Christians today face enormous challenges living out their faith in the public square. This issue of the Baptist Bulletin focuses on precisely those challenges.

If you see a tired ministry in the mirror, don’t settle for same old, same old. There are new possibilities to consider!

Five important principles for perpetuating sound practices.

It’s a bird; it’s a plane; no, it’s a . . . Flying Spaghetti Monster? Responding to scorn in an age of derision.

When social media and friends collide.

In honor of the 500th anniversary of Reformation Day, this article is the second in a series exploring the history and significance of the Protestant Reformation from a Baptist perspective.

Camping ministries foster spiritual growth and lasting change.

People in the military need your pastor. They need his prayers, and they need him as their chaplain.

On April 10, Neil M. Gorsuch was sworn in as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, bringing the nation’s highest court to full strength for the first time since the late Justice Antonin Scalia passed away last February.

This issue considers three death-related subjects: abortion, mourning, and the believer’s death to sin/self. Kimberly Ross gives an update in “The Battle against Abortion,” while …

While a few Baptist churches are in Hazleton, Pa., only one is focused on starting a multiethnic church.

Two schools have joined our host of advertisers: Cedarville University and Bob Jones University.

The fight to protect and give a voice to the unborn continues.

Biblical guidance for helping the bereaved.

Living a life dead to sin means picking up our cross each day.

Martin Luther: The champion of justification by faith.

An update on Regular Baptist Church Planting.

This issue is dedicated to helping pastors improve their communication.

Today the fields of hermeneutics and homiletics may be reflecting the spirit of our age and may have created a movement that could be titled “Preaching of the Absurd.”

Every preacher is in a constant battle with the clock. The use of metaphors is a valuable means of solving the problem of what can be left out of a sermon without weakening it as a whole.

Biblical languages, history, and doctrine are little more than technical jargon if they are not wed with an often-overlooked dimension of quality preaching—imagination.

When the phone rings at 2:45 a.m., you know it’s something momentous. When you’re chaplain of your local police department, you know it’s bad news.

In education, business, and organizations, best practices—the correct and most effective commercial or professional procedures—set the standard for excellence. Following these guidelines improves efficiency and …

We used to think that obedience to the Great Commission, reaching all nations, meant going across the ocean. All it means now is going to Walmart.

Is homosexuality a choice? Is same-sex attraction sinful? Should we expect same-sex attraction to change into opposite-sex attraction?

This was a first for me—attending back-to-back Sunday services of three separate congregations, each representing a different ethnicity, with all three meeting in the same building.

When you apply Biblical truth, how much of your understanding is colored by the culture? This issue explores matters such as civic responsibility (“Civic Responsibility …

The profound influence of higher-education instructors.

Are we elevating man-driven human rights over God-given natural rights?

Ungodly influences led to segregation in churches; Biblical unity can end it.

Ministering among migrant workers.

Take a fresh look at Sunday School and the purposes it serves today.

The ministry behind the ministry for young people working at summer camps.

The September/October issue provides a loving, Biblical response to the LGBT movement.

The Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association launches Sunday School curriculum for urban ministries.

A loving, Biblical response to the LGBT movement.

Coming to grips with a growing trend.

Ten lessons from a seasoned Biblical counselor.

Is the story of Jesus copied from pagan beliefs and traditions?

An overview of the 2016 GARBC Conference.

Remembering Aggie Haik, missionary in Northeast Brazil.

Why your church should take a long, hard look at Kids4Truth Clubs.

A look at what’s ahead for the church planting initiative.

Our theology has practical ramifications.

Bold and big—these words describe the work of the Council of Eighteen and the administrative team of Regular Baptist Churches during the past year.

A survey and diagnosis of several major theological errors on the market today.

50-day prayer campaign for Regular Baptist Church Planting.

It is vitally important to keep your church’s belief statement up to date.

A Baptist church gives its foundational and governing documents a complete makeover.

A week of camp is still making a difference in the lives of students.

Choosing a theological system isn’t just a theoretical matter—the practical ramifications are massive.

