Category: Opinion/Reflection (2018-present)

Posts to the blog Thinking Critically . . . Acting Faithfully, which premiered in 2018

Baptists: 
Remembering our first visit to Wilshire Baptist Church on July 4th 15 years ago 
by Bill Jones

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Fifteen years ago today – Sunday, July 4, 2004 – Joanna and I visited Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas for the first time. I had met George Mason, Wilshire’s pastor, and heard him speak two months earlier in San Antonio at the annual conference of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission – then led by my dear friend Read more . . .

Baptists: 
If you haven’t been to CBF General Assembly . . . THIS is what you’re missing! 
by Bill Jones

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I spent last week in Birmingham, Alabama, at Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) General Assembly. Whether in Birmingham, Dallas, Atlanta, Greensboro NC, Grapevine TX, Fort Worth, or any of its other venues over the years, CBF General Assembly has long been a highlight of ANY year for me. Last week was no exception. Following are a Read more . . .

Baptists: 
A Word from Bill Jones, Weekly Baptist Roundup, 6/15/2019 
by Bill Jones

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COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP GENERAL ASSEMBLY meets this week in Birmingham, AL. I’ll be arriving Tuesday morning to attend our annual T. B. MASTON FOUNDATION CBF Student Scholars Retreat. Then I’m looking forward to attending Wednesday morning’s BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY Annual Gathering at the historic SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH.   Thursday evening, at a dinner Read more . . .

Ethics & Justice: 
Holocaust Day: Remembrance and resolve 
by Dr. A. Jase Jones (1985)

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From 1957 through 1978, my dad, Dr. A. Jase Jones (who passed away at 93 in 2007), served as an area missionary director in the Dept. of Interfaith Witness of the SBC’s Home Mission Board and was a leader in Jewish-Baptist dialogues. This article reflects his deep affection and admiration for the Jewish people; and Read more . . .

Ethics & Justice: 
2019 Currie-Strickland Lectures – Muslim Immigration: Following Christ Through the Debate

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This week, I attended the 12th annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. These lectures are named for David R. Currie, who led Texas Baptists Committed as executive director for over two decades (1988-2009); and Phil Strickland, who served as director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission Read more . . .

Baptists: 
Jimmy Allen: ” . . . thanking God for the touch of T. B. Maston in my life”

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There can be no one definitive memorial column to JIMMY RAYMOND ALLEN. His footprints in Baptist life and the wider Christian community are much too big for that. So I simply want to share a few of my personal and special memories of my friend Jimmy Allen. I commend the reader, as well, to excellent Read more . . .

Faith:
The message of Christmas: Then neither do I condemn you

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(I originally wrote this for the Texas Baptists Committed Web site [www.txbc.org] and published it as a Baptist Reflections column 10 years ago, on December 23, 2008. I’m republishing it here, because this message is needed as much in 2018 – perhaps more – than in 2008.) Jesus’ words seemed to accuse the accusers. If any Read more . . .

Baptists:
“No. 1: MARY ALICE,” the premiere

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Friday evening, I attended the premiere of “No. 1: MARY ALICE,” the inaugural entry in the micro-documentary series, each entry to feature a woman pastor, co-produced by BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY (BWIM) and ETHICS DAILY. The namesake of this first entry is MARY ALICE BIRDWHISTELL, senior pastor of CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH in Waco, Texas. Accordingly, Read more . . .

Baptists:
Billy Graham: A couple of stories you haven’t heard

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November 7 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Baptist evangelist BILLY GRAHAM. This brought a couple of stories to my mind. The first is a personal story – one concerning my dad, A. JASE JONES, who served for 22 years (1/1/57-1/1/79) as Midwest Area Director with the Interfaith Witness Department of Read more . . .

Church & State:
Voting Christ’s values – a perspective, part 3: What do Christ’s values have to do with government?

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In part 1, I cited the Beatitudes as setting forth Christ’s values, and added my own comments on how these might apply to the issues we face as we vote in the mid-term elections. In part 2, I cited the passage from Matthew 25, in which Jesus spoke of separating the sheep from the goats, Read more . . .