The news of recent days gives yet more evidence that too many in our world have given up the low bar of common decency in favor of sheer disregard for one another.

The irony is the horrible events of the last few days occurred during a season we associate with … increased acts of common decency.

These horrific acts began long before they happened. They each began as a thought, with disregard for the life of another. They serve as evidence of a world in need of the redemption to which Christmas points.

As we become further inured to indecency through regular violent actions—often spurred on or followed by violent rhetoric—we become less able to reach the higher bar signaled by Christmas.

Amid the indecency of our day, Christmas points us beyond acts of kindness to laying down the whole of our lives as Jesus did for us. May we be so bold.

Horrific news

The following events depict what can happen when we do not lay down our lives for others but, contrary to Christ, assert our superiority over others. The result is horrific.

The killing of two students and injuring of nine in a Brown University classroom Dec. 13 shows the depth of disregard for life. Despite Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s asserting “the unthinkable has happened,” such occurrences are all too thinkable, even in a place called Providence.

The slaughter of 15 people celebrating Hanukkah, Dec. 14, at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, shows the persistent disregard for particular lives—Jewish lives. Fifteen lights were extinguished during this Festival of Lights.

That same day, Dec. 14, we received news Rob and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their home. Rob and his father Carl being giants of American entertainment, this news hit many particularly hard. Harder still is that the Reiners’ son Nick has been charged with their murder.

As we were coming to grips with these three horrific events occurring in short order, a further indecency was launched into the news: Donald Trump’s Truth Social post blaming Rob Reiner for his own death. I won’t link to the despicable post or Trump’s shrugging it off the next day.

Decency—common or otherwise—seems in short supply these days. If we could reach even that bar, we would do well. Yet, Christmas points us further. Christmas points us to laying down the whole of our lives for those with whom we differ, disagree or worse.

As much as I’d prefer to write a warm, fuzzy Christmas editorial, I cannot turn away so easily from our troubled times and what Christmas points to amid them.

Where Christmas points

Christmas is our celebration of God the Son being born as a human baby in fulfilment of centuries of prophecy and longing. Jesus didn’t have to go through with it. Jesus didn’t have to be born into this world, much less at the time of his birth. Neither Rome nor Herod were known for their decency, and the Jewish people had their own challenges.

And yet.

Jesus looked at this world and may have said: “Those are some messed up people. I’m going to go live with them.”

Jesus didn’t just live with us; he committed to the bit. He started as an embryo, then grew inside his mother, was born, went through childhood and puberty, became an adult, and experienced ridicule, misunderstanding, brutality and death—not vicariously, but firsthand. He took our indecency. All of it.

While he was facing ridicule and misunderstanding, he told us to love those who revile us, to bless those who persecute us, to lay down our lives even for those who hate us. Jesus commanded us not to meet indecency with indecency, but to lay down our lives in the face of it.

Anyone who says we should do any different is a false witness.

Jesus’ choice to live among us, despite knowing how messed up we are—because he knows how messed up we are—is our call to surpass the low bar of common decency associated with Christmas, a bar too many of us find too hard to meet, and to lay down our lives even for those who disregard us to the point of brutalizing us, who just as soon would see us dead.

A bracing truth

How’s that for a “Merry Christmas?” But isn’t that the truth within the warm fuzzies of the season?

I’d rather write a feel-good editorial, but I can’t make us feel good about the times we’re in. So, instead, I’m calling us to protest the way of this world by following how Jesus lived and told us to live in it. And that is to lay down the whole of our lives like Jesus did so others may be redeemed.

We live in a troubled world during troubled times. If I was old enough, I might say it feels like 2,000 years ago. In a general sense. The details are different.

If I was old enough, I definitely would look like I carried the immense weight of two millennia of disappointment and disillusionment about the state of the world. Trouble, terror and turmoil are a recurring theme in our history books.

If I was a Christian all that time, I probably would be overcome by our collective and consistent inability as Christians to live up to what Jesus called us to do.

But one thing I could not and cannot deny: Jesus knew all about the state of this troubled world and chose to live in it with us anyway.

Think about that as you read the news today—the heart-breaking, stomach-churning news of today so often devoid of even common decency.

While you mull that over, keep in mind it gets better than Jesus choosing to live with us. Christmas is part and parcel of Good Friday, which is part and parcel of Easter, which is part and parcel of where all of this is going—the redemption and restoration of all things.

Christmas is just the beginning, pointing us far beyond. May we be so bold.

*******

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Every morning in Brazil, before the first light breaks, millions of phones buzz across time zones and cities. People roll out of bed, open YouTube, and join a single rhythm—the rosary at 4 a.m.

Led by Frei Gilson, a Carmelite friar whose voice has become familiar in countless homes, this livestreamed prayer has become a phenomenon.

In a nation once defined by Catholic ritual and later transformed by evangelical zeal, something new is stirring—a quiet awakening at the crossroads of faith, technology and culture.

Evangelicals among Catholics

I have watched this story unfold with both curiosity and hope. Brazil always has been a testing ground for missionary imagination—a laboratory of faith. In many ways, I am a by-product of that story.

My own faith and the origins of my family was shaped by the American Southern Baptist missionary movement that took root in Brazil more than a century ago. For many Baptists, Brazil was the first great foreign mission field—a land to be “reached” for Christ.