The good, the bad, and the ugly of online giving.

The ins and outs of teaching systematic theology in a local church setting.

A church’s testimony about Kids4Truth.

Much of this issue is dedicated to remembering Mark Jackson, a leader in several areas of Regular Baptist life.

By Greg Linscott “In days gone by, the independent Baptist movement was like a pie,” observed Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. “Each segment …

“Eternity for every child of God will be a permanent state of blissful service, worship, and glory,” Dr. Mark Jackson wrote. On March 7, Dr. Jackson’s eternity began. He was 87.

Read seven tributes to Dr. Mark Jackson, who went Home to be with his Lord on March 7, 2016.

In 1981, Mark Jackson delivered this sermon at the association’s annual conference. We believe it perfectly captures the Christ-centered heartbeat that characterized his entire ministry.

Summer is coming, and along with summer come thoughts of camp. Camp is fun for sure, but there are more benefits to a week away at a Christian camp.

One of the most precious of all truths to me as a Bible-believing Christian is that the Bible tells me all I need to know about the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the first time in almost 50 years, executive directors of camps in the National Association of Regular Baptist Camps met with leaders and employees of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

The United States is now the third largest mission field in the world. The most effective way to bring light into this darkness is by …

Time is a precious commodity. But one thing that would make your to-do list substantially easier is this: invest in the strategic development of your church’s website.

The gospel transforms lives, shapes worldviews, and changes culture. So does it matter if we call the world around us to moral standards?

By John Greening I wonder what Timothy would have said if he had been asked to preach the memorial service for the apostle Paul. Certainly …

While American primary voters are deciding who they think will, among other things, best keep America safe, this issue of the Baptist Bulletin considers Biblical teaching on security.

By John Greening The opportunity to connect with pastors and church leaders through our Regular Baptist Web Community makes for an enjoyable and gratifying experience …

Does the Bible give Christians the right to use lethal force in defending themselves and their families? What is the individual’s right to self-defense?

Should Christians serve in the military? For me and for many other Christians, the answer is yes!

Many stories of God’s goodness can be recounted from the life of Dr. Gary Anderson of Baptist Mid-Missions. These stories may never have unfolded, however, were it not for grace.

If welcoming strangers in churches also potentially invites horror and tragedy, how can any church risk receiving visitors into their midst?

A pastor and his family are teaching basic Bible truths in public schools, even the middle school and alternative high school.

Get to know Rev. Vernon Rosenau, president of Baptist Mid-Missions, as he shares his heart for BMM and his passion for the Great Commission.

Christ-centered preaching has become a dividing wall between Jesus’ followers. If we are going to proclaim Christ from the Old Testament in a responsible way, we need to clear up some common misunderstandings, then chart the way forward.

Positioning itself as a resource for reproducing churches, the GARBC introduces its Regular Baptist church-planting initiative in an article by David Burman Jr. Meanwhile, “The …

I need your help. As 2016 gets under way, our GARBC Resource Center will send a packet of material to churches in the fellowship. The …

The GARBC is developing a dedicated initiative to facilitate the planting of Regular Baptist churches.

The 2016 GARBC Conference will explore Christ in the Old Testament in depth.

A church’s testimony of God’s work in breaking barriers and realizing possibilities.

The Christian church in America, we are often told, finds itself on the brink of collapse. We are happy to report that the rumors of the church’s death throes have been greatly exaggerated!

Among the many ways churches can be planted, intentionally parenting a daughter church is possibly the best approach. In fact, it is often far easier to plant a new church than to revitalize a dying one.

Four suggestions for communicating with unchurched adults.

Boasting a variety of beautiful terrains, the Poconos is Pennsylvania’s premier resort destination–but is woefully under-churched.

With the number of study Bibles available, how do you know which one is best for you? David Gunn compares the ESV, Jeremiah, MacArthur, NIV …

I am excited to see how the Lord will grow our association, using it to impact lives in the work of evangelizing and teaching.

An interview with Pastor Al Franklin, reflecting on the thrust of his ministry and the lessons he would pass on to the next generation of Regular Baptists.

