Zachary Harrel to Bell Baptist Association in Belton as director of missions, from Heart of Texas Baptist Network in Brownwood, where he was director of missions.
Ryan Vanderland to Greenwood Baptist Church in Midland as pastor, from First Baptist Church in Electra.
Mark Thompson to Refuge Owasso in Owasso, Okla., as pastor. He previously served as pastor of Davis Street Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs.
President Donald Trump announced on social media the United States is designating Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern due to the “mass slaughter” of Christians at the hands of “Radical Islamists.”
In a subsequent post, Trump indicated he instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible military intervention, going into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump wrote. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
The Country of Particular Concern designation is reserved for nations guilty of “systemic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” The U.S. Secretary of State typically announces the designation, acting under the president’s delegated authority.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump posted on social media. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the world!”
In his post—first released on his personal account and later on the official White House account—Trump suggested he would pursue economic sanctions against Nigeria.
Trump stated he was asking Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., a member of the House Committee on Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., committee chair “to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.”
In a later post first appearing on Truth Social, Trump raised the possibility of direct military intervention.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
International religious freedom advocates applauded the decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, without endorsing Trump’s threat of military action.
“The crisis in Nigeria is indeed worthy of the urgency and moral imperative that the Trump administration is conveying. However, U.S. military intervention would not only escalate the violence; it would undermine those most capable of bringing peace—the Nigerian people themselves,” said Wissam al-Saliby, president of 21Wilberforce.
“True and lasting security cannot be imposed by force,” al-Saliby asserted.
“Government corruption and fecklessness are among the roots of the failure to protect citizens, and this cannot be bombed away,” he said.
“The most effective way to protect lives, steward resources wisely, and prevent deepening anti-American sentiment is through sustained investment in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and support for local initiatives that promote reconciliation, justice and accountable governance.
“As Christians, we believe every person is made in the image of God, and that peace rooted in justice is both a moral calling and a practical necessity. We urge U.S. policymakers to pursue strategies that expand and strengthen local peace efforts rather than replace them with military might.”
Christian Solidarity Worldwide noted “particularly acute” violence in Nigeria’s Plateau State, including the raiding of a hospital that led to the repeated gang-rape of two Christian girls who were abducted.
The Country of Particular Concern designation “should be regarded by the Nigerian government as an encouragement to address grave violations of freedom of religion or belief that have persisted for decades with greater urgency,” said Scot Bower, CSW chief executive officer.
“We urge Nigeria to engage positively, and to view this designation as an opportunity to secure the assistance needed to trace and hold funders, facilitators and perpetrators of religion-related violations to account, and to close the protection gap by tackling every source of security definitively.”
Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, affirmed the CPC designation for Nigeria and applauded Trump “for speaking out on the religious freedom crisis in Nigeria.”
“The U.S. government can now develop a tough plan with Nigeria to ensure that perpetrators of violence are held to account, people of faith are protected, and those held hostage are released.”
Asif Mahmood, vice chair of the commission, also called on the U.S. to “hold the Nigerian government accountable for allowing the enforcement of blasphemy laws in 12 states.”
Last month, a high-ranking Nigerian official told the Baptist Standard the presence of violence in his country is perpetrated by “some extremists,” but he rejected the assertion Christians are targeted.
Mohammed Idris Malagi, minister of information and national orientation for Nigeria, insisted: “It is sad that this has been characterized as a religious conflict. We don’t believe that it is. It never has been a religious conflict. It actually is an extremist conflict.”
Malagi asserted both Muslims and Christians are victims of extremist violence, and disputed statistics about the scope of the violence reported by multiple international human rights groups as “not supported by the facts on the ground.”
“Nigeria will continue to fight extremists that perpetrate violence toward both Christians and Muslims,” he said.
Nigeria is “a country governed by laws,” where religious freedom for all its people is guaranteed in the constitution, Malagi insisted. Islamic Sharia law in 12 northern Nigerian states applies only to the Muslim population, he asserted.
Dapo Ipaddeola, senior network coordinator for the Global Freedom Network, offered a significantly different perspective.
“The ongoing religious conflicts and violence in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt and Northern regions, have reached a critical juncture,” he said in a prepared public statement.
