You wouldn’t think Camelia, Haley and James have anything in common. But you’d be wrong:

• Camelia—an abandoned teenage mother, starving and forlorn.

• Haley—a rape-victim-turned-prison-inmate, looking to care for her child, reunite with her family and turn her life around.

• James—a depressed, disabled, divorced middle-aged man, wondering if he would eat at the end of the month.

Marv KnoxOf course, Camelia, Haley and James shared the despairer’s diet of shame, hopelessness and sorrow. But that’s not their most important common trait. They all discovered hope in Christ, thanks to the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.

Camelia lives in Romania, and in her starvation she turned to a bakery that serves impoverished Gypsies. A Baptist church that operates bakeries made sure Camelia and her baby ate. Church members also made sure she received the gospel, and now she’s preparing to be baptized. And the church is pulling other Gypsies from the brink of starvation, providing bread for their bodies and Jesus’ hope for their souls.

Haley’s rape turned her young life upside down. “The amount of shame … is enough to shut you down,” she explained. In anger and pain, she rejected her family and ran away. She turned to gangs and heroin, and she wound up in the criminal justice system. After her release, she found Exodus Ministries in Dallas, which provided food and shelter for her and her baby, as well as classes to turn her life around, reunion with her family and new hope in Jesus.

Stretched resources

James’ wife left him not long after his health failed and he lost his job. When he stretched his resources as far as he could, and that wasn’t far enough, he found Christian Community Assistance in Fort Worth. The staff made sure he didn’t starve at the end of every month. They also listened to him. Loved him. Walked him through depression and back toward hope.

The Romanian church that bakes bread for Gypsies, Exodus Ministries and Christian Community Assistance all receive support from the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering. If you supported the offering, you made a difference in Camelia’s, Haley’s and James’ life—and the lives of thousands of other people across Texas and around the world.

Supports more than 100 ministries

The Texas Baptist Hunger Offering supports more than 100 ministries. They range from community gardens in San Antonio and Waco, to a poultry project for women in Mozambique. From a dental clinic in Alvin, to a rehab camp for sex-trafficking victims in Moldova. From food distribution in Abilene and New Caney, to food for children in China, Guatemala and Kenya.

Texas Baptists collect funds for our Hunger Offering throughout the year, but we pay special attention—and take up funds in our churches—on fifth Sundays. The next time we’ll worship on a fifth Sunday in the same month is March 31. The other fifth Sundays this year are June 30, Sept. 29 and Dec. 29.

How to help

If your church isn’t already collecting for the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, step up and lead out. You can get resources from the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission by visiting its offering website, www.texasbaptists.org/hungeroffering, or calling (214) 828-5190.

And even if your church doesn’t collect the offering, you can contribute. Give online at www.texasbaptists.org/hungeroffering, or mail a check, payable to “Hunger Offering” to Christian Life Commission/BGCT, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246.

How should Christians express their faith in a pluralistic world?

This is the vital question implicit in—but overshadowed by—professional athlete Tim Tebow’s decision to speak, and then not to speak, at First Baptist Church in Dallas next month.

Here’s the background:

• Tebow, 25, is a quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy with the Florida Gators. As a pro, he has played for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

Editor Marv Knox• He’s an evangelical Christian who participates in mission trips and speaks at churches. He’s well-known for bowing to offer prayers after big plays, a posture known as “Tebowing.” And he’s counter-cultural, especially for a professional athlete, choosing to remain celibate until marriage.

• Bleacherreport.com calls Tebow “the most controversial player in the NFL.” He’s actually bi-controversial. Some fans feel he’s not good enough for the pros. And some criticize his displays of faith.

• Tebow agreed to speak at First Baptist in Dallas April 28, during festivities dedicating the church’s facilities.

• That appointment set off criticism among sportswriters who objected to Tebow’s association with First Baptist’s Robert Jeffress. The Dallas pastor has gained notoriety for condemnation of Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam and homosexuality. Even one of Jeffress’ prominent defenders acknowledged he is “often incendiary.”

• Tebow backed out, citing “new information that has been brought to my attention.” He pledged to “continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring faith, hope and love to all those needing a brighter day.”

