DHD: 3 Okla. topics, 2 Joe Carter topics, 1 Sarah Zylstra topic

by Chris Doyle | Jan 25, 2019

Greetings!

A short intro once again. It’s cold, by the way.

Here we go!

1. Building Bridges

I love this video!

These men are pastors of churches in the Oklahoma City area Capital Baptist Association. I have watched it twice. I hope it is shared beyond OKC.

2. Response to OU students’ video

Clarence Hill is featured in the “Building Bridges” video. He also did an interview this week with KOCO Channel 5 discussing a controversial video involving two OU students who were dismissed from school for making racially insensitive remarks in the video. Check out what Hill had to share here.

“Anger will not get us anywhere,” he said. It’s an excellent interview.

3. Stitt’s first executive orders

Read here about the initial decisions new Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has made. These are some bold moves that make a major statement to the state. It is apparent Gov. Stitt wants to be a good steward of state money and wants to hold people accountable. So far, I’m impressed.

4. Joe Carter explains New York’s new abortion law

I have discussed Joe Carter previously. For this DHD, you’ll get a double dose. We joke at the Messenger office how sometimes we need to wait for Joe Carter to do his “nine things” or “what you should know” articles before we can fully understand a certain current issue.

By now, you have seen much social media coverage on the state of New York passing a law this week that expands the terms of having an abortion. No doubt, I’m disappointed. I agree with every other Christian leader who spoke out against the New York legislature for passing this heinous act.

The best thing about the articles Joe Carter writes is the “matter-of-fact” presentation. Though it’s hard to lay aside emotions, especially in regard to what happened in New York this week, I appreciate how Joe can explain in such a way to help those who disagree at least consider why those of us who value the Sanctity of Human Life are troubled by the practice of abortion and especially at the extreme level this new law allows.

Please check out “New York Reveals Where Fight against Abortion is Headed.”

5. Carter Part 2

If you’re not familiar with Joe Carter’s writing style, check out this piece he wrote a few years ago about the Black Hebrew Israelites, since they made the news recently.

But that’s not what I wanted to share in this second Carter topic. I actually think I found my favorite article he has written. This week, he wrote “Confessions of a (Recovering) Social Media Fool.” I suggest you read it and then read it again. And then, do a personal study on the Bible verses he mentions.

I came to a similar conclusion less than a year ago that Joe presented. I try to be more conscientious of what I share on Facebook. As he mentions, social media comments can cost a person’s livelihood. But more importantly, social media habits should reflect the other aspects of a Christian’s lifestyle.

“Had I restrained my words on social media,” Joe wrote, “I might have missed a few opportunities to display wit or even wisdom. But I also might have used that time for more productive tasks, such as reading God’s Word, that would have helped me become a man of understanding. While I can’t get back the time I lost, I hope to use my time more fruitfully in the future.”

Thanks Joe for sharing your humility and wisdom.

6. Inspiration from an unknown small Christian college

It’s official. I’m a fan of Sarah Zylstra’s articles. In previous DHDs I’ve mentioned her articles on Thom Rainer and Frank Reich, and they are both fun, educational reads. They draw me in and cause me to want to know more about the person in her piece. Sarah has a great talent in journalistic writing, and I hope I can meet her someday to pick her brain and find out how she could help me improve my writing.

Her latest story isn’t on a person but a school. Montreat College in North Carolina is the subject. I’ve known about Montreat as a sports opponent to Liberty University, my alma mater and former employer.

Are you looking for an easy “feel-good” read? Do yourself a favor and find out how God worked in bringing this small Christian college from the brink of disbandment. And see if you also enjoy Sarah’s writing in “The Montreat Miracle.”

DHD: Gillette commercial, Karen Pence and Pro-life topics

by Chris Doyle | Jan 18, 2019

Greetings!

Short introduction this week. Thanks for reading!

Here we go!

1. Object Gillette?

A lot of talk is going around about the Gillette commercial “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.” I’ve watched it a couple of time. If you haven’t watched it yet, here you go:

I think there are a lot of good messages in the commercial. What I get from it is boys and men should treat people with respect. That means don’t mistreat other boys physically or verbally. Don’t ogle over women, harass them or especially abuse them. Encourage other men and boys to follow same respectful guidelines instead of condoning wrong behavior, especially when it’s displayed in the entertainment world in a comical fashion.

So what’s wrong with the commercial? Al Mohler offers his thoughts in his Friday, Jan. 18 edition of The Briefing:

“The ad is a symptom of the larger cultural problem, condemning toxic masculinity while appearing to have no idea of what healthy masculinity might be. That’s going to be a problem for Gillette. Some of the responses on the internet to Gillette, some of the milder ones quotable on the briefing included men asking, ‘Does this mean we are now to start shaving our legs?’ There’s a huge confusion in the entire culture right now over what it means to be a man.”

