Podcasts about baptist general convention

What is the soul? How do we know it is real? Why does it really matter? Eric Hernandez joins the show to answer your questions and make a case for a Christian view of the soul. Eric Hernandez is an evangelist, apologist, and author of "The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers." He is the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas.

his week on Ask the Pastor features a conversation between Pastor J.D. Greear and Katie McCoy. Dr. McCoy serves as the director of Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers", Modern Worship Praise Team (11:15 Service).       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers", Orchestra, Choir, Blended Worship Praise Team (8:45 Service).       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers".       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers", Modern Worship Praise Team (11:15 Service).       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers", Orchestra, Choir, Blended Worship Praise Team (8:45 Service).       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Dr. Julio Guarneri (Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas), "Building Bridges Instead of Barriers".       4.  Now he had to go through Samaria.  5.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.        7.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  8.  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9.  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)       10.  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11.  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13.  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,   14.  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  15.  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  16.  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  17.  “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.   18.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”       19.  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  20.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  21.  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23.  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”       25.  The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”       27.  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”  28.  Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29.  “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30.  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.       39.  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  40.  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  41.  And because of his words many more became believers.       (John 4:4-30; 39-41)

Guest Bios Show Transcript https://youtu.be/ok7qRXGZYroFor nearly two decades, one woman stood up to the Southern Baptist Convention, forcing it to face its sex abuse crisis. She was gaslit, maligned, and threatened with legal action. But she didn't back down. And on this edition of The Roys Report, you'll hear her story. Joining host Julie Roys is Christa Brown, an abuse survivor who overcame the odds in pursuit of justice. As a 16-year-old girl, Christa was repeatedly raped by the youth pastor at her Southern Baptist Church. And when she told the music minister at her church what had happened, he told her never to speak of it. For 35 years, Christa kept silent, accepting the shame that rightly belonged to her rapist. But in the early 2000s, Christa broke her silence—and confronted her childhood church with what had happened. She thought they would do the right thing. But instead, they attacked her. That began a nearly 20-year battle with the Southern Baptist Convention—and led to two major investigations, showing that hundreds of Baptist leaders and volunteers had sexually abused congregants. She recounts it all in detail in her just released memoir, Baptistland. Christa found her voice, rising above her past trauma to become a leading voice in the national and global abuse survivor community. She speaks with unrelenting honesty about the patterns of abuse in evangelical churches—and the necessary steps to bring reform. Guests Christa Brown Named as one of the "top 10 religion newsmakers" of 2022, Christa Brown has persisted for two decades in working to peel back the truth about clergy sex abuse and coverups in the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. As one of the first to go public with substantiated child molestation allegations against a Baptist minister—and documentation that others knew—she has consistently demanded reforms to make other kids and congregants safer. She is the author of Baptistland and This Little Light: Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and His Gang. Christa, who is retired appellate attorney, a mom, and a grandma, lives with her husband in Colorado. Show Transcript SPEAKERSCHRISTA BROWN, Julie Roys Julie Roys  00:04For nearly two decades, one woman stood up to the Southern Baptist Convention, forcing it to face its sex abuse crisis. She was gaslit, maligned, and threatened with legal action. But she didn’t back down and on this podcast, you’ll hear her story. Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And joining me today is Christa Brown, someone who’s become a sort of legend in the abuse survivor community. As a 16- year-old girl, Christa was repeatedly raped by the youth pastor at her Southern Baptist Church. And when she told the music minister at her church what had happened, he told her to never speak of it. For 35 years, Christa kept silent, accepting the shame that rightly belongs to her rapist. But in the early 2000s, Christa broke her silence and confronted her childhood church with what had happened. She thought they would do the right thing, but instead, they attacked her. And that began a nearly 20-year battle with the Southern Baptist Convention and led to two major investigations, showing that hundreds of Baptist leaders and volunteers had sexually abused congregants. Joining me is Christa Brown, someone who for decades fought to expose sex abuse and cover up within the Southern Baptist Convention. She has been dubbed the mother of all abuse bloggers, and also is named by the Religion News Association as one of the top 10 religion newsmakers of 2022. She’s also a retired appellate attorney, a mom, and a grandma. So Christa, welcome. It is such a privilege to have you on this podcast.   CHRISTA BROWN  03:22 Thank you, Julie, I really appreciate it. I’m so glad to be with you.   Julie Roys  03:26 And you’re kind of like a legend. I don’t know if you recognize this, but you have been at this a very, very long time and the persistence that you have had to expose what’s been going on within the Southern Baptist Convention, it didn’t just happen to you, it happened to so so many women and men who have been victims. And so just as somebody who’s been in this space for a really long time, not nearly as long as you, I just really appreciate your work. So thank you.   CHRISTA BROWN  04:16 Thanks. And of course, this is something that is still continuing to happen too.   Julie Roys  04:21 That’s true. So I just finished your book, Baptistland, and really emotionally, still wrestling to come to terms  with everything I read. I think there were several things that really struck me from your book. Of course, the horror of the sex abuse that you had at the hands of your own youth pastor, somebody that you trusted, and the spiritual abuse involved in that was just absolutely horrific. But I think too, the abuse within your own family and the psychological and emotional abuse that was there and kind of how that conditioned you for the abuse and to kind of keep secrets. And so it kind of contributed to everything that happened. But I think lastly, was your resiliency, which is amazing in the face of what you encountered, your resiliency. And I don’t know how you did that. I mean, what do you attribute the resiliency that you’ve had to overcome so many hurdles in your life?   CHRISTA BROWN  05:26 I don’t know. In part, I think I’m a little stubborn by nature. I think that is there. In part, I think I had the enormous good fortune to encounter a wonderful husband and wonderful spouse, who has been nothing but supportive. And I think, when someone has that kind of support in their life, I mean, that came, of course, later as an adult, but that too, of course, has just been an enormous source of stability for me. So yeah, I’ve had those things. And in that sense, I’ve been very, very fortunate.   Julie Roys  06:10 If someone has just even one person in their life that’s advocating for them, that’s behind them, it makes a huge difference. And I know my spouse has been with me 100% in the work I’ve done as well. And I credit him for a lot of what I’ve been able to do as well. So I can relate to that.   CHRISTA BROWN  06:28 Yeah. I mean, he’s a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. No one knows my husband, but he is very much there for me.   Julie Roys  06:38  You divide your memoir into four different deaths, as you call them. And of course, there’s an element of resurrection and all of that, too. But your deaths start, the very first death that you write about is the abuse that you suffered by, again, your own youth pastor. But as I mentioned, there was some dysfunction in your own home, that kind of conditioned you to be able to have this abuse, and maybe to keep it quiet. Would you talk a little bit about that, the home situation that conditioned you to stay quiet about the abuse?   CHRISTA BROWN  07:19 Yeah. I mean, I grew up in the sort of home that it’s like, we all pretend we’re happy. What happened didn’t happen. And when someone blows up and throws plates across the wall, we clean it up, and we act like nothing ever happened. When my father explodes, we all just go on. My father had serious PTSD problems, but back then, we would not have even had that acronym PTSD, we didn’t know what to call it. We just all, as with many families across America, when war veterans come home, we all just do the best we can. But that very dynamic of never talking about it, and just always putting you in the background and moving on, conditioned me to keep quiet and to not talk about things in the family. We did not talk about the family with outsiders. That was for sure. And so all of that, I think is part of what conditioned me. Then when I was abused by the pastor, why would I talk about it? I had no experience in talking about anything troubling in my life, None. What was normal was never to talk about things. And I hope people will see that because of course, that’s one of the very common questions that people often ask, Well, why didn’t you tell someone sooner? Why didn’t you talk about it? I hope people will see in my book, the only rational question is, why would she have ever talked about it? And then, of course, the fact that I did try with a couple people and that only made things worse.   Julie Roys  09:08 Yeah. And there was also this element of spiritual abuse, which honestly, when I was reading your book, and I’ve heard a lot of spiritual abuse, but I would say this was almost just so wicked, because in your case, you were so trusting, you had such a childlike faith in God. And he just completely exploited that. Would you talk about the spiritual abuse and how that how that really gave him power over you?   CHRISTA BROWN  09:40 Oh, it gave him enormous power. And I hope people will see that the enormous power that earnest that a person’s faith can hold when it is weaponized against them, because that is what gave him power. I mean, I think there are many people who would wish to believe that this happens to kids who are in some way, oh, morally lacks or they want to blame the kid for some reason, that the reality is what made me vulnerable? What made me a target? What made me easy prey? was the very fact that I love God so much. My faith was earnest and pure and that is precisely what was weaponized against me literally. I was raised from toddlerhood to believe that you trust these men who carry the voice of God, that they are men and God. In the framework I held in my mind at that time., there was no other possibility other than to obey.   Julie Roys  11:00 You know, it’s interesting, because I just had a conversation with my daughter this morning. And I feel kind of bad sometimes because of the work that I’m in, that they’re exposed to the evil of it. But at the same time, I realized this morning, as we were talking about some things, she knows to be skeptical, that trust is earned. I don’t care what title someone holds. She knows that you still need to know that this person may not be trustworthy, you need to watch them over time. But I think especially in our generation growing up. I mean, I never would have dreamed that a pastor could be involved in any kind of wrongdoing. It just wasn’t in my worldview. So I totally get that. And the other thing is, and this is probably the most wicked is the way that he made you feel then that you are somehow evil because you had participated in this and even did like an exorcism on you or something, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  12:05 Yes. After this had gone on for months and months, seven, eight months. And it escalated, of course, and got worse. And then toward the end, he began to tell me that I had harbored Satan. And I was a temptress. And finally, then he called me into his office one day and made me kneel. While he, with one hand on my shoulder and one hand raised, stood over me as I was kneeling, praying on and on for God to cast Satan from me. But as a kid. I mean, that was just, that was terrifying. I mean, I didn’t know how I had let Satan in, and I didn’t know what I had done. If I didn’t know how I’d let Satan in I didn’t know how to make Satan leave me. And the very thought that I held Satan within me, made me think I was going to hell, which, as a kid, I was raised with a very literal version of hell, where you burn forever with no reprieve. This was absolutely terrifying. And of course, in hindsight, I think that’s exactly what he wanted was to put this enormous, just exponentially greater shame onto me, so that I would not talk about it. Because why would I want anyone to know that I harbored Satan?   Julie Roys  13:36 Unbelievable And yet when you did speak, like you referenced, nothing was done to help you. And you initially spoke with it was your music minister, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  13:49 Yes, that’s right. And he was also my piano teacher. I always had my piano lessons in the church sanctuary on the baby grand there. He was the music minister. And it was because I had just developed this enormous fear that I must surely be going to hell. And so one day at my piano lesson, I just, I mean, psychologically, I was at a point where I was just breaking then, and I just completely froze. I mean, my hands literally would not move on the keys. And I told the music minister that I was afraid I was going to hell, and I asked him, “Am I going to hell? Then I told him that I’ve had an affair. And that was my own word an affair with the pastor. And he basically just told me to never talk about it again, at all. And he said, I wouldn’t go to hell, but it wasn’t much comfort, really, at that time. He told me never to talk about it. He did nothing. And many, many years later, I learned that he had already known even at that point in time, because the youth pastor himself had talked about it with him.   Julie Roys  15:00 That level of complicity and silence, I just I don’t understand like, do you have any idea why he would do that? Why would a music minister say nothing about a pastor that he knows is sexually abusing a teenage girl?   CHRISTA BROWN  15:26 It’s very hard for me to explain. He was a father himself. He had a young daughter at that time. And so it’s hard for me to understand why he couldn’t think about his own daughter and imagine how he would feel if it were her. And it’s very, very hard for me to comprehend. I think that instinct among some religious leaders who kind of circle the wagons and protect themselves is very, very strong. Also the sense of protecting the institution, the sense of not doing anything that would bring, that would hurt the cause of Christ that would hurt the witness. I think all of that is a part of it. And yet, of course, none of that excuses it.   