Tolerance Undermining Persuasion
Southern Baptist churches, based on our baptism reports, are less and less effective at sharing the gospel in such a way people receive it and become Christians. The reasons for this vary from church to church, but there are some common problems that span geography, culture, and ministry style. This is the second installment in […]
Redefining Witnessing
Southern Baptist churches, based on our baptism reports, are less and less effective at sharing the gospel in such a way people receive it and become Christians. The reasons for this vary from church to church, but there are some common problems which span geography, culture, and ministry style. Over the next few weeks, let […]
Nashville – Gospel Music City
Over the years, I have humorously described the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention as what happens when a southern tent revival, Baptist business meeting, flea market, and dinner-on-the-grounds collide. At the SBC meeting, you can hear a good sermon, vote your convictions, buy anything from a book to a church bus, and share […]
We Wait You
More than a decade ago, a Gateway employee wrote a book detailing her experiences as a missionary in Romania just after Communism collapsed. She was invited into the country as a university lecturer and given freedom to speak about democracy, human rights, and the gospel. After her first presentation, which included the gospel, a Romanian […]
Maintaining Mission Discipline
When an organization faces challenging circumstances, the temptation is to focus decision-making on solving presenting problems. While some fires do have to be put out immediately, veteran leaders know better than attempting to regain organizational health by focusing on the tyranny of the urgent. The best example in our seminary’s history was when we experienced […]
Defining Diversity
Gateway Seminary has been a diverse community for so long we often forget how unique we are in this regard. We started our five-campus graduation cycle this past weekend and our diversity was on full display, reminding me again of the tapestry that is the Gateway family. The first graduate listed in the program for […]
The Value of Women
My pastor, Dr. Brian Kennedy, devoted his Mother’s Day message to a stirring challenge to contemporary definitions of marriage, the significance of mothering, and the value of women. He also called men to fulfill their biblical responsibilities as husbands, fathers, and sons—part of which is honoring women and celebrating their significance. To rousing applause from […]
Crisis in our Churches (Revival in Churches) – Three
During a recent Gateway class presentation on ecclesiology, students poured out their discouragement and frustration over the state of their churches. Our professor set aside his notes and addressed the issues at hand. He followed up that class session with a series of letters to students, pointing out historical precedent which gives us hope for […]
Crises in our Churches – Two
In a recent class presentation on ecclesiology, students poured out their discouragement and frustration over the state of their churches. The professor set aside his notes and addressed the issues at hand. He followed up that class session with a series of letters to students, pointing out historical precedent which gives us hope for the […]
The Chauvin Verdict
I stepped off a plane on Tuesday and heard the news Derrick Chauvin was convicted on all counts of the death of George Floyd. Like many others, I had been thinking about some observations I could offer that might contribute to moving all of us forward in positive ways once the verdict was announced. My […]