Confusion over what is healthy masculinity—that could be a problem. From a Christian worldview, instructions of how to be a man of good character can be found in The Bible, and accountability to maintain good character can be found in spending time with other Christian men.

My friend Bubba Burcham offered his thoughts about the Gillette commercial on Facebook and how to handle the troubling issues featured in the ad:

“The solution is found in what I call intentional fatherhood. Dennis Rainey said ‘if a father doesn’t give his son a clear vision of manhood the world will.’ I have 4 sons, and it’s my responsibility to give them a vision for what manhood can be for them. Every young male needs a map, a guide to manhood. I refuse to stand by and let my sons stumble their way through life. I know it is my responsibility to guide them and inspire others to do likewise.”

Bubba is the new coordinator for the annual men’s retreat at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center called Men’s Rewired, April 26-27. Men’s Rewired has been a difference maker for a lot of men over the years, and I am certain it will provide a lot of solutions for the issues presented in the Gillette ad.

Visit www.menrewired.com to find out more about this powerful conference.

2. Pensive about Karen Pence

Before this week, would you have readily named Vice President Mike Pence’s wife’s name? I’m sure I heard it in the last three years, and I’m glad to know it’s the same name as my wife.

Karen Pence is now a part-time art teacher at a Christian school in Springfield, Va., which is outside Washington, D.C. That’s it. That’s the big news. This is what got the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN all in a ruckus.

I could give more detail, but I could not explain it better than what is presented in David Prince’s article “Karen Pence, Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, Part of a Christian Ministry?” Even the title is a great alluding quip.

3. Prince on Pence Part 2

Just as I was looking to link David Prince’s article in the previous topic, I came upon a follow-up article Prince wrote as he received backlash from the first piece, saying he condones bigotry. Again, this is about Mrs. Pence being a part-time art teacher at a Christian school.

I think it’s obvious there are two worldviews – the secular worldview and the Christian worldview. It is unfortunate so many people with a secular worldview come to the wrong conclusion about Christianity or willingly refuse to understand the Christian faith.

In his article “Love is Not Hate,” which he posted less than an hour before I’m writing this, Prince gives another excellent explanation.

“Just because you disagree with Christians doesn’t mean they harbor animus against you.”

4. Pro-life Part 1

Today is the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. There’s lot of content on the internet this week sharing thoughts about the Sanctity of Life. To honor this annual stroll through our nation’s capital, I will share three great pieces reflecting the importance of Sanctity of Life.

The first one is from Southern Baptist President J.D. Greear, who gives fantastic responses to those who challenge Pro-life advocates. Check out “Sanctity of Life: Beware the distractions.” I love how Greear points out the majority of the arguments that pro-abortion people make are “red herrings.”

And it’s true. Abortion supporters constantly distract from the main argument that the unborn baby is a human life.

5. Pro-life Part 2

Would you like to read a great synopsis on the March for Life? The one written by Alexandra DeSanctis is fantastic. Check out “Whom Are We Marching For?”

The whole piece is great, but here’s her final paragraph:

“These thousands of marchers believe what they say: that every fetus is a unique human being with the fundamental right to life, a right on which all of our other rights are predicated. What sustains the pro-life movement is that it has truth on its side.”

The part I bolded is exactly why I believe the right to life is the most important issue in our country. It is the issue I use to evaluate every politician and whether or not I would consider them worthy of my vote. I hope you consider the Sanctity of Life as strongly as I do.

6. Pro-life Part 3

I share for my final pro-life piece a video of Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford who gives a powerful address from the Senate floor on the Value of Life.

Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from his speech:

“I have folks that have recently said to me, ‘I understand this is a legislative issue, but it is really a faith issue. This is really about your faith, and your faith shouldn’t legislate who I am.’ Well, I would only tell you that cultures all make decisions, including our culture, not just about their faith but their values as a culture. Stealing is also a religious issue. It’s in the 10 Commandments, so maybe as a culture we shouldn’t ban stealing because the 10 Commandments says you shouldn’t steal. But no one would really say that because as a culture we all look at it and say, ‘Theft is a problem. You shouldn’t be able to do that.’ Cultures makes decisions based on their own personal values. So it is not just a religious issue, but our faith does impact our personal lives and decisions. And it does affect who we are.”

Here’s Lankford’s entire speech

DHD: Encouraging future for Oklahoma Baptists and other topics

by Chris Doyle | Jan 11, 2019

Greetings!

I guess some consider this the first full week of the new year. It did feel like the Christmas and New Year holiday season was over, at least in my world this week.

Thanks for reading my DHD. Here’s some brief thoughts on some timely topics.