• That decision created an evangelical backlash against Jeffress’ critics. Commentators pointed out Jeffress believes what millions of Christians believe. They cast Jeffress as a martyr and cited rejection by “the world” and estrangement between secular culture and Christianity.

The fallout

Not surprisingly, this incident—like other culture-war battles—created more heat than light.

Some critics said reprehensible things about First Baptist and reverted to extreme metaphors to describe the pastor. Some evangelicals turned on Tebow, snarking he “Tebowed” to pressure. Meanwhile, some customarily nuanced commentators characterized criticisms of Jeffress as caustic critiques of all Christians.

Of course, some Christians agree with all Jeffress’ perspectives on Catholicism, homosexuality, Islam and Mormonism. And many—perhaps most—Baptists and evangelical Christians agree with at least some of his views.

Christians probably will debate those issues until Jesus comes back. But the Tebow/First Baptist controversy should prompt a discussion about our speech and how we express faith.

Secular condemnation as a badge of honor

Some Christians, particularly conservatives, rail at the response they receive from “the world.” They wear secular condemnation as a badge of honor: You’re not doing your job as a Christian if you’re not angering unbelievers and vilified by atheists, agnostics and adherents of other faiths. In self-defense, they quote Jesus, “Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13).

They return fire for fire, telling the unbelieving and/or unrepentant what they think of them. And the cycle feeds its own fire.

Ironically, Christians who typically engage in rancor and vilification present themselves as evangelistic. I don’t know what outreach methods you studied, but “Insult, condemn and ridicule” is not one of the Four Spiritual Laws.

Do you wonder why people express such hatred toward Christians? Maybe it’s because of Jesus. But if you listen, you’ll hear the major reason: They think Christians hate them.

Love or condemnation?

Call it an occupational hazard, but I survey atheist and free-thinker websites, listen to far-left talk shows and read the comments sections on religion sites. If Christianity were like what they describe, I wouldn’t follow Jesus, either. Unfortunately, they’re not making this up; they’re responding to people who call themselves Christian.

If all they hear from Christians sounds like hatred and condemnation, they’re not going to buy Christians’ propositional truths. Nobody accepts beliefs offered in anger and bitterness.

Consider the number of people you know who came to Christ because someone cared for them, listened to them, sacrificed to meet their needs—loved them into faith. Now, contrast that number with the number who were denigrated and argued into submission.

Christians shout because they feel their beliefs are threatened. But maybe those arguments would carry more weight if they whispered while they acted lovingly.

What kind of church?

Sociologist/professor Tony Campolo tells about a trip to Hawaii, where he found himself eating breakfast in a diner at 3:30 a.m. That happened to be when local prostitutes got off work and stopped at the diner for breakfast.

Campolo learned a prostitute, Agnes, was turning 39 years old the next day, and she never had a birthday party. Later, Campolo conspired with the owner to throw Agnes a birthday party.

Campolo bought decorations, and the owner provided a cake. When Agnes and her friends showed up, the demonstration of care stunned Agnes. Before she would cut the cake, she carried it down the street to show her mother.

In the awkward silence, Campolo stood and prayed in a diner packed with prostitutes, asking God to bless Agnes and make her new.

When he said “amen,” the diner owner called out to Campolo: “You told us you’re a professor, but you’re a preacher. What kind of church do you preach in?”

Campolo replied: “I preach in the kind of church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning.”

“No!” the man said. “I would join a church like that.”

Maybe Christians would make headway in the culture wars if, instead of condemning people who believe and behave differently, we demonstrate the kind of love that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning.

Call it a heavenly trifecta: U.S. Christians can take advantage of a rare opportunity to simultaneously (1) strike a blow for bipartisanship in Washington, (2) strengthen the nation’s current and future economies and (3) stand up for the human rights of people Jesus would include among “the least of these” throughout the land.

We can advocate for immigration reform.

Editor Marv KnoxFour months ago, who would have dreamed resolving America’s immigration problems could become a fertile field for bipartisan endeavors? To the contrary, leading up to the 2012 elections, immigration provided a wedge issue in races for offices from county commissioner to president. For the most part, liberal/Democratic candidates favored reform, and conservative/Republican candidates opposed it.