Julie Roys  16:21 No, and it’s not really biblical. I mean, Scripture tells us to confess our sins, not to bury our sins, and yet, that’s what the church has been doing for so long. Not all churches, but certainly within the Southern Baptist Convention this has been a widespread problem. So Tommy Gilmore, who was your youth pastor,, did eventually leave the church, was given what I understand sort of a hero’s send-off. Yes. And then, which I just can’t even imagine you as a kid, like, you have to go through an exorcism. Meanwhile, your abuser gets a hero send-off, and then you go home to live like, just go on, right? Like nothing’s happened, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  17:07 That’s right. He did indeed have a hero sendoff. He went to a bigger church; I was told that he would have a better salary. The senior pastor praised him for the pulpit and talk of how fortunate we all were, how blessed we were to have had such a man of God in our midst for so long, there was a big church reception where everyone brought their casseroles and stuff. And in hindsight, I don’t know how as a kid, I could have thought anything else. I mean, here was a great man of God, praised by everyone. I was the girl who harbored Satan.   Julie Roys  17:43 Just awful. And when you did go home, you did confess to one of your sisters what had happened. Her response was pretty horrific.   CHRISTA BROWN  17:53 Yes, she called me a slut.   Julie Roys  17:55 Unbelievable. And so the shame that you must have felt that you shouldn’t have felt but I’m sure you did, must have been just just awful. But you were given, I mean, sound like the pastor then arranged for you to have a job at the library. And your mother kind of encouraged you for this maybe? What was it he said that he thought you should be busy or something? Or I mean, kind of like he knew what had happened.   CHRISTA BROWN  18:23 Yeah exactly. None of this was really explained to me. But my mom said, Brother Hayden thinks you need to stay busy. And so they set me up with a job at the Farmers Branch Public Library, which I started immediately, which turned out to be even though I had never sought this job. But it turned out to be a very, very good thing. I loved working at the library.   Julie Roys  18:52 And you even said, I think later on your book, you credit some of your ability to come through all this to the books that you read, which opened your mind to a whole new world, which what a beautiful thing that in the midst of all of this awfulness, there was this oasis right?   CHRISTA BROWN  19:09 Oh, absolutely. The library was very much my safe place. Books were my safe place, always my refuge. A library has a certain kind of orderliness about it, and the neat rows and every book has its place. And that brought a level of comfort to me.   Julie Roys  19:28 Yeah. And one of the great things was that you were a very studious person, it sounds like, and that ended up being a route for you kind of out of some of your home life. But initially, you thought you would go off to college when you graduated from high school. It didn’t really turn out that way. Kind of like your mom sabotaged that. Is that a correct way of putting it?   CHRISTA BROWN  19:51 Yes, that is she did sabotage it. She wanted me at home for her own reasons, and I wound up staying home and commuting to college, and it was a very, very bad year, because she was struggling enormously. And both of my parents were struggling.   Julie Roys  20:13 The second death that you described is when your sister Rita was separated from her husband, Richard, and something happened. I’m gonna let you describe what happened, but also how that played out within your family and your family relationships.   CHRISTA BROWN  20:31 Well basically, I had gone over to babysit their young two-year-old daughter, and he made a move on me. Told me that he had married the wrong sister. That he should have married me. He picked the right family but picked the wrong sister. And I felt very trapped at the time. I did leave, of course. But I mean, this was someone I had grown up with. This was someone who was like a brother to me. This was my oldest sister. And so he had been a part of our family, since I was like 12 years old. So, in that sense, it just felt incredibly wrong and bizarre. But the one thing I knew with absolute certainty was that if I talked about it, I would be blamed for it. That even at that young age, I knew that for sure. And so ever after this was, again, another great secret that I had the key. It really kind of, I think, warped some of the relationships in our family. For every Thanksgiving, and all sorts of family gatherings thereafter, every single time, I would always try very, very hard to make sure I was never alone in the room with him. And yeah, that was the death of that kind of view of my family. I think.   Julie Roys  22:14 One of the things I’ve noticed just from my experience in ministry is that often a child that’s raised in a dysfunctional home, even though they recognize it’s a dysfunctional home, has trouble breaking those patterns, and often picks a spouse that is often very much like the dysfunctional parent or one of the dysfunctional parents. And yet you did the exact opposite. I mean, you turned down one proposal from someone who you didn’t love. And your mother pressured you quite a bit to marry because he had an engineering degree with some financial stability there. But instead you met a guy, Jim. What was it that really drew you to Jim, someone who was completely other than your family, and so healthy in so many ways? What really made you fall for Jim?   CHRISTA BROWN  23:13 Well. Initially, it was just that he had these gorgeous blue eyes.   Julie Roys  23:18 That helps, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  23:21 But it was just a connection there that I could not deny. You know, and with Jim, what you see is what you get. He is who he is, and there is never ever any kind of hidden agenda, any dagger behind that smile. That’s it. He is up for and in true. And that was always very clear to me. That mainly, it was just this connection that I felt with him. So much so that, I mean, it felt so powerful. And I felt fearful of it because I think I recognized immediately that this was something powerful, life-changing potentially. And so initially, what I did was to tell him that I could never be serious about someone who hadn’t read Anna Karenina.   Julie Roys  24:18 Well, of course! Who of us hasn’t said that, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  24:24 That was my effort in escaping because I was so afraid of this. But Jim proceeded to read Anna Karenina. So I had no excuse. And so we’ve been together ever since.   Julie Roys  24:37 That’s so funny. And then you went on to do something that nobody in your family thought possible. You went to law school, and even the application process and everything. I mean, to have the gumption to do that. Despite the fact your mother said you’re gonna fail. You’re not going to do well. Again, this incredible hurdle, what made you feel like you could go to law school?   CHRISTA BROWN  25:07 You know, I really only had, I came from a blue-collar family. And I really only had one friend at that point in time, who had been to law school. And I kind of thought, Well, I think I’m as smart as him. And he was a good deal more assertive than me by temperament. But I thought I could give it a chance. And initially, I really was very tentative about it. I kind of just kind of tip toed in and told myself, well, I’ll try it for one semester and see how it goes. But I did well, so then I continued. And with my family, I did not tell anyone I was even applying until I was already in, already accepted, already had my financial aid lined up. Because I was fearful of what the reaction would be. I was fearful of how negative it would be. And even intellectually, knowing that maybe that’s not right, your family’s words still carry power. And so I made sure I had things in place before I even told them.   Julie Roys  26:21 So true and so important. But yeah, I mean, even if  intellectually, that’s a lie. Or even if they’re saying this because of their own issues, right? It’s still hard to overcome that. And so the fact that you did, again, amazing resiliency. And then you had a daughter, which is just so beautiful. I have one daughter, I had two boys, and then my daughter. But daughters change us in remarkable ways. And you, even though you really didn’t have a model for healthy parenting, sounds like you did a really great job, and you broke some of those patterns of behavior that you saw in your family. What do you attribute that to?   CHRISTA BROWN  27:09 I attribute it to letting my daughter herself educate me, being observant of her, trying to attune myself to what’s going on with her. And recognizing that and trying to be sensitive to that. I do think that breaking long established patterns or familial dysfunction is very, very difficult. I mean, lots of people would like to make a decision and say, Oh, I won’t do things like my parents did. But the thing is, it’s not just a one-time decision. It’s something that has to be done in 1000s, of tiny, tiny little decisions, to choose to pause in the moment, to pay attention, to think about what’s happening. And that kind of attentiveness takes effort. And I think I attribute it to that. Also books I write,I don’t feel that I had a good roadmap to follow from my own upbringing. But  I was big on books.   Julie Roys  28:29 And that guided you. One book that you mentioned, you read your daughter was the Bible, but  chose not to raise her in the church, understandably because of your experience. But you decided to have her explore that herself with just reading her scripture and telling her Bible stories. As I was reading that, I just realized that my own experience within the church when I think of like your experience, my experience, things that for me, certain songs that for me are very comforting to you probably have a totally different connotation. Like for me, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus is a beautiful song that reminds me of a wonderful, idyllic, really in comparison childhood that I had growing up in the church, where people were trustworthy, and people weren’t hypocrites. But yet for you were, how do you come to terms with that, and with what the church did? with God? with faith? How do you come to terms with that?   CHRISTA BROWN  29:53 For me, it’s very, very different. Because things like that. Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. No, it was not sweet for me. Because trusting in Jesus, that was exactly what I did as a kid. That was my whole heart was to put every bit of trust in Jesus. And that led me down a very, very dark road. And that’s not the kind of thing that I can cognitively reason my way out of. Because the reality for me is that things like that, hymns like that, all sorts of Scripture like that, that for me now is kind of physiologically, neurologically networked with child rape. And that’s not something I can just say, Oh, no, I’m gonna think about this and not choose for it to be that way. No, that’s the way it is. And I accept that that is how it is. And I live with that. So yeah, for me, I mean, and that, I think, is what people need to realize is the enormous if you value your faith so much, then you need to be implementing serious accountability measures to make sure that these kinds of men do not church hop from church to church, because look at the damage that is done.   Julie Roys  31:20 Well. And that’s why I think spiritual abuse, and especially when it’s coupled with sexual abuse, has to be about the most profound harmful abuse there is, because you’re not just harming the body, but the soul in such a profound way. And it really is, I mean, that spiritual leaders or people who purport to be spiritual leaders, aren’t just horrified and wanting to root this out. I mean, says to me a lot about what they truly believe.   CHRISTA BROWN  31:55 Exactly. It is very, very hard. Certainly, for me, it is very hard to feel safe in faith, when faith itself has been used to eviscerate. And that doesn’t mean feeling safe in a church. That means feeling safe within myself in faith. It’s a very hard thing now,   Julie Roys  32:19 The shame that you felt as a kid, as I talk to you now, you seem to be very clear on the fact that you should have felt no shame, that you did nothing wrong. At what point did you get to that point where you realized this is not my fault? This is has been put on me by evil people. But it’s not my fault. I’m sure it was a process. But were there any points at which like, kind of a breakthrough where you’re like, this was not me?   CHRISTA BROWN  32:55 Yes. It was really my daughter who saved me, I think. Because when she was approaching the same age I had been at the time that the abuse, it was as though something exploded in my head. All these dark dusty boxes that were on the back shelf of my brain, that I had shoved back there and ignored for so long. All of a sudden, I kind of had to pull those boxes down and look at them and see what was in them. And that shifted thing. Suddenly, I saw things through the eyes of a mother in imagining what if someone did to my daughter what was done to me? And that was something I could not live with and could not accept. And really, that was  the singular kernel of truth from which everything else flowed. Because the one thing I knew for sure, and I didn’t know very much for sure. But I knew this, if someone did to my daughter what had been done to me, I would not blame her for one second, and I would be absolutely furious. And that shifted everything.   Julie Roys  34:20 Hmm. And so you did. You did at the age of 51, right? You publicly spoke out and really you talk about this as sort of the third death when you spoke about what had happened because of the response that you got. Although, before we talk about the response, just the fact that and I read in your book that the average age of someone coming forward is 52 which is insane to me, I would have guessed, like maybe late 20s early 30s you begin to sort of grapple with what had happened in your family or whatever. Why is it so late that people come forward about their childhood sexual abuse?   CHRISTA BROWN  35:13 I think the shame is so enormous. And as a kid, we absorbed that shame, and when we ossify into a few of what happened that blamed ourselves and we absorb that, as a kid, we solidify that view. It’s horrifying, we put that view, we put that into a box, put it up in their head, and put it on the back shelf. And we never want to look at it again, although, of course, it’s there. And it affects us in enormous ways. But I think it then just takes a very, very long time. And then there are these triggering events, like having kids of our own, to begin to understand, because we formed that view when we were young. And it impacted our whole identity.   Julie Roys  36:09 So when you did come forward, you spoke to your church, your childhood church. I’m not sure why you had optimism about that.   CHRISTA BROWN  36:19 I’m an optimistic person by nature.   Julie Roys  36:22 Yeah. I mean, you must. But I mean, when I read that I also thought,  when I first blew the whistle at Moody, I naively thought when I went to the trustees with the information I had, they would do the right thing. And that was not my experience. But I think we still hold on to this view that, man, these authority figures, they must not know. And so if I tell them, they will do something. Explain what happened when you did come forward to your church, and then I believe to, the Baptist Convention there in Texas as well.   CHRISTA BROWN  36:58 I was in my 50s,  early 50s. And I absolutely believe that they would do the right thing, that they want to help me. I was adamant about it. The same music minister who had known when I was a kid was still there at my same childhood church. I was absolutely convinced; I knew that he had raised a daughter by then. I thought he’s older now he will know better. He’ll wish he had done things differently. He will have learned some things; he will want to help me. And I have never been more wrong about anything in all my life then I was about that. Because the church’s first response was to threaten to seek legal recourse against me if I talked about it. And yeah, that was fairly intimidating. Even as someone who is a lawyer, I thought, whoa. And of course, you have to realize, I think, even as I’m doing this, at that point in time, I’m still trying to work through this process in my own mind, of unpacking everything that was done to me, of just dealing with it, of coming to terms with it. And that is a long emotional process because it was very traumatic. And at the same time then having the church threaten me, and try to bully me, that was just absolutely devastating. And then eventually, of course, yes, I also talked with people at the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Again, thinking these will know something. And I’ve contacted 18 Southern Baptist leaders in four different states, thinking surely there would be someone and there was no one. Absolutely no one who would do anything to help.   