vaughn, that we love as our own.”

How is the Lord blessing and working through your church now?

“How befitting that you would ask me that! The Lord is amazing as my wife and I have just been endorsed by SEND (Church Planting) Network on January 1, 2025 – To God be the Glory!”

“The Lord began transitioning us in May of 2024, and placed on my heart that we needed to replant the Antioch Fellowship Baptist Church. I did not know where, but God began to lead me. We have moved to our new location in Spencer, Oklahoma.”

“He has already begun to remake and redevelop our ministry, starting with our youth. We baptized our 3rd and 4th young person on Sunday, Jan 5, 2025, as we have the ability to teach our children about allowing Jesus to lead their lives more personally in our new location.”

“We are birthing small groups and beginning in Feb. 2025, we will begin a small group on relationships that will run concurrently with our Sunday School on the 2nd and 4th Sunday at 9:45 a.m. We are also providing a Wednesday Noonday Prayer and Bible Study and will be opening it up to the community, led by our Minister of Prayer and Visitation, Rev. Robert Proutt.”

“The half of what the Lord is going to do is yet to be seen, but we believe beyond a shadow of doubt that the Lord has sent us there to serve Him and reach the lost for Christ. The icing on the cake is our new endorsement with SEND Network. As Rusty Gunn said to us, ‘Get ready for the ride of your lives!’”

What is your ‘Life verse’ or Bible passage that has held a special significance in your life and ministry?

“I have a lot of ‘favorite’ verses or texts, but the passage that has been the most impactful to me is where the Lord directed me when my daughter was murdered in April 2015, the 77th Psalm, specifically verses 1-15. And then top it off with Romans 8:28, knowing that no matter what comes our way, good, bad, happy or sad, God can and will use it for our good.”

Can you talk about the unique fellowship we share among Oklahoma Baptists? 

“From the ministry of service to the prayers of comfort and helps, Oklahoma Baptists have been a breath of fresh air to me. I am deeply grateful for the unique fellowship we share as Oklahoma Baptists. It is a bond rooted in our shared faith, united purpose, and unwavering commitment to spreading the Gospel. Together, we uplift one another through prayer, encouragement and collaboration, creating a community that embodies the love of Christ. Oklahoma Baptists are a constant source of inspiration and strength, reminding me of the power of unity in serving in God’s Kingdom.”

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An Incredible Journey to Seminary: Autism Provides Mission Opportunity For Oklahoma Baptist Seminary Student https://www.baptistmessenger.com/an-incredible-journey-to-seminary-autism-provides-mission-opportunity-for-oklahoma-baptist-seminary-student/ <![CDATA[Staff]]> Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:04 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Missions & Church]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55796 <![CDATA[This article was originally written by Mary Asta Mountain and published to SEBTS.edu. Feature photo courtesy of SEBTS.edu. For each student at Southeastern, Great Commission ministry looks different. For Seth Taylor, it requires an arduous amount of effort; it can be painstakingly slow; and it is always through uncharted territory. But his ministry to a […]]]> <![CDATA[

This article was originally written by Mary Asta Mountain and published to SEBTS.edu. Feature photo courtesy of SEBTS.edu.

For each student at Southeastern, Great Commission ministry looks different. For Seth Taylor, it requires an arduous amount of effort; it can be painstakingly slow; and it is always through uncharted territory. But his ministry to a group of people called the Speller Bros is a testament to God’s grace and a celebration of the all-surpassing worth of the gospel.

“I always knew about God because of my parents,” Seth shared as he spelled out his story. “Even before spelling, I listened to them read the Bible, and I learned all about Jesus. One day mom read to me the plan of salvation from a homeschool book. I realized I need to be forgiven, so I asked in my mind for Jesus to save me. He did, and now the Holy Spirit helps me try to live for him, even though I still can’t talk.”

From a young age, Seth experienced the world very differently than those around him.

When Seth was a little under a year old, his parents, Andy and Laurie Taylor, learned that their son had severe autism and motor apraxia. Because of his autism, Seth was unable to speak and had no way of communicating with others.

Over the next decade, the Taylors sought out many different therapies and methods of helping Seth, but nothing seemed to break through the barrier. Not until his eleventh birthday, that is.