But then Latino voters lined up 3 to 1 behind President Obama and similarly in support of other Democratic candidates. And on Wednesday, Nov. 7, Republicans realized their future is doomed if they can’t count on at least a decent share of the Hispanic vote. Now, bona fide economic and social conservatives are lending their voices to ongoing calls for reform from progressives, minorities and advocates of social justice.

For example, Grover Norquist, the uber-Republican anti-tax guru, told a gathering in Austin that famously red-state Texas should lead out in calling for Congress and the White House to enact immigration reform.

“Texas is a voice on making sure the center-right movement—conservatives, Republicans, Americans—are seen properly on this issue,” Norquist said at the Texas Summit, an immigration conference held at First Baptist Church in Austin. “We’re getting past this sense that conservatives are supposed to be anti-immigrant.”

Evangelical Immigration Table

Richard Land, head of the conservative Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and progressives like Sojourners founder Jim Wallis joined to support an initiative called the Evangelical Immigration Table. That group demands a two-party solution to the immigration dilemma and calls for a solution that affirms “the God-given dignity of every person.”

With leaders from the poles of the religious spectrum coming together, you’d think maybe politicians from both parties could join forces, too. And you’d be correct.

A bipartisan group of eight senators—Republicans Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) alongside Democrats Michael Bennet (Colo.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Robert Menendez (N.J.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.)—are working on a bill that could pass both houses of Congress and receive President Obama’s signature. Collectively, they carry clout in the Senate. And with public opinion of Congress at historic lows, only the most rigid, contentious and possibly clueless extremists in the House would be likely to counter their plan.

Sticking points

Of course, both parties want to position themselves as champions of a solution to the nation’s immigration problem. And even with goodwill—fueled by desperation to garner future votes, plus recognition that President Obama could exercise executive orders to accomplish several fixes—negotiations will be contentious. The primary sticking points will be secure borders and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented aliens.

Besides political expediency, lawmakers should implement immigration reform in order to strengthen the nation’s current and future economies. That may sound ludicrous to the uninformed and/or xenophobic. But it’s true.

In the short term, immigration reform can boost the economy on at least two fronts. First, as most Texans intuitively understand, immigrants help fill out the vital workforce. The petroleum, agriculture and construction industries would suffer mightily without immigrant workers and can be much more stable if a long-term workforce is assured. After a couple of decades of rapid Hispanic immigration, this situation is replicated nationwide. Our economy depends upon the valuable labor of these noncitizens who have strengthened our nation.

Moreover, the infrastructure of our governmental, healthcare and educational systems would be stronger and more durable if all immigrant workers were brought into the light of day and placed on all the tax rolls.

Population growth

Long-term, the situation is even more serious. Economists point out one of the most vital factors for economic strength is population growth. That’s right—growth.

One of the key factors for economic health is the fertility rate—the expected number of children born per woman in a nation. If the rate drops below 2.1, population will decline and also age steadily. Ultimately, that means fewer and fewer working-age adults to provide resources to care for an expanding senior adult population.

This has exacerbated economic challenges in Japan and some countries of Western Europe, where the fertility rate has stayed below 2.0. And the United States is hovering near that mark. As the baby boom generation retires, smaller generations of workers are coming along to take their places.

Healthy immigration resolves this situation on two fronts. First, and immediately, new residents arrive to supplement the active workforce. Second, fertility rates of the newcomers typically are higher than the general population, thus raising the average.

So, people who fret over the strain of immigrants on local, state and national infrastructures and worry about the economic costs of immigration are wringing their hands about the wrong issues. We need immigrants, and we’ll be stronger if they’re legal and fully part of society and the economy.

The moral thing to do

Finally, Christians should advocate for immigration reform because it is the Christlike and moral thing to do.

The Evangelical Immigration Table, the broad-based gathering of Christians, has called for a bipartisan immigration solution that:

• Respects the God-given dignity of every person

• Protects the unity of the immediate family

• Respects the rule of law

• Guarantees secure national borders

• Ensures fairness to taxpayers

• Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents

These steps not only can strengthen the nation, but also elevate an underclass of residents who are made in the image of God and deserve the dignity that should be afforded and expected of all people.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform for almost a decade, noted Suzii Paynter, director of the BGCT’s Christian Life Commission.

Paynter told the Austin American-Statesman the convention supports a reasonable pathway to citizenship.