What churches should know about copyright law.

Practical principles for understanding proverbial promises.

Meet the new director of Regular Baptist Press.

A distinguished Regular Baptist minister is promoted to Glory.

A comparison and review of five major study Bibles.

Laboring for the Lord bears fruit—even when it’s not evident right away.

How did the majority justices of the Supreme Court rationalize their decision on same-sex marriage? “Same-Sex Marriage—Now What?” by Glen Lavy gives perspective and practical …

An old Chinese proverb states, “Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.”

I am thrilled that Regular Baptist Ministries provides opportunities for you to advance, not only in your personal enrichment, but also in ministry development. Three excellent online offerings are available this fall through our Regular Baptist Web Community. The instruction will be so personal that you will feel it was specifically designed with you in mind.

In the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain, the lead character, movie star Don Lockwood, offers reporters a quick, cleaned-up version of his early experiences in show business while, through flashback, viewers see the funny, undignified realities behind the carefully crafted legend.

Somewhere along the line, God must have made a “model railroad gene,” and when He designed me, He included it in my DNA. From my earliest memories I have had a love for model trains. The first Christmas gift that I remember was a wooden toy train that I pulled across the floor.

Regular Baptists are firm believers in the pretribulational Rapture, the view that Jesus will return to rapture His church before the seven-year tribulation period begins. But in recent years, this doctrine has been attacked relentlessly.

If you lack wisdom, how do you get it? You are probably thinking, By asking God for it. Why? Because James 1:5 promises that if you lack wisdom and in faith ask for it, God will give it to you. Now what about leaving a legacy? Will you, a righteous person because of your standing in Christ, leave a lasting influence on others? Does Proverbs 10:7 promise that others will be blessed by remembering you?

Baptist fundamentalism was in decay and decline. Conservatives were fracturing away from one another, unable to arrive at any organizational unity. Educational institutions were splintering and struggling to stay open. Disputes over ministry methods and doctrinal issues obstructed fellowship. The pressure to conform to the approach of seemingly successful leaders in broader evangelicalism was strong.

“I have been crucified with Christ,” the apostle Paul wrote. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life …

Is your life being torn apart by a storm—either figuratively or literally? You’ll find encouragement through others’ stories in “An Anchor through the Storm” by Paul Dean and “When Your Child Is Sick” by Brenda Moore.

The national representative’s 2015 Annual Report for the GARBC.

When your child is sick with a diagnosed or undiagnosed illness, what do you do? How do you cope?

Why is it that we Christians can be guilty of shrinking away from opportunities to reach out to people who may be in need?

How God anchored a family through a severe storm.

John Murdoch to retire from chaplaincy directorate. Manning Brown to succeed.

Gospel Literature Services, part of GARBC International Ministries, sends Biblically sound literature to missionaries of independent Baptist mission agencies and the churches they have established.

Find practical insight on evangelism, such as how to intersect everyday life with gospel witness and reasons some approaches work while others do not. But …

“There are two inevitabilities in church ministry—cycles and uncertainty.”

Examining why some arguments for our faith are more persuasive than others

The ministry of J. O. and Juanita Purcell

Three laymen and a pastor on a mission in India encounter faith proven in the fire.

Ryan Hollingshead placed his career on hold to help his brother plant a church.

What should we be aiming for and why?

Reflections on evangelism and discipleship

Inmates at Mount Olive Correctional Complex in West Virginia are earning degrees in Bible and theology.

It’s popular to tout new insights into prophecy, but Bryan Augsburger and Mark McGinniss are exposing them as error. Augsburger answers “Is hype eclipsing hermeneutics?” …

The words “good,” “bad,” and “not quite ugly” characterize the causes our Regular Baptist fellowship of churches has rallied around through the years.

In January our fellowship of churches lost two representatives of the second generation of Regular Baptists: Joseph Bower and Shirley Hull.

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled the length and breadth of North America and to have visited and ministered in hundreds of churches.

Dressed in a T-shirt with the word “staff” printed across the back, modest cutoff jeans, and flip-flops, she appears at first glance to be a typical college student who has found a summer job.

If there is one quality believers need desperately in today’s cultural climate, it is Biblical discernment.

From the earliest days of the church, speculations regarding end-time events have abounded. People in every generation have set dates for Christ’s return.

Some readers may wonder why we chose to devote so much space in this issue to critiquing the works of John Hagee, Mark Biltz, and Jonathan Cahn. After all, if these authors are wrong, isn’t it a waste of time and a potential distraction to occupy ourselves with refuting them?

A little more than five years ago I had a conversation that has impacted my entire ministry.

When you come across a Muslim, how do you respond? Read “Understanding Islam” to become more familiar with Islam’s basic history and beliefs. Then further …

Regular Baptist ministries today must be relevant and gospel centered. Likewise, our churches must connect people to the truth of God’s Word and nurture them …

RBP and EBI are both contributing their strengths to provide such a curriculum for Spanish-speaking adults. EBI is now translating and contextualizing RBP’s Life Design curriculum. The result is a trustworthy curriculum line that has the potential for great influence.

In an age when words like Baptist and heritage are often treated with contempt, Pastor Jim Stultz of Peace River Baptist, Punta Gorda, Florida, decided to preach a sermon series on precisely that: Baptist heritage. Specifically, the heritage of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

The impact of Islam on the world could scarcely be overstated. Boasting more than a billion adherents, it is the planet’s second-largest religion, and one of the fastest-growing. But Islam’s relationship with Western cultures has been long and complicated. This article is offered as a brief introduction to Islamic history and theology.

Looking out across the religious landscape of 1969, Welsh preacher Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaimed, “I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching.”

The Council of Eighteen Meets At first glance, the proceedings were unremarkable, even commonplace. It was a familiar scene: some 20 people sitting in a …

Last fall Chris and Deb Hindal flew for 14 hours through 10 time zones to get to Asia, where they spent a month ministering in three countries with partners of GARBC International Ministries, of which Chris is director.

Kingdom language is popular today. But what does it mean? Mike Augsburger’s “Thy Kingdom Come?” puts the kingdom, the church, and social justice into perspective …

Four reasons a church should ensure its curriculum includes lessons on end-time events.

The seventh annual council on Dispensational Hermeneutics was held on the campus of Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri.

For Baptist fundamentalists, “dual affiliation” has been a phrase charged with historical tension.

Grasping the practical applications of kingdom theology is vital for our mission, both personally and corporately.

Since 2010, First Baptist Church, Marshall, Minn., has had a growing ministry to refugees from the Karen tribe, who have relocated from Myanmar/Burma to the United States.

I sincerely believe there is such a thing as the evangelical social gospel. I disagree with the notion that a church must choose between living and proclaiming the Biblical gospel or addressing needs in culture.

“Strengthening Baptist Churches across America” has been a theme of Baptist Builders Club since its inception in the 1950s.

The church of Jesus Christ is made up of different people who together make a pattern of Jesus. This key insight into God’s “big story” is exactly what burdened Faith Baptist Church, Hamilton, N.J., to plant a daughter church, Mosaic Baptist Church, in the inner city of New Jersey’s capital, Trenton.

We are witnessing the rise of a “get ’em” culture characterized by a mob mentality and a taste for retribution. Refusal to toe the line of political correctness leads to loud and intolerant public outcry calling for the silencing and punishment of the offending party.

Has a Bible college education become culturally passé and financially unobtainable? Should churches encourage their young people to attend a Bible college? Should church members …

Representatives from GARBC churches across the nation gathered in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the conference June 23–27. In his message John Greening called the attendees to self-assessment in order to realign themselves with “the essential gospel,” the theme for the week.

The media has made much of the changes in higher education. Foremost among the changes is the adoption of a different delivery system called distance education or online education. Many students may never go to a brick-and-mortar campus to receive their degrees. Rather, they study online. Last year a third of college students—about 6.7 million—took at least one online class.

Encouraging young people to be good stewards by developing careful spending habits and the practice of saving money may help them make wiser financial decisions as they learn to assume responsibility for their life choices.

The impact of the Bible college movement “has been felt in every part of the world, producing a large percentage of North American evangelical missionaries and serving as a primary educational enterprise for local church development,” says the Association for Biblical Higher Education. But what is the future for the Bible college movement?

Bible colleges are tasked with the responsibility of putting together the best program possible to train and equip God’s people for effective, Christ-honoring ministry. But it’s not always easy knowing exactly what to require in a Bible college curriculum.

The combination of unrealistic cost, suffocating debt, and diminishing outcomes has led to numerous calls for comprehensive reform, with many experts offering dire predictions about higher education being the next bubble expected to burst. One silver lining that these problems have created is innovation with real potential to simultaneously cut tuition, reduce student debt, and improve learning and outcomes.

The Bible college offers Christian students one of the best alternatives to plunging headlong into a secular academic environment. Concentrated Biblical study buttressed by classes in apologetics, evangelism, church history, Christian ethics, and even Biblical languages equips students well to confidently survive a secular university environment.

As we deploy a new generation of slaves for Christ to serve His church, I would like to issue a call for Great Commission passion.

From the testimony of a man dying of cancer to a walk through Psalm 63, the July/August Baptist Bulletin deals with the topic of suffering …

About 36 years after my start in pastoral ministry, while I still know I have room to improve as a preacher, I’ve had time to learn and grow in what remains for me a challenging pastoral task. Here are nine of the leading lessons I’ve picked up along the way.

“Despite 14 years of devastating civil war, the independent Baptist churches in Liberia continue to preach, pray, and plug away,” says Chris Hindal, director of GARBC International Ministries. They deserve our prayers and encouragement.”
Chris and his wife, Deb, saw these ministries firsthand during a 12-day trip in Liberia.

The cell phone rings as Kiyle and Anissa Decker return home to Grace Baptist Church, Eureka, Calif., from a California Association of Regular Baptist Churches retreat in Cambria. A county official asks if the family would take in two foster kids, both girls, a baby and a 5-year-old. “Yes, we’ll take them!” answers Anissa with no hesitation.

Slips of paper rustled slightly as deacons walked slowly around the room, collecting votes. The congregation sat in hushed silence. The measure under consideration involved merging two churches.

Rod Decker was strong enough to finish two books and send them to the printer last winter—strong enough to write the introductions, strong enough to sign them the way he signed the others: Soli Deo Gloria.

In Psalm 63 we find David fleeing from his son Absalom into the wilderness of Judah. David’s dependency on God in the wilderness provides us with a model to follow. He committed himself to three essential pursuits. You and I can commit ourselves to these same pursuits.

How does one pray for someone who appears to be securely in the incurable column, someone whom it does not appear that God is going to heal?

I would be lying if I said the arrival of cancer into our lives had no impact. The news pulled the rug out from under us for a while—especially after two years when we thought the cancer had been treated. Its return at stage 4 was a shock, to put it mildly.

“Only a mile and a half away from our house is an entirely different feel to our community,” says church planter Derek Phillips. “When we began assisting in ESL [English as a Second Language] ministry, it took our understanding of our community another step further.”

For years my friend and my church’s ministry partner H. C. Stephen has asked me to visit him in Manipur, India. I always had viable “spiritual” reasons for declining that I could hide behind. Yet H. C. continued to press, and I am very glad he did.

That event that you are planning right now, the really important one, the one that is crucial to your church’s mission and purpose—how are you going to report the story when the event is over?

Where are Christian radio and related forms of media going? Will traditional Bible-teaching programs survive as stations move toward more music and entertainment? And, more specifically, how can a local church use media to build a dynamic outreach beyond the walls of its worship center?

History remembers Robert Ketcham as a key leader, but a new book expands our understanding of the GARBC’s earliest days. One in Hope and Doctrine, released in June by Regular Baptist Press, starts with the story of a forgotten founder.

By Kevin Mungons The phrase sounds like marketing hype, but “long overdue” is an apt description for One in Hope and Doctrine, released this June …