“Attacks on Christian communities, widespread killings, kidnappings, and destruction of properties have sparked widespread concern.”
Attacks on entire communities—including non-Christians—represent a “new dimension” to the violence in Nigeria, Ipaddeola stated.
“Reports from human rights organizations, eyewitness accounts, and church bodies indicate that Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and Northern regions are facing unprecedented levels of violence and persecution,” he stated.
In his statement—issued prior to Trump’s social media posts—Ipaddeola called on the international community to condemn violence in Nigeria, support humanitarian efforts, ensure accountability and urge the Nigerian government “to address root causes, such as poverty, inequality, and religious extremism.”
“The international community should support dialogue and reconciliation efforts, ensuring the rights and concerns of all parties are respected,” he stated. “By working together, we can prevent further violence and promote peace and stability in Nigeria.”
Student Jessie Norvell was crowned Miss Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 1, in the annual Miss Mary Hardin-Baylor Pageant. Norvell is a 20-year-old junior majoring in accounting from Temple. She is the daughter of Will and Beth Norvell, and is the head resident assistant at Farris Hall, a student worker for university relations and the student leader of the chapel band.
Wayland Baptist University chemistry students brought home recognition and valuable research experiences after attending two major conferences this fall—the Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Albuquerque, N.M., and the Welch Conference, a prestigious event in Houston. At the Rocky Mountain meeting, sophomore chemistry major Emma Scott was named one of the top four undergraduate poster presenters among 113 total poster abstracts accepted. Scott and students Anna Perez, Dylan Dodd and Noah Dyson presented original research posters printed with the department’s new poster printer, made possible through an Excel Grant received by the Kenneth L. Mattox School of Mathematics and Sciences. At the Welch Conference, student Haley Fossett received news of her first pharmacy school acceptance, underscoring the academic impact of the experience.
Howard Payne University’s Moot Court team competed at the Rocky Mountain Moot Court Invitational at Colorado Christian University in Denver on Oct.16-18. Sophomore Rylie Burden of Nederland won top speaker at the competition. She and her partner, senior Katelyn Turner, of Katy, advanced to the top 16. HPU’s Moot Court team is sponsored by Kenan Boland, assistant professor of government.
The T.B. Maston Foundation is receiving applications for its scholarship to cover the 2026-27 academic year. The Maston Foundation provides a $5,000 scholarship annually to a graduate student whose study focuses on Christian ethics. Eligible candidates are Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Theology students writing dissertations that deal with ethical implications and Doctor of Ministry students whose projects include an ethical focus. Scholarship application packets include an application form, application transcripts, a CV/resumé, letters of recommendation, a dissertation/thesis abstract and an essay. To access the online application, click here.
The Mabee at Wayland Baptist University is celebrating the Christmas season with its fourth annual International Nativity Exhibition. The exhibition will remain on display through Friday, Dec. 19. This year’s presentation features all-new selections from the expansive collection of Lockney resident Carolyn Cunningham, whose fascination with Nativity scenes has spanned decades and crossed continents. Her personal collection now includes more than 900 unique sets from more than 130 countries.
Stark College and Seminary will host its annual Hand and Dove Scholarship Banquet on Nov. 6. The college will recognize Derrick and Denise Reaves at St. John Baptist Church in Corpus Christi for their enduring example of Christian service and leadership.
St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in San Antonio honored Joe E. Barber, lead pastor, for 20 years of service to the congregation.
A Texans on Mission emergency response team is in Jamaica to help coordinate relief efforts by churches after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island, and all other Texans on Mission disaster relief volunteers are on alert for possible deployment.
The emergency response team left Texas on Nov. 1 to help organize and maximize the relief ministries of Jamaican churches.
The highly trained volunteers are working with regional church leaders “to assess immediate needs, develop structured recovery plans and implement actionable strategies for long-term community resilience,” Texans on Mission officials announced on social media.
“Their extensive experience in disaster relief, church mobilization and logistics will empower church members to live out their faith by meeting needs and sharing God’s love in these difficult days,” said Mickey Lenamon, chief executive officer of Texans on Mission.