1. Bright Future for Oklahoma Baptists

As I’m in the beginning of my sixth year working for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO), I got to experience the annual event that happens at the Baptist Building at the beginning of each year known as “At Home Week.” All those who work for the BGCO gather for three days to go over what could be expected for the year and what our state leader, Hance Dilbeck, has planned and envisioned.

This is Dilbeck’s first full year to serve as BGCO executive director-treasurer, and it’s the first time for him to lead At Home Week. After this week’s meetings, I could not be more encouraged about the direction the BGCO is heading.

I’ve known Bro. Hance for more than 15 years. He has been a great spiritual influence in my life, as he was my pastor. And as my pastor, I witnessed great growth and spiritual nurturing at my church. It wasn’t just a major renovation of our church building, which the “before” and “after” settings comparing the church in 2003 and in 2018 reveal a whole different landscape, but there has been so much progress and great experiences at my church during this time frame. Dilbeck’s leadership was a major factor.

The reason I bring this up is I can see his leadership impacting churches across our state, and attending this week’s meeting is what gives me this confidence.

Stay tuned, Oklahoma Baptists! I believe good days are ahead.

2. Mohler part 1

Al Mohler is back addressing the nation on his podcast The Briefing. The president of Southern Seminary hit a lot of hot topics this week, including Planned Parenthood’s new president being contradictory of the organizations abortion emphasis, threats of religious liberty in government appointments and Christian leaders facing criminal prosecution on the Netherlands.

In today’s session, Mohler discusses how the LGBTQ movement is influencing many Christian denominations, including the United Methodist Church and its affiliated colleges and universities. He begins by saying how many moral revolutions of the past took nearly centuries to implement moral change. However, the current LGBTQ revolution took no more than seven years.

As far as its effect on the church, this sexual revolution, Mohler said, is causing a drastic shift.

“The LGBTQ revolution,” he said, “if truly normalized within any church, is going to require a different understanding of sin, a different understanding of salvation, a different understanding of the atonement, a different understanding of the Christian life, a different understanding of the relationship between law and gospel, a different understanding of Christian holiness. All that is going to be required and that’s not even an absolutely comprehensive list.”

3. Mohler part 2

Mohler also addressed the current government shutdown in his Monday edition of The Briefing. He basically concluded the shutdown is a big political game of chicken.

He didn’t side either way but just said the battle between President Trump and Congressional Democrats, which is behind the shutdown, are hoping for political leverage.

“Both sides in this political conflict, this manufactured crisis, believe that the American people will see them as the good guys rather than the bad guys,” Mohler said. “We’ll see the situation as being brought about more by the intransigence of the political opposition than themselves. President Trump is betting that the American people, or at least a sufficient number of the American people, will see the Democrats as the problem and will believe that he is right to demand $5 billion in funding in order to build the wall, which means to extend the border wall between the United States and Mexico. The Democrats are betting the exact opposite, that the American people will eventually blame the President, and that his support for the wall will decline, and they see themselves as having the upper hand because, in the view of the democratic leadership in the House, the President has already shot his bullets. His gun is now empty.”

4. More on the government shutdown

Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford gave an excellent address on the government shutdown, specifically on border security. Watch the 15 min speech here:

Some things that stood out from Lankford’s talk is there was a time when border security was a bi-partisan issue.

“It was just a decade ago,” Lankford said, “that this body voted to add 650 miles of additional fencing along the border between Mexico and the United States because at that time a decade ago, this body said it is a serious issue with border security. We should add fencing to the border. And outspoken liberals like Senator Clinton and Senator Obama voted to add fencing to the border in 2006 and said, ‘That is the right thing to do.’ But suddenly now, a decade and a couple of years later, it is a partisan issue, and we can’t allow President Trump to have additional fencing. It seems very odd to me.”

Lankford also proposes to keep Congress working in continuous session until resolved and cutting budgets in the Senate, House and the White House by five percent each week until resolved.

“This is a completely avoidable problem,” he said.

5. Oklahoma pro-life ranking

Three years ago, Oklahoma was considered the most protected state on pro-life issues, according to Americans United for Life (AUL). Now, Oklahoma dropped to fourth on AUL’s rankings, with Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana ranked higher.

Fourth appears to be a good ranking, and I am glad other states are doing the right things, passing laws that support Sanctity of Life. However, Oklahoma has increased its number on abortions recently. This needs to be made known to many Evangelical Christians in our state, and we need to be involved in making the shift change back to supporting and being involved in pro-life causes.

One great opportunity happens the first Wednesday in February. Rose Day at the Capitol is a very important and effective event that has been instrumental in putting Oklahoma on the right path on the issue of life. With new members in state congress, this year’s Rose Day could be one of the most important in recent history.