Julie Roys  38:59 One of the things that I thought back on when I was reading your book is about totalitarian states; that one of the things that a totalitarian state has to do is take over the press. And in Baptist land, they had their own press. Yes. And that was also weaponized against you, right?   CHRISTA BROWN  39:22 Yes, exactly. The Baptist Press published an article in which they said that I made false accusations, which, again, that was just absolutely devastating. But they’re in control of their own press, which gives them the ability to control the narrative, to present the picture that they want to present. That’s a very, very powerful tool.   Julie Roys  39:47 Although they don’t control all of it. And this is the thing that I have been so grateful for before the internet. Really, you had to go through all the gatekeepers, and I know, I couldn’t have done the reporting I’ve done had I had to go through the gatekeepers of the major Christian publications because they didn’t want to report half of this. Right. And I think the whole ME-TOO movement has taken off because of that. The Church TOO movement has taken off, because now, we have our own platforms, we have our own megaphones. And we can expose this stuff, and you did not stop. You just kept coming. And I’m guessing that that you’re one of so many, and so many people who have been suffering the same way as you have. But you went to the Southern Baptist Convention, you spoke out. Talk about your literally decades of advocacy, and what has kept you going through that.   CHRISTA BROWN  40:56 What has always kept me going has been the stories of other survivors, the very awareness that I wasn’t alone, and that there were so many others who did not have the ability, the resources, the educational background, the stamina, or maybe they just had toddlers under foot at home, they didn’t have the energy available for this. Back in 2006, I managed to publish an op-ed piece with the Dallas Morning News. And that was very early for me in this process. And it was after I did that, and I had my email address at the end of it, I was just flooded with emails. And that was when I really began to understand how pervasive this was. And most of those voices, most of those people are stories that no one ever hears about. And so that is always what has been a very powerful, made me feel a powerful sense of obligation. Because I’m very aware of those people. And I also want to say, the name of my book is Baptistland. And yes, I think there is this overarching kind of inculturation that this authoritarian type of Baptistland influences in our culture. But as you say, way back when, one of the earliest news media sources to begin reporting these stories was Associated Baptist Press, which is not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, they’re Independent Baptist press. And they were some of the very first. We would not have some of the history we have and the documentation of this long problem if they had not been doing that work. And it continues today with Baptist News Global, which again, is not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. I frequently write for them. So, yes, there have been other avenues, kind of on the fringes of Baptistland, that have been helpful in documenting this problem. And for that, I’ve been enormously grateful.   Julie Roys  43:14 So much has happened, especially in the past five years. The Houston Chronicle. That report showing literally hundreds of Southern Baptists leaders and volunteers engaged in credible abuse, effecting we know now over 700 victims. And again, that’s probably a fraction of it, because so many don’t speak, so many don’t come forward. We have Guidepost Solutions, who did their review, independent investigation of the executive committee the way that abuse survivors were treated. We know now that you were treated horribly, not just you, although you’re mentioned quite a bit in that report. But many survivors have been treated this way. SBC has initiated seemingly some reforms, the Caring Well Conference. But when it comes to substantive reform, have we seen substantive reform in the SBC?   CHRISTA BROWN  44:22 No, we have not. In my view, almost everything that they have done has been performative in nature. They still have no  names of credibly accused pastors on a database. They have talked and talked and talked. We’ve seen committee after committee, taskforce after task force. But no institutionally, they are not making progress. If they viewed this as a high priority, things would be very different. And you’re right. It is such a tragedy. It has been five years now since the Houston Chronicle Abuse of Faith series. It’s been two years since the Guidepost Report. That is enough time that we should see a great deal more change then we do. And yes, I’m named 70 times in that Guidepost Report, precisely because the executive committee treated me so terribly, and that’s now documented there. And that is just one report about one small entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the executive committee. And what it reflects is pretty incredibly awful. And yet, the executive committee itself, it doesn’t make amends for its wrongdoing. It doesn’t impose consequences on those who treated me so terribly. No. And so what kind of example do they set for the rest of the Southern Baptist Convention? And they could take responsibility and accountability for their own wrong without anything to do with local church autonomy. They could do that themselves. No, they do not.   Julie Roys  46:15 And that was the big excuse for so many years was the SBC saying, listen, we’re a denomination that really honors local church autonomy. So we can’t really impose anything on these local churches. And you are asking for very common-sense reforms. I mean, a list for example, of all of the credibly accused or convicted pastors or leaders within the SBC. We just want a database, right? asking for this and them saying, oh, we can’t do that because of autonomy. And yet when this Guidepost Solutions report comes out, we find out they’re keeping their own list.   CHRISTA BROWN  46:52 Yes, they’ve been doing it all along, ever since 2007, while simultaneously claiming that they can’t keep a list. And of course, keeping records and sharing information on credibly accused clergy sex abusers, there’s nothing about that, that intrudes on the autonomy of local churches. To the contrary, that kind of information-sharing system could provide local churches with the resources that they need to exercise their autonomy more responsibly. That’s not on behalf of the local churches that their doing that. It’s on behalf of the larger denominational structures of the Southern Baptist Convention, that they’re protecting themselves.   Julie Roys  47:49 Wow. And we still don’t have it. We still don’t have a good database. This is not brain surgery, folks. This is really, really simple. But it shows the lack of will on the part of the Southern Baptist Convention. I think I just tweeted something out, not tweeted, posted on X. I can’t get used to that. But something recently; Southern Baptist minister saying, hey we’ve got the sex abuse crisis and everything else. But we need to get back to the really important things of winning people for Christ. That, to me is so infuriating that we don’t see, Jesus cared for the least of these, throughout Scripture talks about the least of these. How do we think what are we winning people to if our churches don’t reflect the heart of God? It’s so perverse and so frustrating. And I’m curious at this point, I mean, do you have hope for reform within the SBC? or do you feel like it’s a lost cause?   CHRISTA BROWN  48:56 I certainly don’t think that we will see meaningful reform in my lifetime. I really don’t. I just don’t think this institution is going that direction. They’ve given us no evidence on which to believe that they’re serious about this at all. And they have had multiple opportunities over the past 20 years to reckon with this, really serious opportunities, when they could have chosen to do so. And again, and again, they do not. So no, I do not hold hope for the institution. I do hold hope for individuals. I think there is value in putting the truth out there, regardless of what the Southern Baptist Convention may or may not ever do. Thank goodness, my hope does not rest on them.   Julie Roys  49:48 Amen. I mean, honestly, I think the truth has its own power and how it works itself out. That’s not in our hands. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’re not that powerful. But I know there’s a lot of different ways to look at this. I mean, some people come up to me and they’re like, Well, why is all of this being exposed now? What is going on? You know, it’s something awful in the church. And I’m like, Well, what we’re exposing most of what we’re exposing is decades old. Some of its recent, but a lot of it is decades old, that just hasn’t been exposed. And I do think God’s angry about it. I mean, that’s my personal belief on this. And that some of this is being exposed, that there is judgment coming. And there’s a reckoning coming. I do take heart in the fact that at least the truth is getting out there. But what people do with it, pretty tough. But I do think it will be a decade’s-long process, I thought at first it’d be a year or two few years. It’ll be a decade’s long process of this being exposed. But I do pray that something, some good structures grow out of it.   CHRISTA BROWN  51:13 I do believe that in years to come, and maybe decades to come, that ordinary human beings will look back on all this. Which is why I’m so glad things are being documented. We’ll look back on all this, and it will be so aberrant as to be almost inconceivable. And they will say, you? a multibillion-dollar tentacular institution? used this excuse of church autonomy to avoid protecting kids against clergy sex abuse? really? And it will seem so horrifying as to be almost inconceivable. I think that will happen. And this institution is on the wrong side of history.   Julie Roys  52:02 I agree with that.100%. And I’ll also say that when I talk to abuse survivors, it’s often not the abuser. I mean, the abuser obviously does horrific harm. But it’s the protectors, the allies, the bystanders that do nothing, or worse than that actually contribute to the crime by covering it up. That is what really, really causes the harm. And so I mean, to Southern Baptist leaders who probably won’t listen to this podcast, but if you do, shame on you! do something. I mean, this is unconscionable that you call yourselves Christians and you don’t do anything about abuse survivors. That is, to me, a test of the authenticity of your faith.   CHRISTA BROWN  52:52 You know you’re absolutely right Julie. This is perhaps the single most universal commonality that I find in survivor stories is almost invariably, as awful, and horrific as the sexual abuse itself is, what does even greater damage is how terribly survivors are treated by religious leaders, by churches, by people of faith. That is hard to reckon with and hard to come to terms with. It is one thing to come to terms with the evil that one man can do, but it is quite another thing to try to come to terms with, And everyone else acts as though it’s okay. And this kind of systemic institutional problem does not come about without the complicity of countless others who enable these things. And that is where the real problem lies.   Julie Roys  54:00 The fourth death that you talk about in your book is when your mother died, and your own sisters cut you out of an inheritance. And a lot of it though, based in the fact that your family didn’t want you talking about this. I can only imagine. I mean, I felt it as I read the book, but the pain that I’m sure you still carry from that. Why is it that your family wanted to silence you so much on this issue, so much that they would retaliate in this way?   CHRISTA BROWN  54:45 I think because they felt it brought shame onto the family. And because I grew up in a sort of family that says you pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You never talk about difficult things. You never talk about the family. My sister blamed me for what they said was making mom feel guilty because I had talked about this. Mom herself before she died, as I was speaking out numerous times would tell me that she thought I needed to own my part in it. Even though of course, I had been a kid. But she too had been, I think, misled, and manipulated by Brother Hayden, the senior pastor of our church at that time. And he’s now deceased. Because years later, many years later, I learned that he had told her that I would just forget about it. So that was a way of silencing my mom as well. And on some level, I think my mom must have felt guilty for that. As many mothers would feel guilt if something really terrible happens to a kid.  But I think she felt an enlarged level of guilt, which she could not really process. And it’s not as if people in my family went to counseling, right? And then because my mom felt guilty, my sister, I never put blame on her. I never ever put blame on her. But nevertheless, my sisters blamed me for making mom feel guilty. But, in some way if I think that’s all , scapegoating is something that human beings do. It’s something as old as time. And I think that’s what my sister did to me. Wrong. And in some ways, then they scapegoated me, and that was just kind of the rationalization for legitimizing what they did. And yes, to say it was painful, would be a real understatement. It was extremely painful.   Julie Roys  57:01 So sorry. You end your book with an afterword to childhood or clergy sex abuse survivors. And I know, our podcast, many survivors listen to this podcast. What message do you have for them?   CHRISTA BROWN  57:21 First and foremost, you are so worthy, you are a human being of infinite value. Whatever has been done to you within this faith community, it does not define who you are. Whoever you are at this point in your life right now, whether you are a person of faith or no faith, I don’t care. You are of infinite value and all of this other stuff that the faith community has communicated to you. Which abuse does this to people. It inculcates in you this notion that somehow you are not worthy. And that is a lie. That is a lie. So that would be the first thing I would say. And secondly, I would say, to all survivors and advocates, and really almost anyone out there, cultivate your skepticism. And sadly, when we see that faith itself is weaponized for power, that the accoutrements of faith are used to help propagandize and the perpetuation of status quo power structures, then it behooves us to apply our skepticism even to matters of faith. And I say, do not feel guilty for skepticism; not one bit. People need to earn trust. There’s nothing wrong with you for, for holding doubt.   Julie Roys  59:10 And I believe that if God is God, that he can handle our doubt, he can handle our hurt, he can handle our anger. And it’s justified in these cases. And it’s one of the greatest conundrums of the human experience. If God is great, and God is good, how do these horrible things happen to innocent people? It’s above my paygrade; it’s certainly one question that I’ve wrestled with an awful lot in my life and continue to, but I appreciate so much Christa, you’re honest, you’re honest  recounting your story and where you’re at, and you are a hero to the survivor community. And again, you have been in it so much longer than I have been. And I just look to folks like you who have really blazed a trail. And just so, so, so grateful for your work. So thank you.   CHRISTA BROWN  1:00:21 Thanks, Julie. Thanks for having me here. I really appreciate it.   Julie Roys  1:00:28 Thanks so much for listening to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And if you’d like a copy of Christa’s book called Baptistland, you can get one when you give $30 or more to The Roys report this month. As I’ve often said, we don’t have advertisers or many large donors, we simply have you, the people who care about exposing abuse and corruption in the church so she can be restored. So if you’d like to help us out and get a copy of Baptistland, just go to JULIEROYS.COM/DONATE. Also, just a quick reminder to subscribe to The Roys report on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. That way, you won’t miss any of these episodes. And while you’re at it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d help us spread the word about the podcast by leaving a review. And then please share the podcast on social media so more people can hear about this great content. Again, thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you were blessed and encouraged. Read more

