Bible and Theology

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Searching for the Truth

“I’m not sure if I believe in a God. I just don’t believe a God would send someone to hell if they were raised another religion, live morally, and die. How could God allow an innocent baby to die... Continue Reading »

Special needs ministry resources available at sbc.net

A centralized list of resources to help churches minister to individuals with special needs is available at sbc.net and will be updated and printed in the 2025 Book of Reports as a service of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive... Continue Reading »

Small groups remain key aspect of churches’ discipleship ministry

Visiting a friend outside his hometown of Gloucester, England, in the late 1700s, Robert Raikes encountered children cursing, gambling and fighting in the streets. He was horrified, but a local woman told him it was even worse on Sundays,... Continue Reading »

How Do We View Prayer?

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turns his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1–2) How we view prayer enormously... Continue Reading »

Where Was God on Sept. 11, 2001?

GOD WAS ON THE THRONE OF THE UNIVERSE, CONTROLLING ALL THINGS BY HIS METICULOUS PROVIDENCE DURING THE HOLOCAUST, 9/11 AND EVERY OTHER EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY. In the days following the tragedy now simply labeled 9/11, the inevitable question... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — September 2024

Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College (Crossway) by Michael J. Kruger For many young adults, the college years are an exciting period of self discovery full of new relationships, new independence,... Continue Reading »

Saving Faith: ‘The One Thing I Could Not Do’

Hearing and seeing the word “faith” used to cause me much anxiety. Sometimes it still does. I spent countless hours trying to muster up faith. It didn’t work. I prayed for faith. I asked others to pray for me... Continue Reading »

Dear College Student: Doubting Doesn’t Make You a Bad Christian 

(This article is one installment in a six-part series helping Christian students think through how to prepare for life at a big university. This is the fifth thing that rising Christian college students need to know: “Doubting your faith... Continue Reading »

Doubting Our Faith: ‘Trust and Never Doubt’

“Trust and never doubt, Jesus will surely bring you out,” a catchy gospel chorus by Robert Ray, “He Never Failed Me Yet,” reassures. Yet, if we’re truly honest, when troubles and disappointments encroach our path, doubt in the goodness... Continue Reading »

If Christians Can Lose Their Salvation, We All Lose the Gospel

by JEFF ROBINSON, Editor I grew skeptical when he called it “an offer you can’t refuse.” Either this man was hiding something about the house he was trying to sell me, or his sales technique was deeply influenced... Continue Reading »

Thank You, Lord, for Tomorrow

When our children were young, it was fairly common for the youngest child to delight in saying the blessing before meals. When our youngest, Timothy, was 4 years old he often eagerly asked to say the blessing. His prayers... Continue Reading »

IMB directors publish Unreadable: Another Book You Probably Won’t Read

His body sways slightly with the stopping and starting of the metro. One hand grips the rail, and the other holds his phone. He’s watching a video on YouTube about the relevance of faith in today’s world and common... Continue Reading »

‘The Forge’ makes top 5 in box office debut, garners $6.6 million in ticket sales

The Kendrick brothers’ latest movie “The Forge” had a strong opening weekend at box offices nationwide, bringing in $6.6 million, according to reports. The film came in fifth overall in box office ticket sales between Aug. 23-25. The Forge... Continue Reading »

What 15 More Minutes of Prayer Will Do

I don’t typically talk about a minimum time of prayer we should pray each day. I’m more concerned that we pray than I am about how long we pray. At the same time, though, I suspect most of us... Continue Reading »

Q&A with Tony Wolfe, Author of A Deacon On Purpose

(Editor’s Note: Evan Knies, publisher at Courier Publishing, recently interviewed Tony Wolfe, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, about his new book, A Deacon on Purpose, published by Courier Publishing.) Evan: What led you to work on... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — August 2024

Criswell: His Life and Times (B&H) by O.S. Hawkins When the name W.A. Criswell is read or heard, certain thoughts come to mind. Many likely remember him as a president of the Southern Baptist Convention, or the founder of... Continue Reading »

Churchgoers may be overconfident in Old Testament knowledge

If you ask someone at church to name their favorite story from the Old Testament, they may mention Moses or Noah, but they might also talk about Jesus or Paul. Some may even begin describing a story from outside... Continue Reading »

Clayton’s Justified by Faith Offers Study on Book of Romans

In his third book with Courier Publishing, longtime pastor Ken Clayton offers a diligent study of the Book of Romans in Justified by Faith, similar to his early works on the Gospel of John and the Book of Daniel.... Continue Reading »

Grace and Truth: Life’s a Game of Inches, but God Controls the Inches

Less than one inch. That was the distance that separated former President Donald Trump from being struck in the temple by an assassin’s bullet on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pa. Had the gunman hit his intended... Continue Reading »

Q&A with Phil Newton, Author of Mending the Nets

(Editor’s Note: Evan Knies, publisher at Courier Publishing, recently interviewed Phil Newton about his new book, Mending the Nets, published by Courier Publishing. Newton co-authored the book with Rich Shadden.) Evan Knies: What led you to work on this... Continue Reading »

Prayer, fasting and the power of God

John Wesley took a dim view of pre-revival America, but he had a plan to change it. Wesley spent time in the colonies and reported, “I desired as many as could to join together in fasting and prayer, that... Continue Reading »

Grace and Truth: What’s Tone Got to do With It? Much Indeed (Part 2)

Five further insights on tone — continued from the May edition of The Baptist Courier. 6. SOFTEN YOUR LANGUAGE. Avoid harsh, judgmental language or attitudes. Avoid emotive language. Intentionally use gracious, non-combative words. Remember Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer... Continue Reading »

Law Amendment: Stand Where the World Stands Against Us

Over the last year the two of us have benefited from many conversations with friends on the upcoming vote for the Law Amendment at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis. The constitutional amendment will require churches who seat messengers... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — May 2024

