One Little Word Newsletter - June 27, 2022

End of Roe, new book released, a Chuck Colsen anniversary, and a conversation with the author of a new bio on Thomas Jefferson.

I’m writing this a few days after returning from California, where I was present at the SBC Convention. My daughter, Emma, flew in and we enjoyed a few extra days in the wonderful, Southern California weather. We drove from our hotel in Anaheim to Laguna Beach, to Dana Point. One day we drove out to Simi Valley and saw the Reagan Library (which is a must-visit) and we spent a day at Disney. I must say that the weather there is near-perfect all the time.

I won’t dwell too much on the SBC convention other than to say I believe it went as well as could go. We had some difficult things to work through and we elected my friend Bart Barber as President. Bart is a good pastor who loves the Lord and loves Baptists. We also approved significant recommendations on the handling of sexual abuse. This was so important.  It’s also encouraging to see what our fellowship of churches is doing together to share the gospel and meet human needs.

Right now I’m working on getting my classes ready for the fall as part of the Faith and Culture Concentration at Texas Baptist College. I’m also finishing up edits on my unity book for Zondervan (out next year) while doing radio interviews for The Characters of Creation which was released this month.  

A few other items: 

• The Supreme Court issued a historic decision overturning Roe versus Wade. I expected this and yet when it was announced, I was stunned and elated. This comes after almost 50 years of patient and persistent work on behalf of the unborn. I wrote this response for the Land Center.

• Thomas Kidd joined me on The Way Home podcast Thursday. We discussed his new book Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh, Jefferson’s complicated beliefs, and America’s religious history.  

• In this column for Outcomes Magazine, I discussed what it looks like to lead in 2022 and presented four important traits for those entrusted with the care of God’s people. 

Here are a few articles that caught my eye:  

• Pastor Steve Bezner writes eloquently about facing evil in his own congregation. Several beloved members were victims of violence and he has been helping his people both grieve and hope.  

• I really enjoyed this article from Law and Liberty about the impact of the recent Carson case, involving religious liberty and school choice, before the Supreme Court.  

• Chuck Colsen came to faith in Christ fifty years ago.  His life is a portrait of God’s grace. I miss his leadership so much. Here The Colsen Center did a wonderful tribute video: Chuck Colson: A Life Redeemed 
  

  

• Trevin Wax has an excellent perspective on calling, posture, and prophetic witness. He also explains three suggestions to help young evangelicals seek to be “a truthful witness to the kingdom of God while living in Babylon.” I love this quote:

  • “At the end of the day, we don’t want merely to engage the culture but to change it. In the words of Chesterton, we don’t want a church that moves with the world but one that will move the world.” 

• I appreciated this article which offers a helpful reminder of what the Southern Baptist mission board is doing to aid and support Ukrainian refugees. At SBC, I believe we heard that $11 million in aid has been given by Baptists to serve the people of Ukraine.

• I appreciated Kathleen Parker’s Washington Post opinion piece which includes a strong rebuke of the biased acceptance of violence toward the pro-life movement: 

  • "The entire abortion apparatus is reprehensible on its face, but over time we’ve become accustomed to it. In the process, we’ve found ways to discuss abortion that sidestep its appalling reality."  

• Dean Nelson’s World column emphasized the value of celebrating Juneteenth, our newest national holiday. 

• Ross Douthat says that the end of Roe is just the beginning. And he’s right.

Books I’m reading:  

• I’m enjoying Faith in the Wilderness, a collection of articles by the underground Church in China. It’s poignant and a bit convicting to those of us who live in freedom and prosperity in the West.  

• I haven’t read fiction in a few months, so I picked up Rhys Bowen’s The Venice Sketchbook. I always like her work, taking us back and forth between pre-WWII Venice and the present day.