Effective evangelism and apologetics includes understanding what your non-Christian neighbor truly believes. On part two of our conversation with evangelist and apologist Eric Hernandez, author of The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers, we will glean more insight into Eric's experiences and engagement with non-Christians and learn how we too can be more effective in our own personal defenses of our faith in Christ.Eric Hernandez is an apologist, evangelist, and the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas (www.TexasBaptists.org). He has spoken and debated the merits of Christianity on university college campuses throughout the U.S. and is the author of The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers. Eric holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor's degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Atheism by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr: www.watchman.org/Atheism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: www.watchman.org/Agnostic Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Divine Hiddenness by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Hidden Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Relativism by Parker Stilley: www.watchman.org/Relativism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Postmodernism by Aaron Shamp: www.watchman.org/Postmodernism Additional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

What comes to mind when you hear the terms "apologetics" and "evangelism"? On the next two episodes of the Profile, we talk with apologist and evangelist Eric Hernandez about his latest book The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers. Eric helps us simplify gospel conversations, dispel some stereotypes of evangelism and apologetics, and shows us how he believes they really go hand-in-hand.  Eric Hernandez is an apologist, evangelist, and the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas (www.TexasBaptists.org). He has spoken and debated the merits of Christianity on university college campuses throughout the U.S. and is the author of The Lazy Approach to Evangelism: A Simple Guide for Conversing with Nonbelievers. Eric holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor's degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Atheism by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr: www.watchman.org/Atheism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: www.watchman.org/Agnostic Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Divine Hiddenness by Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Hidden Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Relativism by Parker Stilley: www.watchman.org/Relativism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Postmodernism by Aaron Shamp: www.watchman.org/Postmodernism Additional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

On this episode of Todd Talks, Dr. Todd Still sits down with Dr. Julio Guarneri, the Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

Today on the podcast, we welcome Eric Hernandez. Eric is an apologist and speaker. He shares how he explains what apologetics is, how he became a Christian, and how he became passionate about sharing the Christian faith. Eric and Janell chat about the link between philosophy and apologetics, lazy evangelism, and the garden analogy. They also chat about the two things that make Christianity true. We hope you enjoy!    We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here! To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here! FSR September 2023 - Alice's Intro FSR September 2023 with Justin FSR June 2022 with Justin Eric Hernandez' - website Eric Hernandez - YouTube TexasApologetics.Org ​​The Lazy Approach to Evangelism - Eric Hernandez Bobby Conway William Lane Craig JP Moreland Greg Koukl Natasha Crain   About Eric Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending the faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He is a licensed minister, a certified formation therapist, and is the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. He has spoken and debated on a public level at university college campuses where he adamantly defends the Christian faith against atheist, agnostic, and deistic professors of different worldviews. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor's degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University.

Today we're celebrating 200 episodes of the MARKED Podcast! We wanted to take an episode to celebrate God's faithfulness with MARKED over the years, so come along with us as Kelly and Elizabeth recall some of our favorite moments, talk about the logistics of making a podcast, share which of our episodes are the most listened-to, and more. Thanks for listening! RESOURCES: Chatologie with Angie Elkins MARKED Podcast episode with Point of Grace MARKED Podcast episode with Beth Moore MARKED Podcast episode with Laura and Francine Perry | Transgender to Reformed MARKED Podcast episode with Kelly Minter and April Dace MARKED Podcast episode with Ellie Holcomb MARKED Podcast episode with Amy-Jo Girardier MARKED Podcast episode with Chris Adams MARKED Podcast Lifeway Women Academy miniseries | Jen Wilkin on Hermeneutics MARKED Podcast episode with Jennifer Rothschild RECOMMENDED: Interested in getting another behind-the-scenes peek of Lifeway Women? Check out this behind-the-scenes blog post of The Gospel on the Ground Bible study production. MARKED is a podcast from Lifeway Women: https://women.lifeway.com/blog/podcasts/. Hosted by Kelly King and Elizabeth Hyndman. ABOUT ELIZABETH HYNDMAN Elizabeth reads, writes, and argues about the nuances of punctuation. Officially, she's an Editorial Project Leader at Lifeway. She managed to find a job where she uses both her English undergraduate and her seminary graduate degrees every day. Elizabeth grew up in Nashville, sips chai lattes every chance she can get, and believes everyone should have a “funny picture” pose at the ready. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram. ABOUT KELLY KING Kelly is the manager of Magazines/Devotional Publishing and Women's Ministry Training for Lifeway Christian Resources. She holds a Master of Theology degree from Gateway Seminary and was previously an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University while serving as the Women's Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Kelly continues to serve in local church ministry as a women's ministry volunteer and small group leader for high school girls. She is the author of Ministry to Women: The Essential Guide to Leading Women in the Local Church.