I hope you will be involved this year and come to the Capitol on Feb. 6. Deliver red roses to the Governor, Lt. Governor and your state senator and house representative.

Find out more here.

6. Whitlock retiring

David Whitlock announced he is retiring as president of Oklahoma Baptist University at the end of the spring semester. This will conclude his 10^th year as OBU president.

I have been very impressed with Whitlock’s leadership and consider him one of the most influential OBU presidents.

DHD: Lists involving 2018 and 2019 plus other topics

by Chris Doyle | Jan 4, 2019

Greetings!

I start 2019 with a DHD that features a couple of articles that reflect good stories and fascinating people from 2018 and things to anticipate in 2019.

Let’s get to it!

1. Good stories in 2018

As Joe Carter points out, 2018 did provide a lot of controversies, divisions and tragedies. However, there were a lot of encouraging events that occurred too.

Check out Carter’s list in his article “Ten Good Stories You Might Have Missed in 2018.” I definitely agree with the first story on his list, regarding Andrew Brunson, the American pastor being released from Turkish prison.

It was reported that Brunson will be speaking at the Pastors’ Conference before the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting this year. I will be looking forward to that.

2. 10 Fascinating Southern Baptists in 2018

I knew Jonathan Howe when he was a student worker in the athletics communications office at the University of Southern Mississippi, where I received my master’s degree.

Jonathan co-hosts a podcast with Amy Whitfield titled “SBC This Week.” In a recent recording, they discuss Amy’s blog on her selection of “10 Most Fascinating Southern Baptists in 2018.”

I appreciate Amy’s list, especially that she reflects a couple of lighthearted moments from last year’s SBC Annual Meeting. She listed nine-year-old Zak McCullar who was a messenger representing his church in Alabama and made a motion that the SBC add a children’s ministry Sunday to the official calendar. Amy also featured Marvin Parker who made a motion to turn adjust the thermostat in the Dallas Convention Center.

I also like Amy adding my friend Felix Cabrera and fellow Oklahoman Scott Pruitt to her list. I definitely agree to Jeff Bingham, interim president at Southwestern Seminary, being included, after hearing him speak at last year’s SBC meeting. He has handled a challenging position in a difficult season extremely well.

3. Hopeful sports projections

The Oklahoman put out a list of 19 things fans of the Thunder, Sooners and Cowboy could look forward to happening in 2019.

I’m skeptical whenever I mention the Thunder in my DHD, but I’ll take this chance because I like what Erik Horne said about the Thunder, especially Russ’ shooting to improve and Andre Roberson returning to the lineup.

4. Pro-choice myths

The New York Times ran an article on what the paper concluded were threats to abortion rights. National Review’s Alexandra Desanctis does an excellent job dispelling the Times’ piece in her article “Pro-Choice Myths Are Perpetuated in New York Times’ Fetal-Personhood Story.”

The headline is one that my editor would love, but I appreciate Desanctis demonstrating how wrong the Times is with its abortion propaganda.

Something she doesn’t point out that I think needs to be emphasized is the concerns women face with post-abortive issues. Thousands upon thousands of women carry for years the burden of having an abortion. Hope Pregnancy Centers in Oklahoma offer a great Bible study to help women who are afflicted with such grief. The Bible study is titled “Forgiven and Set Free,” and I have heard many women have discovered peace and forgiveness after going through these classes.

If you’d like to know more, visit https://www.obhc.org/HopeEvents for information on training facilitators for the “Forgiven and Set Free” classes.

5. Reich on

I have enjoyed reading articles by Sarah Zylstra. She is very thorough when she writes about people, and her latest piece on Frank Reich is superb. I knew the current Indianapolis Colts coach was a seminary president, but Zylstra goes further in-depth in how Reich went from playing football to attending seminary to becoming a seminary president (even before he graduated) to coaching an NFL team to the playoffs in his first head coaching year.

6. Remembering Southwest Airlines founder

I was struggling to come up with a sixth topic until my wife suggested I mention Herb Kelleher dying.

I will be honest, before Karen told me about him, I had no idea who he was. Kelleher died Thursday, Jan. 3 at the age of 87. He was the co-founder of Southwest Airlines, and he left quite a legacy, especially among Southwest’s employees and former employees (my wife being one).

Check out USA Today’s article “Southwest’s Herb Kelleher: Five innovations that shaped U.S. aviation” and read how Kelleher impacted the airline industry. The first innovation listed is Kelleher’s priority on treating employees right. Karen raved about how well she was treated when she worked at Southwest Airlines and how Kelleher was very approachable by anybody who worked for him.

I’m not the biggest fan of air travel, mostly because of the annoyance it is today to fly, but I agree with the masses that Southwest is the most accommodating airline for passengers. Obviously Herb Kelleher is to thank for that.