“It all depends on how that’s structured,” she explained. “There’s very much room for a path to citizenship, especially a path that acknowledges illegal entry and (includes) a commitment toward citizenship education and complying with laws and paying taxes.”

Straight from the Bible

The impetus to deal with immigration comes straight from the Bible, Paynter noted. “The Scripture is full of migration—everything from the Exodus to Jesus and his own family having to flee to Egypt,” she told the Austin paper. “So, biblically, we’re looking at the Scriptures that have to do with migration. Secondly, we’re also looking at the way in which the faith community helps to bring together many voices.”

A tangible way to educate yourself and your church and join those voices is to participate in the Evangelical Immigration Table’s “I Was a Stranger”  challenge. It involves 40 days of Scripture reading and prayer for immigration.

It can change your life. It will change our state and nation.

For a minute or two, I felt like an archaeologist—exploring artifacts and interpreting their meaning.

But instead of digging ancient cities in the Holy Land, excavating Mayan ruins or exploring European caves, all I had to do was wear my best black suit and place my hands in my pockets.

My archaeological expedition occurred as I walked out of the sanctuary at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, where Joanna and I attended the memorial service for our longtime friend Charlotte Wingfield.

Editor Marv Knox

Since I was a little boy—when my preacher-daddy paid me 25 cents a week to straighten the hymnals and gather up all the worship bulletins and tissues left in the pews of our little church—I just haven’t been able to leave litter in God’s house. Maybe it’s because I revere the sanctity of worship spaces. Or maybe it’s also because I don’t want another preacher’s kid to work that hard for a quarter.

Whatever the reason, I instinctively folded the funeral program in half and slid it into the inside breast pocket of my jacket.

Lowering my hands, I felt something rigid in the lower-left outside pocket. I reached in and pulled out the backings of two nametags with “#13” neatly printed on each of the pieces of waxed paper. And I remembered we dined at Table 13 when we attended a fancy banquet last fall.

By then, I was curious, so I explored the lower-right outside pocket. Sure enough, I turned an archaeological trifecta when my fingers found two stale mints, the remains of some wedding sometime, somewhere.

“So, this is my ‘good’ suit,” I realized. “It’s the one I pull out of the closet when it’s time to dress up.”

In my world, dressing up apparently means attending funerals, fancy banquets and weddings.

For much of my adult life, I didn’t own a “good” suit. That’s not to say my closet didn’t hold some nice suits. I just couldn’t afford to set one aside to be the “good” suit for funerals, fancy banquets and weddings.

Back then, I wore suits and ties six days a week—to the office Monday through Friday and to church on Sunday. I owned several suits and a few blazers, and I rotated them through my closet, almost always selecting the one whose turn was “next.”

Some people decry the formality of that era. But I always thought wearing suits every day simplified life. In the morning as I dressed for work, the only item I needed to choose was my tie. Since the six-day-per-week cycle taxed my suit selection, I didn’t have the luxury of setting one aside as special or good or fancy. They comprised a functional, working wardrobe.

Now, styles have changed, and I rarely wear suits to work. Nice slacks and button-up shirts are plenty adequate most days. And I don’t always wear a suit to church, either. In fact, except for when I help serve the Lord’s Supper, I can’t pinpoint a rationale for choosing to wear or not to wear a coat and tie to church.

Before Charlotte’s memorial service, if you asked me if I had a “good” suit, I would have told you no. But my pockets provided repositories of artifacts that proved otherwise. In my mind, the black suit with the gray and blue pinstripes clearly is the fanciest. So, I inadvertently save it for the fanciest occasions. Like funerals, banquets and weddings.

That evening, as I stood in my closet and hung up that suit, I wondered if it’s a metaphor for how I live my life.

Do I wear different personas on different occasions? Do I bring out my “best” self only on special occasions or for certain people? Do I hold part of me in reserve except when I decide the person or situation merits all of me?

Our challenge as Christians is to live thoroughly consistent, authentically integrated lives. To be the same person in private as in public. To treat all people equally and well. To apply the lessons of faith to all areas of life. To expect more of self than of others. To work hard and give a full day’s labor for a day’s pay. To discern to when rest, to play, to rejuvenate. To worship God in all phases and areas and situations of life.