In this live interview, I sit down with Eric Hernandez, an experienced Christian apologist, to discuss his thoughts on AI--whether AI will ever become conscious--and what that means for Christianity. We also discuss his work on dualism and reflect on some of the craziest debates he's had with atheists. Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending the faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He's a licensed minister, a certified formation therapist, and the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor's degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University.

On today's program, Tim Ballard—hero of the hit movie ‘Sound of Freedom'—has been removed from two nonprofits, one of which is Operation Underground Railroad. We'll have details. Also, the Bible translation organization Wycliffe Associates is asking for big donations, but giving few details on how they plan to use the money. And, tips for donors wanting to give to anti-trafficking ministries. We begin today with news from Texas, as the debate over women pastors has now moved to the state level. Delegates to the Baptist General Convention of Texas adopted a statement last week urging its staff to affirm women in “ministerial and leadership roles.” FINAL THOUGHTS: Just a reminder that MinistryWatch is a donor supported organization, and if you make a gift during the month of July, you'll receive a copy of my book Faith-Based Fraud: Learning From The Great Religious Scandals of our Time as our thank-you gift. Just go to MinistryWatch and hit the DONATE button at the top of the page. We've got just a couple of days left in the month, and we're a few thousand dollars short of our goal, so if you've been thinking about a gift, now would be a great time. The producers for today's program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Adelle Banks, Steve Rabey, Christina Darnell, Rod Pitzer—and you, Warren. Until next time, may God bless you.

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Psalm 42, how we get the idea of the “soul” wrong, evangelicalism's weak spot, why we should yearn for God, and how to start hungering for a relationship with Jesus.    Show notes:    Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the image of a deer panting after water in Psalm 42 (2:12). They talk about how evangelicalism can unhealthily swing the pendulum away from spiritual discipline to praying “the prayer” of salvation (7:50). They consider in-depth how the Hebrew authors thought of the “soul” and how it differs from the modern notion (17:36). Dr. Denison talks about C.S. Lewis, why we can only find peace in God, and the difference between knowing “about” God versus knowing God personally (27:45). They point listeners to where they should start if they want to yearn for God and consider how to grow that true, intimate longing to be with God (32:50).   NOTE: We've launched our summer campaign. As a 100-percent donor-supported ministry nonprofit, we rely on believers like you to give toward our calling “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12). If our work has encouraged or inspired you, please give today.   Resources and further reading: First15.org You Are the Beloved, Henri Nouwen  Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster   About the host    Mark Turman, DMin, is the executive director of Denison Forum. He received his DMin from Truett at Baylor and previously served as lead pastor of Crosspoint Church.    About the guest  Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries, which is transforming 6.8 million lives through meaningful digital content. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Denison is the Theologian in Residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Prior to launching Denison Forum in 2009, he pastored churches in Texas and Georgia.  

Tragedy happens to us all. Ministers are usually the first people we call but who ministers to the minister when he or she is going through? Dr. Antoine works with pastors as the Director of Bi-Vocational Pastors at Baptist General Convention of Texas. He joined us on this episode to share his story and to offer tips on caring for the preacher during crisis. 

Dr. David Lowrie, Jr. is the senior pastor at FBC Decatur. With more than forty-one years of pastoral experience, he hasserved churches in the Dallas area, Wisconsin, Canyon, and most recently, El Paso. Dr. Lowrie is the past president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and is serving his third term on the Board of Trustees at Howard Payne University. He holds a B.A. from Baylor University, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN.

Dr. Katie Frugé, Dr. Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss why new technology shapes the culture war, the positives and negatives of social media, why algorithms require more regulation, and how parents should navigate social media.    Show notes:    Dr. Katie Frugé talks about her background in seminary and her multi-faceted job as the Director of the Center for Cultural Engagement at the BGCT (1:33). She talks about the so-called culture wars and how social media changes the landscape of public discourse (10:52). She discusses social media algorithms, needed regulation, and tech exploiting sin nature (19:19). Dr. Frugé continues by explaining the upsides to social media and why we're more connected than ever, but also lonelier than every (28:40). They discuss how rapidly technology advances and the generational gaps in understanding about social media (35:44). Dr. Frugé ends by covering some basic rules for parenting and how to navigate the often dark world of tech, facing the potential dangers of pornography and sexual grooming (42:54)   Resources and further reading:   Following Jesus in a Digital Age (Bible Study) The Center for Cultural Engagement  “Why are teens sadder, lonelier, and more depressed than ever before?” Mark Legg   About the hosts  Mark Turman, DMin, is the executive director of Denison Forum. He received his DMin from Truett at Baylor and previously served as lead pastor of Crosspoint Church.  Mark Legg is an Associate Editor for Denison Forum. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2021 with a degree in Philosophy and Biblical Studies.   About the guest    Katie Frugé, Ph.D., earned her Master of Divinity degree and Ph.D. in systematic theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Katie Frugé has been named director of Texas Baptists' Center for Cultural Engagement and the Christian Life Commission. Frugé began her service with the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 2019 as the hunger and human care specialist with the CLC. She later took on the role of associate director of the CLC.

Dr. Hardage, retiring Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, spoke in chapel on November 8 for Truett's BGCT Day.

Dr. Jim Denison with the Denison Forum has a discussion with Dawn and Steve about the Midterm Elections. Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries, which is transforming 6.8 million lives through meaningful digital content. Dr. Denison speaks biblically about significant cultural issues at DenisonForum.org and DrJimDenison.com, as well as on radio, TV, podcasts, and social media. He is the author of over 30 books. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Denison is the Theologian in Residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Jim and his wife, Janet, live in Dallas, Texas. They have two married sons and four grandchildren.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: Some of the topics in this episode may trigger those dealing with trauma related to sexual abuse. Viewer/ listener discretion advisedHow are we to make sense of Old Testament Laws about women? Many today claim that God is sexist, wanting men to dominate and control women. What is there to say about such laws?Today, Dr. Katie McCoy is back for part 2, dealing with a few of the laws that deal with more traumatic experiences. Dr. McCoy is the director of the Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.Timestamps:CONTENT WARNING: (0:00)The suspected adultress in Numbers 5 (2:15)Why Numbers 5 doesn't condone abortion (11:10)Protection of the slandered bride (13:13)Secret sexual relations and sexual abuse (18:25)Advice and encouragement for sexual abuse victims and women called to ministry (30:05)Find out more about the Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas: https://www.texasbaptists.org/ministries/womens-ministryAdditional links mentioned in the episode:How Does God's Mission Include Women? Part 1 (Dr. Lynn Cohick) https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/how-does-gods-mission-include-women-part-1/How Does God's Mission Include Women? Part 2 (Kristen Padilla) https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/how-does-gods-mission-include-women-part-2/Defending Christianity Podcast: https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.orgDC Blog: https://defendingchristianityblog.org/blog/Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.defendingchristianity.org/newsletterIf you enjoy this podcast and want others to hear about it, please go to this link to leave a 5-star review!! Your support is very appreciated: https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/reviews/new/We would LOVE to hear from you! If you have a question, testimony, or want to recommend a future episode topic, fill out the Contact Form to submit it: https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/contact/Support the show

How are we to make sense of Old Testament Laws about women? Many today claim that God is sexist, wanting men to dominate and control women. What is there to say about such laws?Today, Levi talks with Dr. Katie McCoy, Assistant Professor of Theology in Women's Studies at the College at Southwestern Seminary. Dr. McCoy holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Southwestern. Her dissertation is on Old Testament laws about women's personhood and what they teach us about women's dignity and social justice. Dr. McCoy is also the director of the Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.Timestamps:Dr. McCoy's story (1:55)What you need to know about Old Testament Law (10:00)What does the Law reveal about the Lawgiver? (13:57)Making sense of laws concerning menstruation periods (15:40)Were women punished for giving birth to females? (22:35)Find out more about the Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas: https://www.texasbaptists.org/ministries/womens-ministryAdditional links mentioned in the episode:How Does God's Mission Include Women? Part 1 (Dr. Lynn Cohick) https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/how-does-gods-mission-include-women-part-1/How Does God's Mission Include Women? Part 2 (Kristen Padilla) https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/how-does-gods-mission-include-women-part-2/Defending Christianity Podcast: https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.orgDC Blog: https://defendingchristianityblog.org/blog/Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.defendingchristianity.org/newsletterIf you enjoy this podcast and want others to hear about it, please go to this link to leave a 5-star review!! Your support is very appreciated: https://www.defendingchristianitypodcast.org/reviews/new/Support the show

Have you ever wondered if your story matters? Does God see your struggle with mental health and the pain it brings to your life? Can you trust him with your hurt, your mental health, and to give you hope? In this episode, Stacee and Doug interview friend, Bible teacher, and ministry leader Vickey Banks about finding hope even in the most difficult seasons of life. Out of a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a passion for helping others connect the Bible to their everyday lives, Vickey visits with Stacee and Doug about God's immense love for those who struggle with mental health and the hope He can provide. For many, mental illness creates feelings of loneliness, isolation, and questions if anyone really understands or knows the depths of the hurt and struggle. Vickey shares with vulnerability about her own experience of feeling overwhelmed with loss, grief, and a sense of hopelessness and how God spoke to her words of hope and life through the Bible to bring a renewed mental peace and happiness back into her life. If you've struggled to connect with the Bible or have wondered if reading the Bible is for you, Vickey shares practical ideas and tools on how to begin reading the Bible and to find ways to apply it to your life. She also shares with Stacee and Doug some surprises which the Bible might offer those struggling with their mental health and trying to hang onto hope. Vickey Banks is passionate about helping women connect the dots between God's Word and their everyday lives. As an author, Bible study teacher, inspirational speaker and disciple-maker, she loves serving as Women's Ministry Director at Council Road Baptist Church, as a LifeWay Women's Ministry Trainer and as a member of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma's Women's Leadership Team. She has written or is a contributing author to a large number of books, devotional Bibles, ministry guides, magazines and blogs, as well as Bible study and discipleship curriculum. Vickey has a degree in Interpersonal Communication and is currently pursuing a Master of Biblical Studies. She loves sailing with her husband, celebrating her people, travel, and getting lost in a good story. You can find Vickey's book, Sharing His Secrets, Intimate Insights from the Women who Knew Jesus, at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576738930?tag=randohouseinc11082-20 You can learn more about hosts Stacee and Doug and all things Speak Out Loud at www.speakoutloud.me. The Speak Out Loud podcast is bringing hope and encouragement to those who struggle with mental health and for those who love and support them.

