Greetings!
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen. Here’s six timely topics for you to consider.
1. Berlin Wall’s been down 30 years
I was in my junior year of college when the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. It felt like being in a vacuum while I was in college. I did not have as much access to news during those years, but it seemed odd at the time that West Germany and East Germany would reunite after 40 years being separated.
Now, it’s been 30 years since the Wall came down, and the oddity seems to be in reverse. We can’t imagine Germany being divided.
The International Mission Board offers a great excerpt from an article written in 1990, giving the perspective of mission work being done in Berlin soon after the teardown of the Wall.
I hope you will check out “The Berlin Wall, Thirty Years Later.”
2. Stetzer on Crist
John Crist has been on the rise as a Christian comedian. If you don’t recognize his name, it’s likely you have seen one or few of his videos shared on social media.
News broke this week that Crist has been accused of sexual misconduct and is cancelling his current concert tour, as well as future performances.
Ed Stetzer comes through once again to give proper perspective. He always communicates objectively when sharing his views when controversy occurs among Christians and specifically among Southern Baptists. His article “John Crist, Failure and Warnings to Heed for Christian Leaders” is an excellent read.
3. Trump impeachment status
I’ve steered clear of the mess involving President Trump and his well-known communications with Ukraine and how it has turned into a major mess in Congress.
One of the better articles I have read about the current impeachment inquiry is from Andrew McCarthy, “Trump Impeachment Inquiry is Unpredictable.”
McCarthy, David French and Albert Mohler are three people whom I find to be the most accurate in analyzing this impeachment process. All three are not strong Trump supporters, but they each have concluded that the President handled the Ukraine episode poorly but not in a fashion deserving impeachment.
A friend on Facebook shared a great comment from French who was ironically referencing McCarthy when commenting:
“It was inappropriate for the president to point the Ukrainians specifically and explicitly at the Bidens. A more polished president would simply have said, ‘We want you to root out corruption, no matter how high up it goes, even in our own government’—the Ukrainians would have gotten the point and there would be nothing to criticize. Trump went about it crudely. Commendable? Of course not. A valid reason to vote against him in 2020? Surely. But it’s not impeachable.”
4. Thunder remembers
I worked the Oklahoma City Thunder-Orlando Magic game on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and the pregame was more resonating than the actual game (Thunder won, though, so that’s a great thing).
Before tip-off, the Thunder recognized the family members of the 168 people who died in the bombing of the Murrah Building in 1995. Each family member received a jersey in the likeness of the ones that will be worn later this year. The jerseys commemorate the Bombing Memorial.
Here’s a video of the experience, which I think is an awesome flick.
5. Midway movie and Veterans’ Day
Veterans’ Day is next Monday, Nov. 11. Many will observe this day, as well as during this weekend, as an opportunity to show appreciation for those who served in the military and especially those who sacrificed their lives during their military service.
One way you could prepare yourself for Veterans’ Day is to go see the new release Midway, which debuts in theaters this weekend. Check out Michael Foust’s review of the film here.
6. Come to Annual Meeting!
Finally, here’s my last appeal to you to come to next week’s Annual Meeting of Oklahoma Baptists. It will be at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Nov. 11-12. There is so much involved during these two days, and I hope you can participate in all of it.
Two specific meetings I would encourage you to attend are the opening session of the Annual Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, and the IMB Sending Celebration at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Both of these events will be monumental, as the opening session will be a time Oklahoma Baptist leaders present a new charge and focus of how we intend to operate and serve collectively as Oklahoma Baptists across the state.
The IMB Sending Celebration also is a “can’t miss” experience, as it will be a demonstration of what we do as Southern Baptists of both “sending and going” in the sharing of the Gospel throughout the world.
You can find out more about the Annual Meeting here.