Think how different the world would be—how our homes and our churches and our communities would be—if Christians lived consistent, holy lives.

A prophet of old provided wise counsel: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Jesus admonished: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Those are guiding goals for each day, each moment. After all, the Lord and others deserve our best.

How is Suzii Paynter’s selection to lead the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship great news? Let me count the ways.

Before that, some background: CBF’s executive coordinator search committee nominated Paynter to lead the nationwide Baptist organization. If confirmed by the CBF Coordinating Council, she will succeed Daniel Vestal, who retired after 16 years at the helm.

Paynter, a San Antonio native, is director of Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission and head of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Advocacy Care Center. Her husband, Roger, is pastor of First Baptist Church in Austin. They’re both widely admired for modeling a host of Christian virtues—faithfulness, compassion, winsomeness with the gospel, intelligence, creativity, peaceableness, cooperation, love for people, advocacy for the poor and disenfranchised, reconciliation, passion and vigor, to name a few.

Now, for counting the ways Suzii Paynter’s CBF selection is great news …

First, she’s a tremendously effective leader and will guide CBF through transition toward renewed strength.

Throughout her career—as an educator, as a volunteer in countless capacities and, more recently, as leader of the Christian Life Commission and Texas Baptists’ key contact with the state legislature—Paynter has provided sterling leadership. She’s gospel-centered, enormously smart and possesses terrific people skills. She’s skilled at helping diverse people identify common goals and then directing them toward those goals and inspiring them along the way.

CBF is going through perilous transition and needs her steady, sensible and sensitive guidance. Revenue has eroded over several years, necessitating repeated staff cutbacks. Attendance at the summertime general assemblies has been less than stellar. In some quarters, morale has been poor.

But CBF approved a major reorganization last year, which re-energized thousands of the faithful across the nation. Paynter’s skills and experience make her the best person to implement those changes. And that will put the organization on more solid footing and provide the possibility for growth and strength.

Second, even though Paynter’s departure from the Christian Life Commission represents short-term pain for Texas Baptists, it also signals long-term gain.

Of course, not all Texas Baptists affiliate with, much less affirm, CBF. But CBF has been a major missions partner with the BGCT for more than 20 years. Significant numbers of loyal Texas Baptist churches look to CBF as their partner for being Baptist beyond our state borders.

That matters on at least two significant levels. Practically, CBF provides opportunities to do missions and engage in ministries across the United States and around the world. More elementally and passionately, CBF provides a touchstone for broader Baptist identity. They point to the BGCT and CBF as models for being Baptists. And, of course, a stronger, more vibrant CBF enhances that identity.

Over time, Paynter also will help Texas Baptists relate more harmoniously. Although both her CBF predecessors—Cecil Sherman and Vestal—were native Texans and maintained strong Texas connections, Paynter joins CBF directly from Texas. She leaves one of the most important Texas Baptist jobs to take the CBF position. She will commute to her new job in Atlanta from Austin, where her husband will continue to serve as pastor. She knows Texas Baptists currently and well, and Texas Baptists know her well, too.

This doesn’t mean all BGCT-affiliated congregations will sign up for CBF. But they’ll have reason to diminish their suspicions and turn down their rhetoric. Even if they never join, they can appreciate CBF because they respect Paynter.

Suzii Paynter speaks to a press conference while George Mason listens.

Third—and most obviously—Paynter’s elevation to become the first female to lead a Baptist body in the United States is tremendous news for women, and particularly for women in ministry.

The CBF did not choose Paynter because she’s a woman. They chose her because she’s the very best person for the job. And that’s just plain terrific: A woman has been selected for an extraordinary place of leadership based on her skills, training, experience. She wasn’t held back because she’s a woman, and she wasn’t put forward because she’s a woman. She was elevated because she’s excellent.

Paynter’s selection stands as an unprecedented pillar of promise for Baptist girls and women. They can see at least some Baptists will relate to them as people and fellow believers, regardless of gender. They can see God’s calling upon their lives need not be filtered by prejudice or politics. They can see that when God calls them, and they study and train, and they serve faithfully and well, great responsibility and opportunity will be open to them, too.