Around that time, Andy and Laurie learned about a woman who was able to communicate with her own autistic son through something called a letterboard; through it, he was able to spell out his thoughts.

Here was an opportunity to try something new, something that might change Seth’s world. It was a terrifying thing to get their hopes up for something else that might not work.

However, our God is a God of hope.

Andy, Laurie, and Seth traveled to meet the woman who could teach them how to use the letterboard, and within a few days of working with her, communication opened up for Seth. Using the letterboard, an 8.5×11-inch laminated piece of paper, Seth demonstrated to his parents the fullness and complexity of his thoughts.

“The first time we saw him have open communication on the letterboard,” Andy described, “Laurie and I were both overjoyed and sorrowful at the same time. We thought that Seth was unaware of everything around him, but he was actually listening to everything we said. We were so happy that he now had a voice, but also sad that he had lived so many years trapped in his mind. There were lots of tears,” he remembered. “Honestly, it was also scary at first. We didn’t know what he would say. Would he be mad or disappointed in us?”

Seth also remembers that moment very clearly, and he described in his own words what it was like to communicate with his parents for the first time.

“It was amazing,” he spelled. “It was so good for me to show them that I am smart even though my hands and body act crazy. They could get to know me, and my family was so happy. Spelling has opened up my life.”

A year later, around his twelfth birthday, Seth experienced something even more life-changing than being able to spell: He asked Jesus to save him from his sins and through the gospel found eternal hope and forgiveness in his Lord and Savior.

The day he was saved, Seth spelled out to his mother the summary of Christ’s work on his behalf: “All done.”

Speller Bros and Seminary

Over the years since then, Seth has grown in his faith and in his ability to communicate with people. Only recently he and his family discovered a community of other young men whose lives look very much like Seth’s. They are called, in Seth’s words, the Speller Bros.

Photo courtesy of SEBTS.edu

Also autistic and non-speaking, these friends use letterboards to communicate at spell groups and community activities. Their proficiency at using a letterboard varies, and Seth explained that it takes a lot of time and energy to use. The practice of spelling also requires a partner to help, and for some of the Speller Bros, that means that communication can only happen at therapy with a therapist. Others, like Seth, are now able to spell at home with a family member.

With this newfound community, God answered Seth’s deep desire for friendship. However, he also placed a new desire in Seth’s heart: to share about Jesus and the beauty and hope of the gospel with these new friends. Once Seth realized this, he had another decision to make.

As Andy recalled, “Seth told me on his letterboard, ‘Dad, I need to go to seminary.’” When he asked Seth why, his response was, “‘Because I need to learn about God so I can lead a Bible study for the Speller Bros.’”

At first Andy was overwhelmed at this request. Would it be possible? However, by God’s grace, he knew of a seminary that shared Seth’s heart for reaching the lost with the gospel. For almost three years, Andy has served on the board of trustees at Southeastern Seminary, and after Seth shared his desire for theological education, Andy reached out to Southeastern’s provost, Scott Pace, to see what their next steps should be.

The First Steps of Theological Equipping

This year, Seth started his first Go Certificate class at Southeastern: Theology I with Ken Keathley. Because of the format of the class and its online delivery, he was able to work through the content at his own pace.

Since beginning the Go Certificate, Seth has now completed the first course and moved on to Hermeneutics with Danny Akin and Great Commission studies with Chuck Lawless. Through these classes, Seth is gaining a biblical and theological foundation as he prepares to lead a Bible study for the Speller Bros.

“I think God put the desire in my heart so they can know how much God loves them,” Seth expressed, reflecting on his mission to minister to the Speller Bros. “My first Bible study,” he said, “is about the man born blind (John 9).”

In addition to planning this study, Seth has been able to use what he is learning in his classes to articulate how God is at work in his life.

“I have a blog that has more subscribers than I thought would read it,” Seth shared. “I wrote my testimony recently to share the gospel. I had just learned about the Holy Spirit in theology class, so I incorporated it in my story. I hope I have more opportunities to share.”

As Andy reflected on the events of the past months, he was struck by the way that God has been able to use Seth in his own unique circumstances. “The last year has been amazing. Seth has grown into his calling. To see his determination is humbling. Certainly, he is impacting the spelling community. But Seth is an inspiration and challenge to all who know him to lay down their excuses and allow the struggles of your life to be used to magnify the greatness of Christ.”

