The Integrity Challenge
A few days ago, a prominent Southern Baptist leader resigned after it was discovered his academic credentials were fraudulent. He had lied about schools he had supposedly attended and degrees he had supposedly earned. This was not an unfortunate error, but a fraud perpetrated and sustained for years. As an academic leader, these actions create […]
Trad Wives
Over the past few days, headlines about something called trad wives have caught my attention. Trad wives is social media shorthand for traditional wives, women who have chosen to be homemakers in lieu of pursuing careers outside their home. A sample of those headlines include: “Trad wives promote unrealistic stereotypes; not practical in today’s economy” – USA […]
Caring for Missionaries
For many people, the best part of being a Southern Baptist is supporting the work of the International Mission Board. The IMB is the centerpiece, the central reason our denomination exists. We were founded to combine the efforts of many churches to share the gospel with as many people as possible in as many places […]
Father’s Day
One of the great privileges of my life has been being a father. My three children are the pride of my life. They have overcome my bad parenting and are exceeding my expectations in their personal and professional lives. Beyond that, my son and son-in-law are now parenting my grandchildren—and doing a fabulous job. They […]
Intentionality
We have a church here in Southern California that is growing rapidly by reaching large numbers of lost people with the gospel. It was my privilege to preach there recently. During breaks between the services, I asked several of their lay leaders for their perspective on the reasons for their growth. The answers fell in two categories. Some […]
Elevating Public Service
A recent news article lamented the lack of interest among younger adults in serving as police officers or in the military. It described many police departments as significantly understaffed and having a hard time meeting their recruiting goals. According to the same article, only 9% of young adults would even consider joining the military. Military […]
A Nice Compliment
Recently, a guest on our campus gave us a nice compliment. He said no matter what is happening in the Southern Baptist Convention or the larger Evangelical world, when he connects with Gateway he hears a steady focus on our mission of sharing the gospel around the world. At Gateway, we consider that high praise! […]
Send Relief to Turkey
Southern Baptists get a lot of bad press, particularly among those who delight in pointing out mistakes made by Christians and other religious groups. Sometimes, even for those of us who focus on the good Southern Baptists are doing, its easy to forget how comprehensive our global impact really is. Send Relief is the disaster […]
When Words Fail
For a wordsmith who makes his living speaking and writing, it’s hard to admit when words cannot be found. That was my response to viewing the Tyre Nichols police videos. After watching them, I sat in dumbfounded silence. The only word that comes close to describing what I saw is horrific. Brutal, inhumane, and gut-wrenching […]
Forgiveness, Restoration, and Pastoral Integrity
Leaders make mistakes. Most of the time, our mistakes can be rectified by admitting our fault, confessing our sin, apologizing for our actions, making restitution, and determining to do better next time. But what happens when a leader – particularly a pastor – makes a more serious mistake? What happens when a mistake includes unethical […]