A corollary: Paynter’s selection is good news for her Baptist brothers, too. We more fully reflect the Spirit of Christ when we respect and treat our sisters as equals. Paynter’s selection elevated all of us.

Fourth, as Paynter leads CBF, young Baptists should be enormously encouraged.

A significant number of CBFers wanted the search committee to choose someone 20 or more years younger than Paynter. They feel the hope for CBF and the larger Baptist movement lies with the rising generation of leaders. Their case is strong. But few people that young have encountered enough of life’s trials and tragedies and myriad experiences to be fully prepared for such a complex and demanding assignment.

The good news is Paynter is keenly attuned to young adults and youth. She’s a teacher at heart, and she spent much of her career training, grooming, loving and caring for students. She has maintained that passion and relates exceptionally well to young adults. She has worked splendidly with them as staff and volunteers. More importantly, she respects them and listens to them. And she is youthful, vigorous, creative and open—all qualities that will strengthen the cause of young Baptists.

Fifth, Paynter’s leadership of CBF is good news for people in need of the Good News.

Paynter’s life is Christ-centric and church-centered. She’s committed herself to sharing the gospel as good news to all people. People who need to hear the gospel and people who need the feel the love of Christ through Christians have been drawn near because of her ministry.

She will help CBF—its staff, its state and regional affiliates, its church partners and the legion of people for whom CBF is home—to maintain a focused, balanced approach to sharing the gospel and caring for people near and far. By strengthening CBF and its partnerships, she will enable Baptists to extend themselves more effectively, to be the presence of Christ more authentically in more places to more people.

Sixth, Paynter’s selection is wonderful news for other Baptists and other people of faith, too.

She’s a natural-born networker and collaborator, and that bodes well for all who want to work alongside and partner with CBF. She’s already a strong advocate for the Baptist World Alliance and its national groups around the globe. Through her years with the Christian Life Commission, she’s demonstrated a knack for cooperating and building coalitions of faith groups to touch lives, improve communities, meet needs and spread the gospel. All these groups will benefit because of Paynter’s leadership of CBF.

Ironically, even the Southern Baptist Convention—historically adversarial toward CBF—will benefit, too. She’s not a stone-thrower, and she wasn’t a general in the “Baptist battles.” She’s likable and easy to work with if you want to work with her.

And here’s another benefit: Most people don’t keep up with all the “inside baseball” of Baptist denominational politics. They don’t know the difference between a Southern Baptist, a Cooperative Fellowship Baptist, a Primitive Baptist, or a you-name-it Baptist. But many of them instinctively think Baptists treat women as second-class citizens. So, when they see a strong, winsome, Christlike woman, Suzii Paynter, leading the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, all Baptists will rise a little in their eyes.

Here’s a challenge: Publicly declare all Christians should tithe, and then watch what happens.

If you’re in a Sunday school class, prepare for awkward silence. Most folks don’t tithe and don’t even want to think about it. If you write a letter to the editor of the Baptist Standard, get ready to read a bunch of replies. Some folks think about tithing often, and they’re more than ready to press the issue.

The first time I wrote an editorial in favor of tithing, the barrage from the mailbag blind-sided me. My parents taught me to tithe as a preschooler. Every member of our family carried an offering envelope to church each Sunday morning, and the numbers on those envelopes totaled exactly 10 percent of my pastor-daddy’s salary. Later, my first job—straightening the hymnals and picking up the Sunday bulletins from the pews of our church on Wednesdays after school—paid a whopping 25 cents. Daddy “suggested” I tithe a nickel a week, since I couldn’t give the Lord two and a half cents. You could tell I wasn’t a financial genius. It never occurred to me to propose tithing a nickel every-other week. That’s how I became a double-tither as a third grader.

So, I never considered any devout, church-going Christian would argue against tithing. But as you’ll note in our feature package, “The Tithe: “More Theory Than Practice,” some Christians claim tithing has been out of date for 2,000 years. From their perspective, tithing is based upon Old Testament law, which Jesus replaced with grace.

That argument may have merit. But if it’s used to whittle-down expectations for Christian behavior, it misses the point.

Jesus articulates one of the most thoroughly New Testament concepts in his Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). A master takes a trip and entrusts his wealth to the management of three servants. Upon his return, the master praises and rewards two servants who invested his wealth wisely, worked hard and yielded a return on his investment. But he condemns and punishes the lazy servant who buried the wealth for safekeeping until the master’s return.

