Articles by Guest Author

Several years ago, our church began an evangelism equipping emphasis called, “Can We Talk?” As pastor there, I was discouraged by the limited number of Gospel conversations happening outside the walls of our church.

Food. Water. Shelter. All things that most of us would agree are at the most basic level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Yet many people spend their lives without the assurance of these necessities.

“Back then, my main focus was not excelling,” she said. “But this time is different. Houston Baptist University has really changed that for me. I want the ‘gold medal’ this time.”

As Victoria Lopez shared her testimony, members of the crowd dabbed their eyes to wipe away tears. The 16-year-old told the crowd of approximately 3,200 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, that she continues to look to God while fighting cystic fibrosis, a progressive genetic lung disease. She said through all her hospital stays, infections and surgeries, she has relied on God for help.

By Abby Hopkins

In 2017, 123 young women considering abortion came to a ministry in Decatur. After receiving loving assistance from Wise Choices Pregnancy Care Center, 103 of these “abortion-minded” women chose life, and the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering is playing a role in serving these new families.

“These girls are absolutely heroes. Choosing to love the child, even when it’s hard – it’s what motherhood is all about,” said Connie Wyatt, CEO of Wise Choices.

Wise Choices is a Texas Baptist Hunger Offering ministry that seeks to empower families throughout a woman’s pregnancy and for the first year of the baby’s life by giving hope.

“We meet them where they are. When they make the choice for life, they’re not in it alone,” Wyatt said.

Texas Baptists offered pastors and their church members the opportunity to be refreshed and reminded of biblical stewardship, including personal and church budgeting. The first of five “Giving Your Money Purpose” day retreats in 2018 was held on Saturday, April 21, at Houston Baptist University.

It’s always wise to approach the Gospel from a person’s social and cultural context, which is why Roland Lopez specializes in evangelizing to the Hispanic community.

For Spring Break this year, I decided to go to New York City. Not for a vacation or to sightsee, although I did get to do some of that, too.

The word “gentrification” is akin to “cancer” in many communities for those who have given their lives to challenges and concerns of these neighborhoods. The reality is that communities are always evolving into new shapes and forms as new people, businesses, ministries, and development change the cultural landscape.

I hear the words of Jeremiah ringing in my ears from church planters to well-established pastors. However, I often sit with multiple community investors who harbor a sense of discomfort and disappointment with the changing context. When offering counsel, the question that must be answered, is what does God want? Does God care for those new residents as much as the existing residents and how do we live together to the glory of God?

By John Litzler

Religious liberty is a bedrock American freedom, but a number of legal issues related to this freedom are being sorted out in the courts and news media today.

In some ways, the Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States raised more questions than it provided answers. In its opinion the Court concluded that “same-sex couples may exercise the right to marry” and also said “the First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faith.” What happens when these two liberties appear at odds with one another?

One example of this conflict between freedoms occurred in both California and Colorado. In each place, a same-sex couple, exercising their right to marry, sought to hire a baker to create a cake for the couple’s wedding and in each case the baker declined asserting that the baker’s religious beliefs prevented the baker from making a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage.