From the uttermost parts of the world to right here at home, readers of The Christian Index see various headlines – some joyful and some horrific – posted daily on the newspaper’s website. In the past weeks, you've read of war and violence, famine and illness, and accidents and disasters. You've read of political division and strife.

An article in The Christian Index in mid-May pointed out that the first glimpse that many young mothers-to-be in Moultrie get of their babies is via an ultrasound machine at the Hope House Women's Clinic. They see the developing facial features, the tiny arms and legs, and they fall in love, tossing aside any notion of ending their pregnancies. So, when the ultrasound machine at the Moultrie pregnancy center stopped working, Pine Grove Baptist Church in Moultrie wasted no time in donating the money needed to purchase a new one.

Key misunderstandings of the doctrine of local church autonomy have played a role in the mishandling of reports of sexual abuse at the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. Some of the same misunderstandings were used to object to the Conservative Resurgence on the ground that it violated local church autonomy. As we implement necessary reforms in response to the Sexual Abuse Task Force report, we as a Convention will need to understand which proposed actions respect the autonomy of the local churches and which actions would fail because of that autonomy. To succeed at that task, we would all do well to look back at this historic statement of faith and to refresh our memories about what local church autonomy is and is not.

The SBC exists to advance the Baptist mission—their mission—and never to undermine it. To that end, we must be committed to the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, zealous of the biblically-taught autonomy of our local churches, committed to confessional orthodoxy, and with an emphasis on evangelism and missions. That’s what makes us distinctively Baptist.

As we respond to our cultural, societal, educational, and benevolent responsibilities, let us not forget our original task. The primary responsibility of the SBC is to support our North American Mission Board and our International Mission Board so the world will understand that God has sent Jesus into the world. Remember the Mission!

A team of Georgia Baptist leaders first visited Lima, Peru, in the fall of 2021. Our mission? To learn what a partnership with a church in the Lima region might look like.

It was heartening to hear the success of New Bethel Baptist Church’s ambitious undertaking to knock on every door within a 7-mile radius of their campus. The results have been nothing short of remarkable for the Carnesville church: More than 50 salvation decisions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BP) – Last week, the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force made several formal recommendations to the messengers for their consideration at the upcoming 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim. Among them was a recommendation that an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF), in coordination with the SBC Executive Committee (EC), create a “process” for maintaining a Ministry Check list of pastors, denominational workers, and volunteers who are “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. The messengers should approve this recommendation.

Our group of seven arrived early on Tuesday morning ready to investigate the question, “What would it look like for a North Georgia church and a church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to become co-laborers in the Gospel?”

Jael's killing of the Canaanite leader Sisera, chronicled in the book of Judges, has been called by scholars “gruesome treachery,” and "first-degree murder.” What can we learn from this act, and from the choice made by Jael?

When Martha Day began volunteering at a pregnancy center, she came face to face with a need that needed to be met. Instead of waiting for someone else to step up, she did it herself. And, for that, Day deserves great thanks.

Jesus prioritizes children and their care. We see this in verses like Matthew 19:14, where Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the …

Christians may ask themselves whether they should participate in politics, but then we stop before reaching what is actually a more important question.  That question isn’t whether they should participate in politics; it’s how they should participate in politics.

Congratulations, graduates, on reaching the magnificent milestone of receiving your hard-earned diploma. You are now launching a new chapter. You have before you a blank canvas on which to chart a course as you move along life’s journey. That’s why it’s important to choose the right course and make wise decisions.

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups of people in our nation. We're living in a day when children are suffering the most from societal ills that are facing our culture. Whether it's abortion, sex abuse or school shootings, children are reaping the greatest consequences of the most grievous social ills of our time.

The SBC has a very tainted past. Blatant racism, latent discrimination, controversy and sinful activity have been part of our history. They are a part of every organization of humanity. The latest actions could lead people to disengage from the SBC. I understand. However, I choose reform from within.

From the American Revolution, Georgia Baptist have served as military chaplains and at times of war organized and sponsored ministries to the military/industrial complex.

More than 170 Spanish-speaking leaders from 20 churches attended a pair of training sessions for hosting Spanish-language VBS events.

In a week-long event in Orlando, Fla., the International Mission Board brought missionary emeriti together for recognition and encouragement. Close to 800 former missionaries gathered with trustees, IMB leadership and support staff for the event held every five years.

Ecclesiastes, one of the great wisdom books in the Old Testament, contains a familiar passage ascribing times for everything and seasons for every activity under the heavens. Among them, there are times to weep, to mourn, to search and to uproot. 

Sometimes I’m asked why I write. I was always stronger in language arts than math and science. I never could understand algebra. Geometry was worse. No matter how hard I tried, I just “couldn’t get it.”  On one trip home to Milledgeville, I pulled out my report cards for some random reason, taking a walk down memory lane, and noticed my high school geometry teacher had the gall to write in the comment section after one grading period, “I think you could do better if you tried harder.”

One of the often overlooked and under appreciated impacts on our kid’s love for the Lord is the impact Godly adults have had on their lives.

When we look at what is going on today related to the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, I want to set the tone for how we should be thinking. The fight for life is now going to be more intense on the state level! Now is not the time to back down! Now is the time to stand up!

Video from the 2022 evangelism conference sermons are now available on the ACTS2 streaming app. The app highlights the work of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals around the globe to encourage others to live ON MISSION.

Volunteers with Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief returned to Douglas over the weekend for a block party to celebrate the community’s recovery from a tornado that struck a year ago. Ronnie and Linda Register, who serve as Disaster Relief workers, shared a story from that celebration that speaks to the sovereignty of God. It’s one of those heart-touching tales that might have been used by the late broadcaster Paul Harvey in one of his “The rest of the story” segments.