All Texans on Mission disaster relief units—including food service workers, chainsaw crews and heavy equipment operators—were placed on alert status on Nov. 3, meaning volunteers need to prepare for deployment on short notice.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on Oct. 28, packing sustained 185 mph winds with heavy rainfall.
“Homes and churches have been demolished, and communities have no power or running water,” Texans on Mission posted on social media. “Many have lost everything.”
Texans on Mission personnel participated in a Nov. 3 Baptist World Alliance call with Marilyn Hide Riley, general secretary of Jamaica Baptist Union.
“We experienced a disaster unlike anything we’ve had before. We are used to hurricanes, but nothing like this,” Riley said.
While damage was concentrated in the western part of Jamaica, 70 percent of the country still lacked electricity, water was unavailable in some regions, and some areas remained inaccessible, she reported. Communication is limited due to lack of cell phones and internet access.
“I do not think I can find the words to describe what has happened,” Riley said. “We have never seen this extent of damage to churches.”
In Jamaica, the average pastor leads three congregations, and communities depend on service churches provide, she noted. They need food and water, generators, tents for temporary housing and tarps to cover damaged roofs.
To support Texans on Mission disaster relief financially, give online here, call (214) 275-1100 or mail a check to Texans on Mission, 5351 Catron Dr., Dallas, TX 75227.
John Hall of Texans on Mission contributed to this report.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (BP)—Florida pastor Willy Rice announced his intentions to be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention president at the 2026 SBC annual meeting in Orlando.
In a video released Oct. 31, Rice said he is allowing the nomination based on his hope for renewal in the SBC.
Rice, 62, has served 21 years as senior pastor at Calvary Church in Clearwater.
“Can you honestly look back over the last few years and conclude we are more united and more on mission? Or do you feel like I do? And like so many I hear from that there are real concerns that call for serious reflection, humble correction and a new day of renewal,” Rice said in the video.
He said his focus would be on renewing the message and the mission of the convention.
“In this hour of apostasy and idolatry, we need to reaffirm and restate our convictions. Such a time calls not for fuzzy lines in a mushy middle, it calls for clarity and courage. We don’t need to look for something new. We need to stand on what we know is true,” he said.
In 2022, now-SBC President Clint Pressley announced he would nominate Rice for president at that year’s annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., but Rice later decided not to seek the nomination.
In the Oct. 31 video, Rice talked about the 2,000th anniversary of the Great Commission, which he said will occur “somewhere around May of 2033.”
“What if as we approach that once-in-a-lifetime moment, Southern Baptists were to unite as never before to make sure every person in our nation heard the message of Jesus and was urged to respond in repentance and faith, and imagine Southern Baptists embracing a historic generational goal to get the gospel into every tongue, every nation and every tribe across the globe,” he said.
More than any other generation of Christians, “we have all we need” for the mission, Rice said.
“What we have lacked is the resolve, the vision, the unity, the focus and the commitment to see it through. We have allowed other pursuits to distract us and tainted ideologies to divide us,” he said.
Rice plans to hold “conversations” with Southern Baptists over the coming months to work through potential differences.
“I pray those conversations will be without unnecessary acrimony, that they will glorify our Savior and edify the church,” he said in the video.
“Regardless of your views, I hope you’ll join me in praying for a Baptist renewal in our time and praying specifically that our gathering next summer can be a time of reaffirming our convictions and recommitting to our shared mission.”
According to its 2025 Annual Church Profile statistics and the church’s financial office, Calvary Church gave $343,549 through the Cooperative Program, approximately 3 percent of its undesignated contributions; $52,222 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering giving; and $76,351 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
Calvary Church reported 409 baptisms in 2024 and 3,055 people in average worship attendance.
Rice previously pastored churches in Florida and Alabama. He is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and has a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
He and his wife Cheryl have three children and six grandchildren.
Rice served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention from 2006 to 2008, and he served as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2015.
He has also served as chairman of the SBC Committee on Committees in 2010, chair of the SBC Committee on Nominations in 2016 and president of the Florida Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference in 2004, along with other local, state and national positions.
Rice also served as a trustee for the North American Mission Board from 2018 to 2022, including stints as second and first vice chairman.