The Life of an Associate Pastor: How God Used My Vocational Training to Prepare Me for Ministering to His Church (Founders Press, 2024) by Rick Davidson This new book on local church ministry is a unique resource; there simply... Continue Reading »

Finding Philemon: A Lesson of Forgiveness and Reconciliation 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God,” Jesus tells His followers in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:9). Like lambs among wolves, we’re enjoined by the “Prince of Peace” to be peacemakers, too,... Continue Reading »

Pastors, Teach and Model Civility

As William Wilberforce, the 18th and 19th century member of Parliament, fought for the abolition of slavery, he also led a “manners” crusade in England. He saw a direct correlation in the public arena between the way citizens treated... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — April 2024

The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution (Thomas Nelson) by R. Albert Mohler Jr. “Our Father, who art in heaven … .” The opening words of the Lord’s Prayer have... Continue Reading »

Books Every Prayer Leader Should Read

Frederick Douglass was born a slave to an enslaved Black mother almost 50 years before slavery ended in America. School for slaves on the plantation was out of the question, so he learned to read when others helped him... Continue Reading »

Why Don’t We Pray? Look in the Mirror

Prayerlessness is a lack of faith in Christ “I will lift my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2, NKJV). Any time you... Continue Reading »

If God is Sovereign, Why Pray?

God commands that we pray John Calvin wrote some profound words about prayer: “It is very important for us to call upon him: First, that our hearts may be fired with a zealous and burning desire ever to seek,... Continue Reading »

The Lord Taught Us How to Pray

Jesus not only taught us to pray — He commands it We long for revolution. Something within us cries out that the world is horribly broken and must be fixed. For centuries, the word “revolution” was scarcely heard, buried... Continue Reading »

The Privilege of Prayer: Are Unanswered Prayers a Gift From God?

Pray and leave the results to God’s wisdom In 1990, country music mega-star Garth Brooks released a song that, like many of his records in those days, quickly ascended the charts to number one, a song that, wittingly or... Continue Reading »

Are the people in your pews good theologians? A conversation with Malcolm Yarnell

As part of the royal priesthood of believers, theology is for all Christians – not just those teaching in the academy or serving in vocational ministry. It’s the call and privilege of every believer to know, love, and worship... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — March 2024

Reactivity: How the Gospel Transforms Our Actions & Reactions (Crossway) by Paul David Tripp Digital media and technology are altering the way people act — and react — toward each other. Criticism, outrage, and controversy dominate social engagement, and... Continue Reading »

Does Gospel-Centered Mean We Ignore Holiness?

In the last 10-15 years, a buzzword has shaped much of the thinking in the evangelical church. The buzzword is “gospel-centered.” It wasn’t too long ago that this “gospel-centered” worldview flooded Christian publications and rhetoric. You can easily find... Continue Reading »

The Gospel is Central to a Healthy Marriage

In a sense, marriage is a theme of the gospel A revival of gospel centrality usually brings with it a revival of biblical marriage. That’s because the gospel, when properly understood, elevates marriage. It shapes and molds it into... Continue Reading »

For a Gospel-Centered Walk With God, Soak in Galatians

Galatians is key to our daily Christian walk Many Christians, post-conversion, tend toward legalism or antinomianism in their pursuit of sanctification. I’ve seen this trend both in churches I’ve pastored and in Christian friends. One woman grew up in... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — February 2024

Given our theme this month of Christ in all of Scripture, these books all relate to helping believers better understand how the Old and New Testaments fit together and how they all culminate in Christ and His gospel. The... Continue Reading »

Want a Miserable Life? Confuse Law and Gospel

What if your church’s elders passed down a fiat that members couldn’t take more than 1,999 steps on the Lord’s Day without facing church discipline? Just one more step would represent a long trip — a no-no on the... Continue Reading »

Biblical Typology: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?

In preaching a sermon a few years ago on Numbers 20, we ran into something known as typology. As it has been variously defined in church history, typology occurs in the Bible when an historical person, event, or institution... Continue Reading »

Grace and Truth: The Life-Changing Centrality of Christ in All of Scripture

I didn’t realize it at the time, but two days in seminary way back in January of 2001 changed my life forever. No, I didn’t get saved on one of those days — that happened in 1977 — but... Continue Reading »

Christ in All of Scripture: How Do We Understand the OT? Jesus Tells Us on the Road to Emmaus

Jesus gave us an understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures Back in 2018, popular preacher Andy Stanley suggested we need to “unhitch from the Old Testament.” Stanley told his congregation: “Jesus’ new covenant, His covenant with the nations, His covenant... Continue Reading »

July 2013 Bible Study photo

Three Reasons the Old Testament Remains Relevant

People approach the Bible in a range of ways. Some people treat it as a collection of disconnected stories, others as an antiquated moral handbook. For some, the Bible functions as a cryptic codebook about modern-day political affairs and... Continue Reading »

New and Noteworthy Books — January 2024

America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911 (Oxford University) by Mark A. Noll Noll’s exploration of the Bible in American history explains why Tom Paine’s anti-biblical tract “The Age of Reason” (1794) precipitated such dramatic... Continue Reading »

When Scripture Seems Silent

What is a path of wisdom for churches to follow with emotion-packed, divisive, yet meaningful topics of today that we do not think Scripture speaks to? What do we do when we don’t want to bind consciences on things... Continue Reading »

Peachtree Publishing, B&H among its clients, celebrates 1 billion Bibles 

When Jan Gibbs began proofreading Bibles 14 years ago for Peachtree Publishing Services, which celebrated in December the distribution of a billion copies of its works, she first had to learn to draw lines. In the Bible’s poetry books... Continue Reading »