Dr. David Hardage has served as Executive Director of Texas Baptists, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, for the past 10 years. He previously served as Director of Development for Truett Seminary. Dr. Hardage has also served as a pastor and interim pastor for a number of churches, most recently as interim pastor of First Baptist Church of Waxahachie, Texas. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in religion from Baylor University. He is married to his wife, Kathleen, and they have two children, John and Rebecca.

What are Baptist General Conventions? What is the purpose of a Baptist General Convention?

Dr. Albert L. Reyes is President and CEO of Buckner International, a non-profit international ministry that serves orphans, vulnerable children, families, and seniors. He is the sixth President and CEO of the 143-year-old organization based in Dallas, Texas. He previously served as President of Buckner International and President of Buckner Children and Family Services. Prior to his service at Buckner, Reyes was president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio. Reyes also has served as pastor of three churches and was involved in numerous roles within the Baptist General Convention of Texas, serving as its President in 2005. He serves as Vice President of the Baptist World Alliance representing Baptists in the United States of America. Reyes received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Angelo State University, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Andrews University and completed post-doctoral study at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, England. He is the author of The Jesus Agenda: Becoming an Agent of Redemption (Believers Press, 2015) and Hope Now: Peace, Healing, and Justice when the Kingdom comes near (Iron Stream Books, 2019). Reyes and his wife Belinda have three adult sons and are members of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.

Dr. Randel Everett joins Dr. Mark Turman and Dr. Jim Denison to discuss religious freedom, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, and why the state shouldn't be run by religion.    Show notes:  After giving his personal story, Dr. Randel Everett discusses the surprising role of a Baptist in religious freedom in the US's founding (7:22). He then talks about the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, how they got started, and how they defend religious freedom and challenge persecution and oppression (10:39). Dr. Everett relates what this mission currently looks like internationally, such as in Myanmar, Burma, and Bangladesh (20:18). They discuss the unique aspect of the Judeo-Christian ethic that allows for freedom of belief (28:10). Dr. Jim Denison considers the negatives of when the church tries to control the state (32:25). Finally, Dr. Everett ends by encouraging us to strive for virtue to make society a better place from the ground up, and how listeners can get involved in 21 Wilberforce (35:21).   P.S. Jim's most pivotal book to date, The Coming Tsunami, is now available on Kindle, hardcover, and Audible.   Resources and further reading: 21 Wilberforce - defending freedom “What does the Bible say about religious liberty?” - Dr. Jim Denison  “What does the Bible say about freedom?” - Dr. Jim Denison Religious Liberty in Crisis - Ken Starr Liberty for All - Andrew T. Walker   About the Guest  Dr. Randel Everett founded 21Wilberforce in 2014 to focus attention on religious persecution abroad and the enduring importance of religious liberty in the United States.   As President, Randel leads the 21Wilberforce team, often on the front lines internationally. He spent four decades pastoring churches in Florida, Virginia, Arkansas, and Texas. He founded the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, led the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and currently serves in leadership for the Baptist World Alliance. Throughout his career, Randel has traveled to nearly 40 countries and witnessed persecution first-hand.   About the hosts  Jim Denison, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and the CEO of Denison Ministries, which is transforming 6.8 million lives through meaningful digital content.    Dr. Mark Turman is the executive director of Denison Forum. He received his DMin from Truett at Baylor and previously served as lead pastor of Crosspoint Church.

E. Todd Fisher, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, preached from Matthew 20:20-28 in #SWBTSChapel on March 31st, 2022.

E. Todd Fisher, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, preached from Matthew 20:20-28 in #SWBTSChapel on March 31st, 2022.        

Kelly King is the Women's Ministry Specialist for Lifeway Christian Resources where she coordinates training and equipping events for women in leadership as well as co-hosts the Marked podcast.She holds a Master of Theology from Gateway Seminary and was an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University while serving as the Women's Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. She is currently pursuing her doctorate of ministryShe and her husband, Vic, have been married 30 years and have served together in ministry both teaching students and young adults. They have two young adult children, Conner and Courtney, and a son-in-love, Gaige and are new grandparents. They enjoy kayaking, having people in their home, and cheering for the Oklahoma Sooners. She is a fan of Tex-Mex and coconut milk mocha macchiatos, but not at the same time.On today's episode we talk about so many things to include women in ministry, how we can build community, the benefits and dangers of a digital church culture and more. To follow What's Your Story on Instagram visit http://www.instagram.com/whatsyourstory.podcastHannah Conway is a Lifeway author, a speaker and a women's ministry director in her local church. To connect with Hannah visit http://www.hannahrconway.com or follow her on Social Media:  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hannahrconwayInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/hannahrconway_authorStephani Cook is an Enneagram life coach, speaker, podcast host and the creator of On Purpose Coaching. Through On Purpose Coaching she helps others to improve relationships and to discover intentional abundant living. To connect with Stephani or for information about an Enneagram coaching package visit http://www.stephanicook.org or follow her on Social Media: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stephaniscookInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/stephani_cook Cover photo by Alison Weakley Photographyhttp://www.alisonweakleyphotography.comSupport the show (HTTPS://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyspodcast)

This week on Author Spotlight Podcast

Guest host Jordan Wootten interviews Dr. Katie Fruge, the Director of the Center for Cultural Engagement and the Christian Life Commission, ministries of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Music Title: Children of the Son Author: Pipe Choir Souce: www.pipechoir.com Licenses: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License 

We all need someone who believes in us, someone who believes our story, our past with all of its hurts and pain, matters. In this episode Stacee and Doug visit with Kelly King a friend and women's ministry leader who believed in Stacee and first opened a door for her to begin sharing her story of God's sustaining love and power in her mental illness recovery journey. Stacee, Doug and Kelly talk about the video Kelly produced several years earlier highlighting some of Stacee's story called "A Love That Never Let's Go" - a link to the video is below - we invite you to click and watch. Your story matters; your belief in someone else matters. God can and will use you - your story, your words, your encouragement to bring hope and to shine a light on His love and grace. More Info and Resources from Today's Episode: "A Love That Never Lets Go" video link: https://speakoutloud.me/media-2 Kelly King is the Manager of Magazines/Devotional Publishing and Women's Ministry Training for Lifeway Christian Resources. She holds a Master of Theology degree from Gateway Seminary and was previously an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University while serving as the Women's Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. She is the author of Ministry to Women: The Essential Guide to Leading Women in the Local Church. Kelly co-hosts the "Marked" podcast which can be found here: https://women.lifeway.com/blog/podcasts/

Join FBC Big Spring in welcoming Dr. Jonathan Smith today. Dr. Smith is the Director of Church Health Strategy for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The sermon is titled "The Gospel Doors are Open" The text is Revelation 3:7-13.

Katie Frugé, Associate Director for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, shares how self-control is an intentional response.

Former Mormon James Walker, president of Watchman Fellowship, had the rare opportunity to participate in a public dialogue with a top Latter-day Saint defender, Scott Gordon, president of FairLatterDaySaints.org. Their discussion question was "What is the Gospel?" The dialogue was held at the [un]Apologetic Conference sponsored last month by the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) and hosted by Dr. Jeremy Evans of Woodridge Baptist Church in Kingwood, Texas.In episode two of this two-part podcast, James and Scott take questions texted in from the live audience as moderated by Dr. Evans. They seek to further clarify and provide their unique perspectives on the similarities and differences between the Latter-day Saint and evangelical Christian understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ.For more about LDS apologist Scott Gordon and evangelical Christian apologist James Walker: Scott Gordon, President FairLatterDaySaints.org: fairlatterdaysaints.org James Walker, President of Watchman Fellowship: watchman.org/James Scott and James interviewed on Fox News Radio with the late Alan Colmes: watchman.org/colmes.pdf  RELATED LINKS: More information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Mormonism: watchman.org/Mormonism Related articles on Mormonism: watchman.org/LDS Is Mormonism True? by TrueLife.org (23-min.): TrueLife.org/categories/mormonism James Walker's debate with Latter-day Saint CES Director Joseph Evans on the question "Is Mormonism Christian?" (video, 2-hours): watchman.org/MormonDebate MORE RESOURCES: We are also offering a free subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Former Mormon James Walker, president of Watchman Fellowship, had the rare opportunity to participate in a public dialogue with a top Latter-day Saint defender, Scott Gordon, president of FairLatterDaySaint.org. Their discussion question was "What is the Gospel?" The dialogue was held at the [un]Apologetic Conference sponsored last month by the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) and hosted by Dr. Jeremy Evans of Woodridge Baptist Church in Kingwood, Texas.In part one of this two-part podcast, James and Scott take about 25-minutes each to lay out to lay out their understanding of the essentials of the gospel. They identify and discuss the similarities and differences between the Latter-day Saint and evangelical Christian understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ.For more about LDS apologist Scott Gordon and evangelical Christian apologist James Walker: Scott Gordon, President FairLatterDaySaints.org: fairlatterdaysaints.org James Walker, President of Watchman Fellowship: watchman.org/James Scott and James interviewed on Fox News Radio with the late Alan Colmes: watchman.org/colmes.pdf  RELATED LINKS: More information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Mormonism: watchman.org/Mormonism Related articles on Mormonism: watchman.org/LDS Is Mormonism True? by TrueLife.org (23-min.): TrueLife.org/categories/mormonism MORE RESOURCES: We are also offering a free subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, delivered a message in #SWBTSChapel on John 17:15-17 on September 23, 2021.

David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, delivered a message in #SWBTSChapel on John 17:15-17 on September 23, 2021.