Jesus clearly implies several truths:

• All we “possess” is not our own; it belongs to God.
• We are expected to be diligent, wise and faithful stewards of what God has entrusted us.
• If we are diligent, wise and faithful stewards, we will receive God’s favor.
• If we are lazy—or worse, if we squander God’s resources on ourselves—God will condemn us.

Seen from this standpoint, several applications emerge.

First, arguing about tithing is about as pointless as debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Everything in our lives belongs to God. It’s not ours; it could be gone as quickly as a tornado touches down, a fire flares, the stock market crashes. Meanwhile, as long as things are in our care, our passion should be to multiply them in service to God’s ministry and for God’s glory.

Second, we break the First Commandment when we think our income belongs to us, and it’s our prerogative to decide whether we’ll give 3 percent, 10 percent or 15 percent to God through the church. “You shall have no other gods before me,” the Lord says. But we place ourselves ahead of God when we act as the owner.

Third, if we limit our consideration of stewardship to money, we’re missing the point. Surely, Jesus’ work benefits from our financial resources. But it also requires our time and talents. Some Christians are generous with their checkbooks but stingy with their watches. They won’t invest themselves in what God wants to accomplish in this world. They’re lazy—or selfish—stewards of their giftedness and the gift of their days.

Fourth, if we limit our consideration of stewardship to ourselves as individuals, we’re also missing the point. Many Christians learn to be selfish because they attend selfish churches. How should we expect new believers to learn stewardship and generosity when their congregations spend ever-increasing proportions of their receipts on themselves? Churches are about mighty kingdom business. But when they limit their vision and investment to what they can do themselves, they deny the existence of the larger body of Christ.

Well, we may get some letters debating whether we should tithe. Bring ’em on. A tithe is only the beginning.

You’re holding history.

This is the last printed edition of the Baptist Standard. Beginning next month, we’re converting the entire newspaper to a state-of-the-art digital edition. We’ll still publish the content you’ve been reading on these pages—Baptist and religion news; trends affecting faith and life; articles about missions and ministries; stories about faithful people; and letters and opinion.

The latest technology will make it easy to read on computer screens, tablets and even cell phones. And we’ll still produce the Standard every-other week. It just won’t be printed on paper.

But that does not mean we’re abandoning the printed page. We’re also launching a new inspirational publication, CommonCall: The Baptist Standard Magazine. We’ve planned CommonCall in direct response to extensive conversations with Texas Baptists, supplemented by surveys of pastors.

When we asked pastors what kind of articles they want their members to read, they weren’t shy. They said Texas Baptists need material to equip them for service to Christ in their churches and in their day-to-day lives. We’ll follow that guidance as we select content month by month.

So, the magazine will highlight human-interest stories about changed lives, Christians who put faith in action, missions, evangelism and family life. It also will present thought-provoking leadership articles and how-to/empowering stories about effective church ministries.

The magazine’s name represents the solidarity and shared purpose that bind Texas Baptists in heart and spirit. CommonCall reflects our desire for the magazine to unify churches and our convention. It also champions our shared commitment to help every Christian fulfill his or her calling.

Instead of cutting back, we’re moving forward. We’ll produce a spirited, fast-paced digital news publication, the Baptist Standard. And we’ll respond to the expressed desires of Texas Baptists to receive an uplifting, inspirational magazine, CommonCall. If you subscribe to the Standard now, you’ll automatically receive CommonCall early next month.

Individuals and churches who subscribe to CommonCall will receive two free bonus subscriptions of the Baptist Standard. We want to give every Texas Baptist and every Texas Baptist church an easy, economical opportunity to tap into the Baptist Standard legacy and gather together around CommonCall.

The transition of the Baptist Standard to digital-only and the launch of CommonCall represent significant change. Of course, some Baptists aren’t huge fans of change. Since news of this change began circulating, I’ve heard from folks who have read the Standard on newsprint for decades, and they don’t like what we’re doing. Believe me, I understand. For starters, I’ve been reading the Standard about 50 years myself. It’s been a constant in my life. And those of us who publish the Standard feel called to this ministry; we live and breathe it. And nobody—nobody—has agonized over the changes in the denomination and declines in the print-news industry more than those of us who work here.