“Laurie and I have said for years that Seth’s life has been the most sanctifying experience for both of us,” Andy shared. “Seth has helped us to see the Imago Dei in every person. His love for ministry is humbling. He could have become bitter with frustration and anxiety. But he leans on the Holy Spirit.”

Go and Make Disciples Through Spelling

Photo courtesy of SEBTS.edu

As Seth seeks to minister to the Speller Bros, there is a lot to learn, and the journey is not easy.

“My mind cannot control my body, so I look like I’m only a shell of a person,” Seth shared through his letterboard. “I struggle to stay regulated, which can look like crazy, impulsive movements, strange sounds, and my lack of verbal speech. It is hard to do a lot of things, and I have a lot of people stare at me in public.”

Their perception of him, however, fails to see the full picture. “My mind is intact,” he explained, “so it’s been life changing to have a way to communicate. My mind loves God and wants to fulfill his plan for me.”

It is through God’s sovereign plan and grace in Seth’s life that Seth is now able to be an ambassador for Christ to his friends and to those around him. As he is equipped for that work through his studies at Southeastern, Seth is able to see his own understanding and love for God grow. His journey challenges others, as well, to see the overlooked gospel opportunities around them.

“I think about Southeastern’s ‘GO’ logo every day, and especially as I think about Seth,” Andy shared. “We often connect Great Commission impact with the recognizable areas of the world that need more gospel witness. Who would have thought to see the Speller Bros as an unreached people group for ministry? But that is what Southeastern trains students to do every day.”

When asked how his Southeastern community could pray for him, Seth gave this request: “They can pray that we get the Bible study logistics worked out. Pray for more people to have spelling to unlock their voices. I know that I will be healed in heaven someday. However, if you pray for me to be healed in my life here, that would be great.”

Southeastern is thankful for the opportunity to come alongside families like the Taylors to provide theological education and equipping. Through students like Seth, God is bringing lost hearts to himself in the most overlooked and unreached people groups, both at home and across the world.

For more stories about what God is doing in Seth’s life, visit his personal blog, Dispelled: Autism Exposed.

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Just Joe – The Things You Don’t Know https://www.baptistmessenger.com/just-joe-the-things-you-dont-know/ <![CDATA[Joe Ligon]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:00:18 +0000 <![CDATA[Editorial]]> <![CDATA[Feature]]> <![CDATA[Word Slingers]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55741 <![CDATA[It happened before Christmas last year. I had gone to town with my wife, Gayla. She had several stops she needed to make, including a major stop at WalMart. You might be wondering why I went with her. I needed the “points”— I was really low on points, on the verge of desperate. So, there […]]]> <![CDATA[

It happened before Christmas last year. I had gone to town with my wife, Gayla. She had several stops she needed to make, including a major stop at WalMart. You might be wondering why I went with her. I needed the “points”— I was really low on points, on the verge of desperate. So, there I was in WalMart.

Gayla let me push the cart for her. She is nicelike that. Then it happened. She told me that she had forgotten to get some Rotel. And she asked me if I would go get some. Talk about major points… She said it was on the aisle that we had just come down. How hard could this be?

I took off for the Rotel although I wasn’t exactly clear on what that was. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. Soon, I found myself looking at every item on that aisle determined I was going to deliver on the Rotel request. This may surprise you but I didn’t find it.

So, I decided that I would go back to the end of the aisle and work my way down that aisle one more time in search of Rotel. That’s when I found it. Not the Rotel. I will finish that story in a minute. But I found it. There on a shelve about eye level, I spotted a bottle of Mole Paste.

I have to tell you that stopped me in my tracks. I began to think about what I was looking at. My first dilemma was to decide whether this was for those discolored places on our skin. But I couldn’t figure out how paste would help with that… So, then I decided it must be for moles – you know those gopher-like creatures that tunnel through our yards.

But that created another dilemma. Was this mole paste something that you would use to stick body parts back on a mole that had lost them. But that made no sense to me. So then I wondered if mole paste was something you could use to paste a whole mole to some other creature, you know, like a gopher. Why would you want to glue a Mole to anything? On second thought, why wouldn’t you want to glue a Mole to something? All I needed was a Mole.

