Archived Episodes

With Christmas just around the corner, many Tennesseans are dealing with the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that swept through West and Middle Tennessee on Saturday. At least six people were killed by the weekend storms. International Mission Board missionary Paul Yount sits just outside a crowded cafeteria. Inside the room, chairs squeak across the floor. A cacophony of voices mixes. Forks scrape plates. The ice in the drink machine crashes to the bottom of an empty glass. And, the two leading presidential candidates in the polls today are 81 years old and 77 years old. In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Thom Rainer wonders if pastors are working until later in life as well.

Christian companies have seen conflicting legal decisions about religious exemptions from Title VII LGBTQ rules after the U.S. Supreme Court said in 2020 that the statute prohibits bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For many people, Christmas means family – even family that may not be kin. And, sometimes it requires decades to see the Lord’s faithfulness. In 1963 that Southern Seminary launched the Billy Graham chair for evangelism…a specific professorship to help students focus on evangelism.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) have partnered together for the first time to place an international ultrasound machine as part of the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project. Churches are offering Christmas events and activities beyond weekly worship services this Christmas season, which will make many churchgoers happy. And, when First Lawton of Lawton, Oklahoma sensed godly inspiration to add a second weekend to its Living Christmas Tree, Senior Pastor Mike Keahbone didn’t realize what was in store.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) have partnered together for the first time to place an international ultrasound machine as part of the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project. Churches are offering Christmas events and activities beyond weekly worship services this Christmas season, which will make many churchgoers happy. And, when First Lawton of Lawton, Oklahoma sensed godly inspiration to add a second weekend to its Living Christmas Tree, Senior Pastor Mike Keahbone didn’t realize what was in store.

While gamers are looking to escape from the real world, many often make real life connections while in a virtual world. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission hosted ethics leaders from across the U.S. last week. And, most parents wonder if they are a “good mom or dad”. In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Haylee Williams says this might not be the best question a parent could ask.

Lostness around the world is growing every day. In fact, 59 percent of the world’s population remains unreached. Religious organizations including churches are no longer the most trusted charities among American adults, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said in its 2023 Give.org Study. And, Lifeline’s Herbie Newell says believers can do a lot to help the world’s orphan care crisis.

When most people hear the phrase “sex-based harassment,” they think of unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, assault or inappropriate comments that are sexual in nature. And, an Lifeway Bible study recalls that “Luke 24 opens on resurrection morning with some women bringing spices for the body of Jesus, but they found the stone rolled away from His tomb and two gleaming angels instead.”

Though the cease fire has been in place over the past few days in the Middle East, there are many who still need help. Meanwhile, a group of believers from Texas are providing food to those reeling from the devastation in Israel and Gaza. And, how can you lead with integrity and care? Pastor Steve Viars writes, “Establish a Relationship with the Greatest Leader.”

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind a recently proposed regulation regarding foster care providers and foster children who identify as LGBTQ+. The chefs who are preparing meals for hundreds of Secret Service agents, Georgia Highway Patrol troopers, National Guard troops, and others providing security during three days of memorials for former first lady Rosalynn Carter have vast experience feeding huge crowds, usually in disaster zones. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Chuck Lawless urges churches and believers to reach out to college students.