Guest Viewpoints

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Give What the World Can’t and Get Out of the Way

What is the difference between a kind, generous unbeliever and a kind, generous believer? I stood on a bridge in Asheville, N.C., over the French Broad River and interviewed two men, Steve and Tom. Steve said he was a... Continue Reading »

Reflections on the 2024 SBC Annual

It’s my privilege to serve as the recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention. The recording secretary is elected each summer by messengers to the SBC Annual Meeting. Along with the registration secretary, a position currently held by my... 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 »

NextGen Leader Shane Pruitt: ‘New School Year, Same Mission’

For many students and ministries, the start of a new school year feels the same as New Year’s resolutions for many adults. Most students see returning to school as offering more new opportunities and better chances to start over,... Continue Reading »

First Person: A Convention of Complementarian Churches

Over the past two years, I’ve said very little in public about the so-called Law Amendment. As recording secretary, I’m an officer of the Southern Baptist Convention who is eligible for perpetual election. If elected, I’ll serve Southern Baptists... Continue Reading »

Guest Viewpoint: Equal Justice for the Unborn? 

In 2022, the Louisiana House prepared to pass HB-813, the Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act. The bill garnered statewide support; a majority of House Republicans pledged to vote for it. On the eve of the vote, more than... 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 »

The Law Amendment: An Unnecessary Necessary Revision

Since 2022, and especially after the 2023 first vote to approve the so-called “Law amendment,” multiple authors and speakers have sought to sway messengers to vote in favor of or against changing the SBC Constitution. Ordinary church members, pastors,... Continue Reading »

5 Ways Pastors Create a Prayer Culture 

Most of us agree with John Maxwell’s well-known adage, “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” By that definition, the pastor’s leadership influences the ministry of the local church. This is particularly true in building a culture of prayer.... 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 »

Jesus - sunrise

Three Prayer Lessons From the Life of Jesus

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher”? Maybe we should say the same thing about prayer. Jesus is addressed 90 times in the Gospels, and 60 of those times... Continue Reading »

Surprising Answers About Unanswered Prayers

Americans are surprisingly optimistic about answered prayer. In fact, nearly 25 percent of people who pray told Lifeway that all their prayers are answered! The majority of people, 58 percent, report that “some” or “most” of their prayers get... Continue Reading »