As I stood there contemplating this new thing in my life, a couple of handy dandy WalMart employees happened by. Don’t think I didn’t want to have a bit of a conversation with them about Mole Paste. In fact, I wanted to ask them why they would a put glue-like substances (paste) in the food section. But I didn’t ask them that. They looked too busy.

Instead I asked them where the Rotel was. They told me it was one aisle over. They were right. But that means my darling wife misled me and sent me on a wild goose chase for Rotel. But I showed her. I found the Rotel and delivered it to our shopping cart. How about that for some points? Boy, did I want to sneak some Mole Paste in Gayla’s cart. Then when we got home, I could ask her what she bought that for. And I bet she would have an answer because she is smart like that, and she has been married to me for several years. But I didn’t. I was scared.

There are a bunch of lessons that could be learned from this incident in my life. One lesson would be just when you think you know something about almost everything, Mole Paste shows up as evidence that you didn’t know it all. Two, WalMart has everything. I think the next time I go there, I am going to ask a handy-dandy WalMart employee in the hardware department for some Mole Paste or maybe some Gopher Glue. Three, you should never get so low on points that you have to go to WalMart, especially during the holiday season. Four, even if your wife doesn’t know the exact aisle Rotel is on, she probably doesn’t know what aisle the Mole Paste is on either. But if she ever asks me to pick up some, I am going to be all over it.

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ERLC urges Congress to defund Planned Parenthood https://www.baptistmessenger.com/erlc-urges-congress-to-defund-planned-parenthood/ <![CDATA[Laura Erlanson]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:00:14 +0000 <![CDATA[Feature]]> https://www.baptistmessenger.com/?p=55793 <![CDATA[NASHVILLE (BP) – The SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty has issued a formal request for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and is asking others to join. A letter from the ERLC to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee (available on the ERLC website here) says, “The American people should not be forced to subsidize an […]]]> <![CDATA[

NASHVILLE (BP) – The SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty has issued a formal request for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and is asking others to join.

A letter from the ERLC to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee (available on the ERLC website here) says, “The American people should not be forced to subsidize an organization that profits from the deaths of innocent lives. … Many Americans do not want their tax money supporting an organization that profits from the loss of preborn lives and the exploitation of mothers, particularly one with $2.1 billion in annual revenue and more than $2.5 billion in net assets.”

Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, receives taxpayer funds – to the tune of $700 million last year – through Medicaid reimbursements and grants from government agencies.

“The ERLC released its campaign to defund Planned Parenthood that is built on previous pro-life wins,” said ERLC President Brent Leatherwood in comments to Baptist Press Feb. 19. “President Trump has already reinstated the Hyde Amendment, but now we need Congress to take the next logical step to make the defunding of Planned Parenthood permanent through the reconciliation process.”

Reconciliation is a way for Congress to enact spending measures with only a simple majority. (See this explainer from the Brookings Institution.)

The letter sent to the House subcommittee asks it “to include defunding Planned Parenthood in their list of suggested spending cuts the House Budget Committee has asked committees to put together for reconciliation,” Leatherwood told BP.

The Trump Administration has indicated its willingness to support defunding Planned Parenthood, with then-vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance saying as much last October.

Such efforts to end public funding for abortion services are not new. They include efforts in 2011 and 2015. The Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023 was introduced in the U.S. House two years ago, and last month, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul introduced a similar measure in the Senate.

Earlier this month, the ERLC joined an amicus brief in support of South Carolina’s effort to stop Medicaid payments from going to the abortion giant.

Southern Baptists have long maintained that no government money should support abortion or abortion providers, explicitly calling for defunding and investigation of Planned Parenthood in a 2017 resolution. Another resolution in 2021 called for an end to public funding of abortion providers to prevent “taxpayers from being complicit in the moral evil of abortion.”

The ERLC’s message to Congress already has dozens of cosigners, including SBC President Clint Pressley, SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg, ERLC President Emeritus Richard Land and many SBC entity leaders and former Southern Baptist Convention presidents.

“We encourage all Southern Baptists to sign on to this letter in order to save lives, serve mothers, and make sure the consciences of millions of pro-life Americans are protected,” Leatherwood said. “Together, we can work to end this atrocity at the hands of Planned Parenthood.”

To see the ERLC’s letter and to sign on, go here.

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