Charles Fake, longtime Texas Baptist pastor and former member of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board, died Oct. 18. He was 94. He was born on Sept. 24, 1931, to Charles Clinton Fake and Jessie Lowe Fake Heim. Fake grew up in Houston before attending Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He met his wife Wanda (Sadler) Fake while at Baylor, and they married in 1953. Fake preached his first sermon at 17, and he spent 72 years preaching, leading music and serving congregations. He was pastor of seven churches and served three congregations as interim pastor after he retired. Both First Baptist Church of Rockport and Bethel Baptist Church in Ingleside named him as pastor emeritus. Fake wrote more than 5,000 posts in his blog, covering religion, memories of family, friends and other topics. He was preceded in death by his wife Wanda; sister Melva Keil; brother Jimmy Heim; sons David and Dan; and daughter Debbie Hamm. He is survived by his daughter Dianna Hinze and her husband Mark; son Dwight Fake; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren, with another on the way; sisters Elva Underwood, Mary Sanders and Brenda Jones; and brother Joe Heim Jr.
China, Russia, Iran and North Korea form an “Axis of Upheaval” whose members collude to repress religious freedom both within—and often outside—their borders, a new study says.
“As societies around the world become less free, religious freedom is under global assault, which is also being increasingly coordinated among autocrats, who share their playbooks,” a 74-page report from the McCain Institute of Arizona State University states.
“The State of Religious Freedom Worldwide” focuses on four authoritarian governments—China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—that “collude to advance their agenda on the world stage—discriminating against religious practices and attacking those who participate ‘illegally,’” the institute’s report states.
In writing the foreword to the study, international human rights lawyer Knox Thames refers to China’s Chairman Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un as a “league of tyrants” whose regimes are “world-class religious persecution machines.”
“Not without reason, these four authoritarian regimes are globally renowned for their oppression: they brook no dissent and relentlessly crack down on any political opposition,” Thames writes.
He expanded on that idea in a Zoom interview with the Baptist Standard.
“The commonality is fear of some type of idea that would lead individuals to pursue something beyond what the regime wants them to think,” Thames said. “They are afraid of religion. They are afraid of faith. … They are afraid of their own people.”
The four authoritarian regimes “are able to bring to bear the power of the state to crush any religious activity that they deem illegal or unorthodox,” he said.
Thames noted the “industrial-scale persecution” in China of Uyghur Muslims and Christian churches that “don’t play by the Chinese Communist Party’s rules.”
He also cited Iran’s theocratic repression of women who refuse to wear hijabs and persecution of the Baha’i faith and the country’s Sufi and Sunni communities. In North Korea, the government requires worship of the nation’s “Supreme Leader.”
Alexis Mrachek, senior program manager of the human rights and freedom program at the McCain Institute, wrote the chapter in the study on religious repression in Russia and the territories it controls, including occupied areas of Ukraine.
Mrachek pointed to the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Putin regime as an example of the distinction between religious nationalism and freely practiced faith.
“Of course, Russia calls itself a Christian nation. They are officially Orthodox Christian. But really, that is the state’s religion, and it’s all tied into the politics and power that Putin holds, together with Patriarch Kirill, who is Putin’s crony” Mrachek told the Baptist Standard.
In Russia, religious identity and national identity are promoted by the state as “one and the same,” she noted.
The McCain Institute report includes multiple recommendations for the U.S. government, including:
The McCain Institute issued the report on the 27th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, legislation that established freedom of religion or belief as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy.
Donald E. Lewis, Texas Baptist pastor and denominational worker, died Oct. 27. He was 91. He was born on July 7, 1934, to Lowell Vaden Lewis Sr. and Lillie Wartzick, on a farm near Neches in East Texas. After he graduated from high school in Palestine, he went on to attend the University of Texas in Austin. After one year at UT, he felt God’s call to ministry and transferred to East Texas Baptist College in Marshall, where he earned his undergraduate degree. At ETBC, he met classmate Olivia Faye Todd from the Houston area, who was instrumental in the daily devotional gathering students participated in each morning. They married in June 1957, the same year he was ordained to the gospel ministry. Don served several churches in East Texas before serving churches in Nashville, Tenn., Beaumont and Fort Worth. He studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, earning his doctorate in 1968. He was pastor of Connell Baptist Church, now Citylight Fort Worth, from 1972 to 1981. He was a church extension consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas before joining the staff of Tarrant Baptist Association, where he served 17 years as director of church/mission development and director of church starting until his retirement in 1999. He was preceded in death by a brother, Lowell. He is survived by his wife Olivia; son Keith Lewis and his wife Mary Lewis of Keller; son Vaden Todd Lewis and his wife Rachel Stas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorial gifts can be made to Citylight Fort Worth by clicking here.