But to paraphrase Charles Dickens, these are the worst of times and the best of times to be a journalist.

The “worst” part is obvious. Across the nation, daily newspapers are dying. Even once-strong Newsweek magazine is going digital-only next month. For readers and reporters alike, it’s tough to watch your way of life morph before your eyes.

Still, the “best” part is breathtaking. From video, to web links, to hypergraphics, the Internet provides us with the best story-telling tools in the history of the world. It’s never been a better time to be a reporter. Especially a reporter called to tell The Greatest Story Ever Told.

We hope—and fervently pray—you love the redesigned digital Baptist Standard and the brand-new CommonCall. If you’re skeptical, give us three months before you make up your mind. And if you’re a fan, please convince your church to provide it for everybody.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard and CommonCall. Visit his blog at baptiststandard.com.

Welcome to the “most wonderful time of the year.”

OK, that sounds like the first line of the “secular” part of your church’s Christmas pageant. Or maybe the aphorism on the inside of the card you’ll receive from your next-door neighbor two houses ago.

But theologically, it’s (almost) true. Actually, Easter is the most wonderful day of the year. That’s when we celebrate the successful completion of the Christ child’s mission here on Earth. Still, Christmas runs a close second. And since millions more people observe Christmas than Easter, you can understand why singers, cardmakers and most everyone else confuses the relative merits of Christmas and Easter.

If you don’t watch out, this can become the most annoying time of the year: The push-push of incessant commercials. The house to decorate. A shopping list as long as Dasher’s hind leg. Saccharine versions of carols played over every PA system in North America. Big crowds, long lines and paucity of parking.

When will it all end? You know exactly when. In the meantime, we’ve got to wait.

This year, let’s wait as children for Christmas. You remember how you felt, full of anticipation and joy. During his ministry, Jesus said we’re to give ourselves up to childlike openness and longing for him: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). To be sure, children often focus more on Santa and gifts than the Savior and glory. But if we capture their unabashed eagerness and focus on experiencing the joy of that first Christmas, this season will transform our lives.

If we put our hearts into the task, we can recapture childlike gladness, longing and expectation. Start by making a list of how you will approach Christmas this year. Here’s mine:

• Celebrate Advent. Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends Christmas Eve. Millions of Christians gather around wreaths with candles that symbolize the weekly themes of Advent—hope, peace, joy and love. Week by week, night by night, they read meditations, sing hymns of anticipation and light the candles.

Worshipping around an Advent wreath particularly helps children—not to mention their parents—focus on Jesus during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Those lovely devotions create memories that last a lifetime, too.

• Go AWOL in the battle over Christmas. Some Christians lose their religion when anyone says, “Happy Holidays.” They fume about people “highjacking Christ-mas.” Unfortunately, their wrath doesn’t do much except ruin everybody’s mood. And when it spills over into righteous indignation, it pushes people even further from Jesus, whose birth we wish them to celebrate.

• Revel in the crowds. Hard, huh? Crowds can drive folks nuts. But just remember, Jesus came to Earth for all those people. We celebrate Christmas because he loved them—and us—enough to take on human flesh to show us the depths of divine love.

• Practice random acts of kindness. More than any other time, people need the balm of grace during the Christmas season. We might express grand gestures of kindness, like working in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. But small acts touch lives, like leaving the “good” mall parking spots for others, holding a door for someone, greeting folks with a smile or asking store clerks how they’re doing. Small deeds; large difference.

• Give more than get. Many people suffer personal pain—loneliness and heartache—at Christmas. One definition of pain is “an acute awareness of self.” The antidote to that kind of pain is to turn attention toward others. Maybe that means purchasing gifts. But more likely, it means giving others what everyone needs—love, attention, compassion, concern, acceptance, forgiveness.

• Give to Jesus. He said the measure of how we treat him is how we treat “the least of these” in our world. Christmas-season gifts sustain ministries and mission work that span from the neighborhood to the far side of the globe. It’s Jesus’ birthday; let’s see if we can give him a gift at least as large as all our other gifts combined.

’Tis the season. Let’s make it wonderful.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard.