Religious liberty is a topic that is always worth the time to think about and talk about because the concept is a uniquely American contribution to the history of western civilization. Also, religious liberty is a uniquely Baptist contribution to the history of the American experiment.

We know historically there is a give and take in the relationship between church and state and we are forever trying to assess in particular instances exactly how that relationship should play out. Right now, there are shifts being made by the United States Supreme Court and so, the proper understanding of government and organized religion is once again a topic worth examining. So, let’s talk about religious liberty.

Andrew T. Walker, “The scandal of compromising evangelical elites,” June 9, 2025.

Joseph Backholm, “The myth of secular neutrality,” June 3, 2025.

Colin J. Smothers, “Fuller Seminary’s untenable ‘third way’,” May 30, 2025.

Thaddeus Williams, “Tax money for some religions,” May 27, 2025.

One of the critical marks of Christianity is the willingness of God’s people to cooperate together in Kingdom endeavors. My church is a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is defined by cooperation more than organizational structure or any of the things that bind other denominations together. The SBC is a convention of churches who have voluntarily associated with each other because we know that together we can accomplish more than we can apart.

Last week was the annual SBC meeting held in Dallas, TX. I want to share with you the state of Southern Baptists: the good, the bad, and the embarrassing.

Mark Wingfield, “Why won’t the SBC be more financially transparent?” June 12, 2025.

Lauren Canterberry, “SBC urges Supreme Court overturn of gay marriage ruling,” June 11, 2025.

Nathan A. Finn, “Confessional fidelity and denominational faithfulness,” June 10, 2025.

I had breakfast this morning with nearly 100 men who gathered together for fellowship and spiritual warfare. I pastor a church where men are enthusiastically involved in disciple-making and pursuing Christ-likeness. I hear from other pastors all the time, “How do you get men involved at church because we are not being successful at it?” And I tell them that muscular Christianity is the key to living out the call of the gospel for men.

Artificial Intelligence is changing our world in unexpected ways and oddly enough, AI is the biggest thing that Christians are not talking about. We need to consider the way that humanity and human society will be altered over the course of the next generation by Artificial Intelligence.

C.R. Wiley, “AI Jesus and other heresies from Silicon Valley,” January 6, 2025.

Anne Kennedy, “In the care of AI,” March 3, 2025.

Flynn Evans, “Dating alone,” March 18, 2025.

Liz Lykins, “Should elementary students use AI tools?” March 19, 2025.

Are charter schools state schools or private schools? And can they be religious schools. There’s an Oklahoma court case which has made it all the way to the Supreme Court and we should have answers to these questions in the next few weeks.

Lael Weinberger, “Funding for the faithful?” May 1, 2025.

Kristen Waggoner, “Making religious school choice a reality,” April 30, 2025.

Steve West, “Church school, state school, or both?” April 30, 2025.

Does your church have a pastor? Because if you do, you might want to hold on to him. Because if he leaves you might not be able to get another one. U.S. Pastors are calling it quits across the nation.

Elizabeth Russell, “Facebook removes churches’ SermonAudio links,” May 5, 2025.

U.S. Rep. Mark Harris, “Free speech for pastors, too,” April 15, 2025.

Steven Wedgeworth, “A shortage of shepherds,” April 8, 2025.

The United Kingdom’s top court recently issued a radical ruling. They said that a woman can be defined as someone who is born biologically female. In other words, men are men, women are women, and that can be defined in objective, biological ways. The highest court in Great Britain has now come down on the side of what every toddler has known for the last 5,000 years. Will America follow suit and once again be able to define what a woman is?

Erin Hawley, “An odd way to celebrate women,” April 9, 2025.

Jamie Bryan Hall and Ryan T. Anderson, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” April 28, 2025.

Today is Good Friday. It’s the day that we celebrate and remember the cross of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice for our sins that culminates in the glorious news of the resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. These observances are ingrained in the history of Western civilization. Or are they?

Nasser Hussain, “Canceling Easter,” April 9, 2025.

Denny Burk, “What a difference a year makes,” April 16, 2025.