David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, delivered a message in #SWBTSChapel on John 17:15-17 on September 23, 2021

David Hardage, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, delivered a message in #SWBTSChapel on John 17:15-17 on September 23, 2021

Dr. Albert L. Reyes is President and CEO of Buckner International, a non-profit international ministry that transforms the lives of orphans, vulnerable children, families and elders.He is the sixth President and CEO of the 138-year-old organization based in Dallas, Texas. He previously served as president of Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.Reyes also has served as pastor of three churches and was involved in numerous roles within the Baptist General Convention of Texas, serving as its President in 2005.Reyes received a bachelor of business administration degree from Angelo State University and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Andrews University.He is the author of several books on the Christian Faith. Reyes and his wife Belinda have three adult children and are very involved in their church - Park Cities Baptist in Dallas.Buckner InternationalBook: Hope NowChasing What Matters InstagramChasing What Matters Website 

Our guest for #316 is Brian Kaylor. Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor & President since 2016, is an award-winning writer and sought-after expert on issues of religion, politics, and communication. He also hosts the award-winning podcast “Baptist Without An Adjective.”In addition to articles and editorials for Word&Way, his writings have been published by CNN, Houston Chronicle, Kansas City Star, Louisville Courier-Journal, Religion News Service, Roll Call, Sojourners, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Post, and many other outlets.Brian has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Communication from the University of Missouri, and a B.A. in Communication and Christian Ministry from Southwest Baptist University. He is the author of four books on religion and politics: Vote Your Principles: Party Must Not Trump Principles; Sacramental Politics: Religious Worship as Political Action; Presidential Campaign Rhetoric in an Age of Confessional Politics; and For God's Sake, Shut Up!He previously served as Associate Director of Churchnet (also known as the Baptist General Convention of Missouri), Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at James Madison University in Virginia, Contributing Editor for Ethics Daily, and Pastor of Union Mound Baptist Church in Elkland, Missouri. He currently serves as chair of both the Communication Advisory Committee and the Resolutions Committee for the Baptist World Alliance.Follow Brian on Twitter: @BrianKaylor.

Pastor Blake Gideon sits down with Brandi Biesiadecki to discuss women's role in ministry and the church.   Brandi has her M.A. in Women's Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is a warm, fun, and passionate speaker bringing the Word of God alive to women with real-life application.  She has been a missionary to Central Asia and is a devoted pastor's wife, homemaker, mother to four children, author, and leads women's ministry at her church, First Baptist Church, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Her ministry priorities focus on sharing the gospel, teaching, and discipleship of women. She has served on the Women's Advisory Council of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Women's Leadership Team of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

Finding and overseeing church staff is difficult, especially when you don't have a strategy or processes in place. Human Resource expert Krystal Speed and Dr. Ray Malone, Director of Human Resources at the Baptist General Convention of Texas, discuss considerations for church leaders concerning hiring the right people and why HR is so important to the church.

About KatieKatie Frugé is a stomach cancer survivor, special needs parent, amateur baker, professional theologian, and human rights advocate. She is married to her college sweetheart, D.L. and they have three daughters: Eve (9), Lissy (6), and Noelle (1). Katie has a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, her primary area of interest is the imago Dei and human dignity. She serves as Associate Director for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Katie loves a good cup of coffee, a good run, and a good musical. Favorite Quotes"The Lord, in His grace and His wisdom, prepares you for the trial right in front of you." -Katie Frugé [On marriage]..."We’ve really been committed to say 'I’m with you. Period.'" - Katie Frugé “I want you to see humans who have life to give.” -Katie Frugé “I promise, there is joy to be had in this journey.” -Katie Frugé “We’re going to choose family, no matter what.” -Katie Frugé Connect with Katie Instagram:  @choose_family

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected David Hardage January, 2012 to serve as the convention’s next executive director. Dr. Hardage has been Pastor of four churches, interim Pastor of five churches, is a former Associational...

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected David Hardage January, 2012 to serve as the convention’s next executive director. Dr. Hardage has been Pastor of four churches, interim Pastor of five churches, is a former Associational...

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected David Hardage January, 2012 to serve as the convention’s next executive director. Dr. Hardage has been Pastor of four churches, interim Pastor of five churches, is a former Associational...

The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board elected David Hardage January, 2012 to serve as the convention’s next executive director. Dr. Hardage has been Pastor of four churches, interim Pastor of five churches, is a former Associational...

During the pandemic many pastors and church leaders leaned on their denomination for support and guidance. ⠀I sat down for a discussion with Dr. David Hardage, Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is responsible for providing leadership to an organization made up of more than 5,000 churches across Texas and beyond. ⠀⠀In this episode we discussed whether denominations are still relevant, the state of the church during a pandemic and race relations.

Soul, in religion and philosophy, the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. In theology, the soul is further defined as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity and often is considered to survive the death of the body. But how do we tell that the soul exists? Are we purely physical beings or is there some immaterial force that makes us who we are independent of our physical being? Today on Educate For Life to debate the existence of the soul, Kevin has as his guest, Eric Hernandez. Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending his faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He is a licensed minister, certified formation therapist, and the Apologetics Lead for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. Eric is well respected and sought after for his evangelistic messages, expository ability, and insight into apologetics. He has spoken and debated on a public level at university and college campuses where he adamantly and adequately defends the Christian faith against atheist, agnostic, and deistic professors of different worldviews. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor degree in theology, a certificate in apologetics from Biola University, and is currently enrolled at Dallas Baptist University. He is the founder of Eric Hernandez Ministries which encompasses speaking engagements, apologetic seminars, training courses, and debates. He is married to Kendall Hernandez, and the two are the proud parents of Adyson Grace and Hudson Ryan. Tune in for an exciting and very informative episode. This episode first aired on Feb 23, 2020 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soul, in religion and philosophy, the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. In theology, the soul is further defined as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity and often is considered to survive the death of the body. But how do we tell that the soul exists? Are we purely physical beings or is there some immaterial force that makes us who we are independent of our physical being? Today on Educate For Life to debate the existence of the soul, Kevin has as his guest, Eric Hernandez. Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending his faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He is a licensed minister, certified formation therapist, and the Apologetics Lead for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. Eric is well respected and sought after for his evangelistic messages, expository ability, and insight into apologetics. He has spoken and debated on a public level at university and college campuses where he adamantly and adequately defends the Christian faith against atheist, agnostic, and deistic professors of different worldviews. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor degree in theology, a certificate in apologetics from Biola University, and is currently enrolled at Dallas Baptist University. He is the founder of Eric Hernandez Ministries which encompasses speaking engagements, apologetic seminars, training courses, and debates. He is married to Kendall Hernandez, and the two are the proud parents of Adyson Grace and Hudson Ryan. Tune in for an exciting and very informative episode This episode first aired on Feb 23, 2020 Educate For Life with Kevin Conover airs Saturdays, 2-3 PM PT. Listen live on KPRZ.com and San Diego radio AM 1210. Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/educate-for-life-kevin-conover/id984140229?mt=2 Visit our website: http://join.educateforlife.org/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/educateforlife/ Donate to support EFL: http://educateforlife.org/donate-to-efl/

In October, leaders with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) announced the hiring of Mark Dance as director of pastor development/regional ministry partner for east-central Oklahoma. Dance most recently served at LifeWay Christian Resources as director of pastors and is a noted writer and conference speaker. He has pastored numerous churches in Arkansas, Texas […]

Chris Liebrum, Baptist General Convention of Texas

Alan Quigley, Evangelism Group Leader for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, explores how Samson dabbled with sin time and again to ultimately lose the power of God evident in his life. In Samson's last moments of life, he turns to call on the Lord with names which had not been used in the life of Israel for more than a generation. Samson's failure to desire purity in his life in order to be used by God led to Samson being less than the leader God had called him to be.

Dr. Joe Ligon was the Senior pastor at Marlow First Baptist Church for 19 years and now is the Senior Executive Assistant Director for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. We had a great conversation with Joe and hope you enjoy the conversation we had with him.  

Dr. Darrell Bock talks with Dr. Michael Ortiz, director of DTS en Español, Nancy Reyes Frazier, a Ph.D. student at DTS, and Marlon Ivan Rios, who works in the Office of Hispanic Ministries for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, about the interactions among Hispanic believers and a more robust understanding of the Hispanic community. The post Cultural Engagement: Understanding the Diversity of the Hispanic Community appeared first on DTS Voice.

Dr. Darrell Bock talks with Dr. Michael Ortiz, director of DTS en Español, Nancy Reyes Frazier, a Ph.D. student at DTS, and Marlon Ivan Rios, who works in the Office of Hispanic Ministries for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, about the interactions among Hispanic believers and a more robust understanding of the Hispanic community. The post Cultural Engagement: Understanding the Diversity of the Hispanic Community appeared first on DTS Voice.

This is a special episode with Ben Little, the Native American strategist at Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. You will hear about the uniqueness of Native American churches and how they kept Native American identity throughout years. 

Today's guest: Dr. Anthony CobbsBioDr. Anthony Cobbs is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and now resides in Texas. He has earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Biblical Studies, a Masters in Christian Ministry and a Doctorate in Leadership from Creighton University. A highly sought-after advisor, trainer and speaker, he is a certified church consultant, ministry strategist and executive coach. He has trained hundreds of leaders and shares the gospel regularly across the country.Over the past 24 years he has served in various ministry roles, working with churches of all sizes. Most recently he served as the Executive Pastor of Higher Dimension Church, a megachurch in greater Houston and as a Church Starting Consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas helping to plant churches across Southeast Texas.In 2011, Pastor Cobbs launched Breakthrough Ministry Consulting to provide urban pastors and ministry leaders with innovative, relevant ministry resources and top-notch leadership development. Breakthrough has been instrumental in helping dozens of churches across the country achieve ministry goals.Pastor Cobbs is also a prolific writer. For four years, he wrote a popular weekly blog for the San Antonio Express News. In 2017, he was asked to be a contributing author for “Our Help” a devotional book published by Our Daily Bread International and he is releasing his debut novel in early 2019.Dr. Cobbs is a husband, father of four millennials, a researcher, and an avid Spurs fan. He is currently the Executive Pastor at Resurrection Church in San Antonio, Texas.http://www.anthonycobbs.com/Hear this podcast on Googleplay, Spotify, TuneinRadio, iTunes, Spreaker, Youtube, and iHeartradioPodcast weekly broadcast location:Rockafellas Barber Shop (Owner: Rico Rodriguez)1733 Babcock Rd. San Antonio, TX 78229Sponsors:I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by River City Donuts San Ant1723 Babock Rd. San Antonio, TX 78229I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by Bay Bay McClinton of All Sports Speed and Conditioninghttp://www.allsportsfitness.net/All Sports Speed and Conditioning is the top sports performance training gyms in San Antonio, and has produce many collegiate and professional athletes since opening. All Sports was founded in 1997 by Bremond “Bay Bay” McClinton. All Sports is based out of the beautiful city of San Antonio, TX. Having accomplished his own career in professional sports; starting a company like All Sports was a natural transition for him. Bay Bay is a native of San Antonio, TX. His 100 meter dash in High School at Roosevelt High in San Antonio was not broken until recently. In college Bay Bay played opposite the great future hall of famer, Darrell Green. He went on to sign a professional career with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and played 7 years in the European Leagues before returning to his home town to finish his career “San Antonio Texans”. In 2006, his company, All Sports administered the strength and conditioning program for the East vs West Shriners’s college senior bowl. In 2008-09, All Sports administered the strength and conditioning program for the Division II college Senior Cactus Bowl All Star game in Kingsville. Today All Sports Speed and Conditioning continues to train athletes to elevate their athletic performance to the next level in all sports.I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by D.W. Brooks Funeral Home2950 E. Houston St.San Antonio, TX 78202Email: info@dwbrooksfh.comPhone: 210-223-2045Website: dwbrooksfuneralhome.comI Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by Overflowcafe.comDoes your website need more traffic? Well visit Overflowcafe.com today! They make websites popular and over 41,000 people use their service to gain more customers. They are winning at business. What about you? Visit Overflowcafe.com

Today's guest: Dr. Anthony CobbsBioDr. Anthony Cobbs is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and now resides in Texas. He has earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Biblical Studies, a Masters in Christian Ministry and a Doctorate in Leadership from Creighton University. A highly sought-after advisor, trainer and speaker, he is a certified church consultant, ministry strategist and executive coach. He has trained hundreds of leaders and shares the gospel regularly across the country.Over the past 24 years he has served in various ministry roles, working with churches of all sizes. Most recently he served as the Executive Pastor of Higher Dimension Church, a megachurch in greater Houston and as a Church Starting Consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas helping to plant churches across Southeast Texas.In 2011, Pastor Cobbs launched Breakthrough Ministry Consulting to provide urban pastors and ministry leaders with innovative, relevant ministry resources and top-notch leadership development. Breakthrough has been instrumental in helping dozens of churches across the country achieve ministry goals.Pastor Cobbs is also a prolific writer. For four years, he wrote a popular weekly blog for the San Antonio Express News. In 2017, he was asked to be a contributing author for “Our Help” a devotional book published by Our Daily Bread International and he is releasing his debut novel in early 2019.Dr. Cobbs is a husband, father of four millennials, a researcher, and an avid Spurs fan. He is currently the Executive Pastor at Resurrection Church in San Antonio, Texas.http://www.anthonycobbs.com/Hear this podcast on Googleplay, Spotify, TuneinRadio, iTunes, Spreaker, Youtube, and iHeartradioPodcast weekly broadcast location:Rockafellas Barber Shop (Owner: Rico Rodriguez)1733 Babcock Rd. San Antonio, TX 78229Sponsors:I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by River City Donuts San Ant1723 Babock Rd. San Antonio, TX 78229I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by Bay Bay McClinton of All Sports Speed and Conditioninghttp://www.allsportsfitness.net/All Sports Speed and Conditioning is the top sports performance training gyms in San Antonio, and has produce many collegiate and professional athletes since opening. All Sports was founded in 1997 by Bremond “Bay Bay” McClinton. All Sports is based out of the beautiful city of San Antonio, TX. Having accomplished his own career in professional sports; starting a company like All Sports was a natural transition for him. Bay Bay is a native of San Antonio, TX. His 100 meter dash in High School at Roosevelt High in San Antonio was not broken until recently. In college Bay Bay played opposite the great future hall of famer, Darrell Green. He went on to sign a professional career with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and played 7 years in the European Leagues before returning to his home town to finish his career “San Antonio Texans”. In 2006, his company, All Sports administered the strength and conditioning program for the East vs West Shriners’s college senior bowl. In 2008-09, All Sports administered the strength and conditioning program for the Division II college Senior Cactus Bowl All Star game in Kingsville. Today All Sports Speed and Conditioning continues to train athletes to elevate their athletic performance to the next level in all sports.I Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by D.W. Brooks Funeral Home2950 E. Houston St.San Antonio, TX 78202Email: info@dwbrooksfh.comPhone: 210-223-2045Website: dwbrooksfuneralhome.comI Am Refocused Podcast Sponsored by Overflowcafe.comDoes your website need more traffic? Well visit Overflowcafe.com today! They make websites popular and over 41,000 people use their service to gain more customers. They are winning at business. What about you? Visit Overflowcafe.com

Alan Quigley, Mobilization Team Leader for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, speaks to us in the first service of three services for our Intentional emphasis. This message comes from Colossians 1:28 -- everyone perfect in Christ.

Join us in being part of the movement of God in the state of Texas. Guest speaker: Dr. David Hardage, Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT).

This week on Armed Lutheran Radio Lloyd is flying solo in Clinging to God & Guns with an anti-gun article from the Baptist General Convention of Texas that argues you can support the Second Amendment and still support banning dangerous guns. Bill shares his live fire routine, Aaron talks prepping. We send our thoughts and prayers to those in the path of Hurricane Irma, the wildfires in the Northwest, and those recovering from Hurricane Harvey. And we release details of our upcoming Combat & Competition class with Aaron and Sgt. Bill. THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOK'S HOLSTERS. AMERICAN MADE CUSTOM HOLSTERS WITH A 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE. www.CooksHolsters.com   Links of Interest Texas Baptists – Americans and Our Guns   Ballistic Minute with Sergeant Bill Sgt. Bill shares details of his live fire practice routines.   Aaron Israel of Fundamental Defense Aaron is talking prepping again this week, specifically how to prioritize your preps.   Mia's Motivations with Mia Anstine Lord willing, Mia will be back with us next week.   Clinging to God and Guns  Lloyd dissects an article from the Baptist General Convention of Texas written after Newtown in support of banning semi-automatic firearms because five shots is all you need for hunting or self-defense. You can support the Second Amendment and still support banning dangerous weapons, the article argues. It's one part illogical, two parts stupid, with a dash of poorly applied Scripture. Lord willing, Pastor Bennett will be back with us next week.   Prayer of the Week Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity, and as we do obtain that which You promise, make us to love that which You command; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.  

Former President of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and Trustee with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Wade Burleson is not currently involved in denominational politics. Church, community and family take up his time. If my memory serves me correctly I served on the Nominating … Continue reading The post Reading Dead People, Leading Life Giving Community: An Interview with Wade Burleson appeared first on patheological: The Podcast for the Pastor-Theologian. Related posts: The Circles of Faithful Presence: An(other) Interview with David E. Fitch Community Witness Shame – The Big Gulp of Shut Up Juice: An Interview with Steve Austin

Pastor Darrell Jackson Has been a part of the San Felipe Baptist Association team since 2013. He and his wife Marsha have three adult children and two grandchildren. Darrell has served in ministry for over 25 years in positions that include Senior Pastor, Assistant Pastor and Minister of Music. Currently, Darrell is a Board Certified Chaplain and serves as a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer on the John Maxwell Team. Darrell holds a Bachelor in Christian Leadership from the College of Biblical Studies, and a MATS and MDiv from Faith Evangelical Seminary. Darrell has served as a coach for pastors in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, as a Board Member on the San Felipe Baptist Association’s Administrative Team, and as an Adjunct Professor at The Institute for Theological Studies. For more, see http://www.sanfelipeba.org

Paul Atkinson from the Baptist General Convention of Texas shares this week's encouraging message.

This week we welcomed Kathy Hillman for Community Gathering for Worship. Prof. Hillman currently serves as the President of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for her sermon is "The Call, Yours, Mine and Ours," and is drawn from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

This week we welcomed Kathy Hillman for Community Gathering for Worship. Prof. Hillman currently serves as the President of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for her sermon is "The Call, Yours, Mine and Ours," and is drawn from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. David Hardage to the pulpit. Dr. Hardage currently serves as the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for his presentation is: "To Texas and Back."

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. David Hardage to the pulpit. Dr. Hardage currently serves as the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for his presentation is: "To Texas and Back."

On this Mother's Day we have been challenged to consider helping the mother's in our state who suffer the agony of watching their children go to bed hungry. The Baptist General Convention of Texas works with statewide and local entities to provide daily bread for all families. The call of the day is “Honor your mother…” Every mother deserves a day and every child deserves a meal.

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. Jeff Johnson to the pulpit. Dr. Johnson is currently the president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for his sermon is: "The Principality Principle".

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. Jeff Johnson to the pulpit. Dr. Johnson is currently the president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title for his sermon is: "The Principality Principle".

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. David Hardage. Dr. Hardage currently serves as the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title of his lecture is: "Texas and Texas Baptists" and is drawn from Matthew 28:18-20.

This week for our Community Gathering for Worship, we welcomed Dr. David Hardage. Dr. Hardage currently serves as the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title of his lecture is: "Texas and Texas Baptists" and is drawn from Matthew 28:18-20.

This week at our Community Gathering for Worship we welcomed Dr. David Hardage, who serves as the Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title of his speech is: "Faith Foundation", and is drawn from the text, 2 Timothy 1:6-12.

This week at our Community Gathering for Worship we welcomed Dr. David Hardage, who serves as the Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title of his speech is: "Faith Foundation", and is drawn from the text, 2 Timothy 1:6-12.

This week at our Community Gathering for Worship we welcomed Terry Austin, the co-founder of The Austin Group, a ministry that provides stewardship consultation to churches to help them experience generosity. He also served for ten years as Director of Stewardship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, providing stewardship help to more than 5,000 churches, and as a pastor for 13 years. The title of his sermon is: "Turning a Calling Into a Career", and it is drawn from the text, Matthew 10:5-15.

This week at our Community Gathering for Worship we welcomed Terry Austin, the co-founder of The Austin Group, a ministry that provides stewardship consultation to churches to help them experience generosity. He also served for ten years as Director of Stewardship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, providing stewardship help to more than 5,000 churches, and as a pastor for 13 years. The title of his sermon is: "Turning a Calling Into a Career", and it is drawn from the text, Matthew 10:5-15.

David Lowrie is currently serving as the president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. David is addressing the gathered messengers of the Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention at their annual meeting held at the Northwest Baptist Church in Wauwatosa, WI on October 30-31, 2009.