Robert Lewis Newman, minister of pastoral care at Baptist Temple Church in San Antonio, died Oct. 24. He was 79. He was born June 24, 1946, to Elaine Blanchard Newman and Prentice Arthur Newman. He earned a degree in Germanic linguistics from the University of Texas, but he chose to pursue his interest in photography rather than translating or teaching. He spent his career at Havel Camera Services as a camera repair technician. In 1958, he joined Baptist Temple Church. He sang in the church choir and ensemble from his early teens until his death. He served as a deacon in the church for 40 years. After he retired from Havel, he became minister of pastoral care at Baptist Temple, and he served in that role until his death. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Karen Clemmons Newman. Visitation is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the Southside Funeral Home chapel in San Antonio. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Nov. 7 at Baptist Temple. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to Baptist Temple Church, 901 E. Drexel Ave., San Antonio, TX 78210.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A federal judge in Rhode Island on Oct. 31 ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make SNAP payments. The Trump Administration announced Nov. 3 it would use contingency funds to provide partial SNAP benefits that will cover about half of each eligible household’s benefits in November.
Community ministries and Texas Baptist churches with food pantries prepared for a sharp rise in needs after Nov. 1, when 3.5 million Texans—including 1.7 million children—expect to lose food assistance benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Barring some stopgap measure by Congress, up to 42 million Americans will lose access to benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.
“When those benefits disappear, families will face impossible choices—between food and rent, groceries and medicine,” said Jeremy Everett, executive director of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty. “Small businesses, grocery stores and local food pantries will all feel the strain.
“If loving our neighbor is the standard by which we demonstrate our faith, then our response in moments like these reveals where our faith truly lies.”
In addition to the loss of SNAP benefits to low-income families, some government employees have been furloughed or temporarily are working without pay.
Churches in Midland are working cooperatively to “reflect the kindness of Christ and our calling to care for people,” said Pastor Darin Wood of First Baptist Church.
“With the government shutdown and the end of SNAP benefits looming, we—the pastors and shepherds of our city—want to say we’re in it for those who are affected,” Wood wrote in a social media post.
Beginning Nov. 1 and continuing “until the shutdown ends and benefits are restored,” churches are working together to meet as many needs as possible daily on a rotating basis, he wrote.
For its part, First Baptist Church will provide a free hot meal from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Fannin Terrace Baptist Church will provide a meal from 5 p.m to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Other churches involved in the Midland effort include Greater Ideal Church, Mount Moriah Disciples of Christ Church, Golf Course Road Church of Christ, First Presbyterian Church, First Methodist Church and First Christian Church, along with several local ministries.
“Here’s our plan. No ID required and no costs,” Wood announced on social media. “Just come eat and know that Jesus loves you and sent us to do the same.”
The Baptist General Convention of Texas wants to help churches meet the increased needs of their neighbors, Executive Director Julio Guarneri announced in an Oct. 30 email.
“We are thankful for churches that have food pantries and hunger ministries. Many of these, we know, are stretched as they seek to serve clients who have a greater need due to not receiving government pay or benefits,” Guarneri stated.
In response, the BGCT is allocating a $100,000 grant to be distributed by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering office.
Grants range from $1,000 to $10,000, said Irene Gallegos, director of hunger care ministries with Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission.
Churches with food pantries and hunger ministries can inquire about a grant by clicking here, and they will be provided more information about how to apply.
About 20 churches and ministries responded within the first 12 hours after Guarneri sent his email, Gallegos noted.
To contribute to the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, click here.
When giving—whether to a local ministry, a regional food bank or through another avenue—Everett suggested contributing what a family in Texas will lose in SNAP benefits: an average household benefit of $356 a month or $12 a day.
He also encouraged concerned Christians to volunteer.
“Local pantries and meal programs will be stretched thin in the weeks ahead as they consider how to meet an influx of community needs,” he stated.
“They cannot extend their hours, serve more neighbors or manage donations without help. Offer your time, your hands and your presence.”
A proper understanding of God’s Triune nature offers insights into the nature of humanity created in God’s image, theologian Rowan Williams told a gathering at First Baptist Church in Waco.
The ancient Nicaean Creed not only affirmed the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, but also influenced the Western understanding of politics and power in varying degrees over the next 1,700 years, the former head of the worldwide Anglican communion said.
Williams, who served as the archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, delivered the Parchman Lectures, sponsored by Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary on Oct. 28-29 in Waco.
Truett Seminary moved the lectures from Powell Chapel on the Baylor campus to the sanctuary of nearby First Baptist Church to accommodate the exceptionally large crowd, Dean Todd Still said.
Williams’ lectures focused on “The Word Was with God: Trinitarian Reflections on the Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.”
The Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. affirmed the Christian doctrines of belief in “one God, the Father Almighty;” in “one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,” who is “eternally begotten of the Father;” and in “the Holy Spirit … who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
The council rejected the Arian heresy that Christ was a created being altogether distinct from God the Father, insisting instead that God the Son and God the Father are “of the same substance.”
Williams acknowledged the “theological tension at work” in affirming one God in three Persons who is both giver and receiver—unchanging in some sense and yet fully identifying with suffering humanity in his incarnation.
In part, the unity of the Triune God is the unity of action, he suggested.
“We can’t talk about God without talking about creation and redemption” involving God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, he said.
Jesus is both the heavenly High Priest and the sacrifice itself offered on the heavenly altar, Williams said.
In describing the Trinity, Williams used the analogy of a musical chord in perfect harmony rather than an isolated note.
“The unity, the indivisibility, of God is an indivisible interaction—symphonic or harmonic, not a single line of music,” he said.
The divine power exercised by the Triune God is inherent, not delegated or hierarchical, he said.
“There is no trickling down from the Father to the Son or from the Son to the Spirit,” he said.
Jesus declared himself to be one with God, while at the same time, he called upon God as “Father” and taught his disciples to do the same, emphasizing the relational aspect of the Trinity.
The unity of the Triune God is eternally familial, interactive and relational, Williams asserted.
“There is no way to speak about God without speaking of God’s relatedness,” he said.
While God the Father is the Creator of life and the Sustainer of life, the same can be said of God the Son and God the Spirit. Giving life is “the same family habit,” Williams said.
So, as adopted children of God created in the image of God, redeemed humans live out their role as image-bearers most fully through giving life and giving of themselves within the body of Christ, he said.
“To be in the divine image is for us to be so constituted that the life given to us is a life we share with and receive from one another. The pattern of creation itself is a pattern of life giving,” Williams said. “In the new creation, the pattern of life giving is renewed and intensified.”
Humans are part of the larger web of creation, and they are not created to be alone or to live in opposition to the created order, he asserted.
“Violence against the world is a kind of violence against ourselves,” Williams said.
The “radical mutuality” evident in the Triune God should be reflected in humans who bear his image and in the church as the body of Christ, he said.
In what he described as “a slight digression,” Williams explored the political implications of how Western Christianity has understood the Trinity, particularly how power is understood.
He pointed to an early 20th century debate in Germany between Carl Schmitt and Erik Peterson over political theology—specifically the relationship between the doctrine of the Trinity and monarchical authority.
Schmitt emphasized the “sovereign will” of God. He believed the sovereignty of God meant God can do whatever God chooses, including intervening in the created world and suspending the laws of nature, Williams explained.
By the same principle, the earthly monarch—or other authoritarian ruler of a nation—had the right to suspend the rule of law in the event of an emergency, Schmitt asserted.
Furthermore, the sovereign ruler alone possessed the right to declare a state of emergency in Schmitt’s view. That belief provided theological justification for the National Socialist Party in Germany and Hitler’s rise to power.
Peterson, on the other hand, saw absolute divine monarchism as incompatible with a Nicaean view of the Trinity, Williams explained.
“Monarchy belongs to the entirety of the divine life. Monarchy belongs to the Trinity in its full relatedness,” he said.
Peterson saw the sovereign will of God exercised in the “unity of agency” by the Father, Son and Spirit working in concert. He rejected any view that considered the power of God the Son or God the Holy Spirit as delegated or subordinate to God the Father.
So, Peterson rejected any political theology that granted absolute sovereignty to any single earthly ruler—including the German Führer.
Drawing on lessons learned from that debate, Williams drew applications both for secular politics and the church.
“We need to know where sovereignty resides,” he said.
No single individual or political system can “embody the sovereignty of God,” but the church embodies it through kingdom actions, Williams suggested.
Politics effectively tells people “who the enemy is,” because “the other” is seen as “a threat to be contained,” Williams said. The Trinity, on the other hand, may offer a model in which difference does not mean enmity.
“What if, in the divine life, we have a vision of otherness which is wholly interdependent and in no sense a threat to be resolved?” he asked.
“This nail … takes me to Italy,” said Dallas Jenkins, creator of “The Chosen” hit TV series that follows the life of Christ.
Jenkins held the Roman-era crucifixion spike in his hand while being interviewed on stage during the Oct. 28 Veritas Lecture sponsored by the Institute for Global Engagement at Dallas Baptist University.
“We filmed the crucifixion sequence in Italy. It’s a place that multiple films have been filmed about the crucifixion because it’s one of the only places in the world that still has the first century backdrop.”
“Filming season six has been without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done … in my career and for my family,” Jenkins said.
“It has been in many ways a test of what I believe God asks of all of us: Can you surrender? Can you be humbled before me? And can you have faith and trust even when you don’t necessarily understand or know the outcome?”
Jenkins admitted, while he was uncertain of the outcome of the series’ next season, he was encouraged by how God has kept him, his family and his production team.
The opportunity to film the death of Jesus in Italy was a chance for God to show Jenkins and his team both the beauty and pain that came with Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. It was a point during production Jenkins had to step away as he processed the moment and considered what the disciples might have felt.
“Everyone in this room faces moments where we don’t know the outcome,” Jenkins said.
During season one, Jenkins was moved by a moment when God provided what was needed during a film shoot.
Five days before filming the miracle where Jesus told Simon to let his net down to catch fish, the crew was without a boat, a lake or fish.
“The lake flooded. So, we didn’t have a shore. The boat we tried to build was taking too long. I do not have the tools I need. I was in that place where I couldn’t solve this. Five days later, the lake had gone down exactly to the part where we needed to get down,” Jenkins said.
The boat was delivered the same day, and the fish were provided through the special visual effects team.
“When I’m directing a scene, I can see how it’s going, and I can control how it’s going. In this case, I couldn’t. It was out of my own control. I was relying so much on others,” Jenkins said.
While filming “The Chosen,” Jenkins learned to trust God, including with the crew and the provisions needed for telling stories of the Bible.
“I realized this is not my project. I am going to have to get used to this notion that other people in my life are going to, of course, be smarter, better than I am in some areas. I’m going to have to rely on that, too. And then we’re all going to rely on God to perceive these things,” Jenkins continued.
“And that was a really, really powerful and encouraging lesson, when you realize, ‘I’m not good enough to do this,’” Jenkins said.
During his time filming “The Chosen,” Jenkins has received an overwhelming amount of praise and criticism.
Jenkins said there are plenty of people struggling with God’s call on their lives.
“What is miraculous is who I was before ‘The Chosen,’” Jenkins said. “My drug of choice was affirmation, legitimacy. I cared deeply about what the movie industry thought of me. I wanted to be taken seriously. I wanted fans. I wanted my films to be top of the box office.”
Jenkins added it was through failure God told him he was ready to work on “The Chosen.”
“The reason our company is called ‘5&2 Studios’ is because in that moment of failure, in that moment of desperation, I was reminded by God that your job is not to feed the 5,000 but to provide the loaves and fish,” Jenkins said.
“Whatever gifts God has given you, you make them available to God to use them. He deems them worthy of acceptance. And that’s a hard pill to swallow for someone who cares about results and wants to get credit for the results,” Jenkins said.
It is equally important not to be moved by praise nor by criticism, but to care about what God thinks, Jenkins added.