I grew up surrounded by the hymns, mission fairs and youth camps planted by Southern Baptist missionaries who traded the suburbs of Dallas and Atlanta for the tropical humidity of Recife and the colorful coral reefs of João Pessoa. Their influence was immense.

Yet beneath the mission statistics and baptism counts, there always was tension. For centuries, Catholicism enjoyed a near monopoly on Brazilian spirituality. To be Brazilian was to be Catholic by default.

When evangelical churches began multiplying in the 20th century, the word crente—“believer”—became a slur. Catholics used it to mock the noisy newcomers who sang with guitars and preached with passion.

As a young boy, I remember the sting of that word. It carried both disdain and fear, as if faith outside the old institution were a contagion. That divide—Catholic versus evangelical, traditional versus modern—shaped Brazil’s religious identity for generations.

A change happening

And yet something unexpected is happening now. The same Catholic Church that once viewed evangelical fervor with suspicion is rediscovering its own.

Frei Gilson’s 4 a.m. rosary is only one sign. His livestreams draw millions—including evangelicals who tune in quietly, searching for peace. It’s a kind of digital pilgrimage: part prayer meeting, part revival, part collective exhale in a nation weary from polarization.

In recent decades, Catholicism in Brazil has faced steep decline. Census data show Catholics have dropped from more than 90 percent of the population in 1980 to just over half today. Evangelical churches—especially Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal movements—have surged, filling gaps left by institutional fatigue and economic despair.

Yet even evangelical growth is slowing. The irony is just as both traditions feel their limits, they are learning from one another. Catholics are embracing small-group community and emotional worship. Evangelicals are rediscovering liturgy, contemplation and social teaching.

In many ways, the pandemic accelerated this convergence. With sanctuaries closed, both Catholics and evangelicals went online. Prayer chains, Bible studies and worship nights migrated to YouTube and WhatsApp.

Out of the isolation emerged something organic and deeply human: people longing to belong, to pray, to find God together.

Frei Gilson’s dawn prayers captured that hunger. He is not a celebrity pastor with a production team. He’s a friar in a simple brown habit, praying ancient words in real time. Yet through the digital commons, he has reached more hearts than any cathedral could hold.

Shift in influence

As someone who grew up watching American missionaries teach Brazilians how to “do church,” I find this reversal fascinating. The flow of influence is shifting.

The global south no longer is merely the mission field. It’s becoming the mission force.

Brazilian Christians now are among the most active missionaries in the world, from the favelas of Rio to refugee camps in the Middle East. They carry a passionate, improvisational and communal spirituality.

Where Western churches often analyze strategy, Brazilians embody surrender. The 4 a.m. prayer movement may seem strange to Western observers, but it reveals a deeper truth: Renewal may not come from conferences or budgets, but from tired people praying in the dark before they go to work.

Of course, renewal in Brazil comes with complexity. Religion and politics never are far apart. The rise of the MAGA movement in the United States found echoes in Brazil’s own populist wave under Jair Bolsonaro, who drew strong support from evangelicals.

The fusion of nationalism and Christianity—what many call “Christian nationalism”—has scarred both nations. It tempts believers to confuse cultural dominance with divine mission. I have seen how this fusion divides families and congregations, turning faith into ideology.

Some of Frei Gilson’s critics fear his movement could be co-opted by similar forces. Perhaps that fear is justified. But beneath the noise of culture wars, ordinary Brazilians are rediscovering prayer. That may prove more transformative than politics ever could.

Post-Western, Revelation Christianity

The more I observe, the more convinced I am Brazil is showing the world what post-Western Christianity might look like. It is less tidy, less institutional and far more embodied. It is a church without monopoly—both wounded and vibrant, ancient and experimental.

It is Catholic women livestreaming the rosary from their kitchens, Pentecostal teenagers preaching on TikTok, Baptist pastors partnering with Catholic charities to feed the hungry. It is not the death of denominational identity, but its transformation into a wider imagination of the kingdom.

This is what gives me hope. The global church is becoming more like the one Jesus promised—polyphonic, multiethnic, global in accent and local in compassion. The old Western monopoly on theology and mission is breaking down, and that is good news.

When I see Catholics and evangelicals kneeling together in prayer—even through a screen—I glimpse a small reflection of Revelation 7: “a great multitude … from every nation, tribe, people and language.”

I think back to my grandparents’ generation—humble Brazilian believers who embraced the gospel through the witness of American missionaries. They never could have imagined their grandchildren watching a friar on YouTube pray the rosary at dawn, or evangelical pastors quoting Pope Francis in their sermons, or the world looking to Brazil for spiritual innovation. But God’s story always bends toward surprise.

Perhaps that is the quiet miracle of the 4 a.m. prayer. In a nation once divided by faith and class and creed, there now is a chorus rising before dawn—a sound of people seeking God together. It may not fit anyone’s missionary playbook, but it feels like the kingdom breaking in—slow, ordinary, luminous.

Diego Silva is the director of economic strengthening at Buckner International. A native of Brazil, he lives in Georgetown with his wife and two boys. He writes about faith, community development and global mission. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

The fifth “wall” in the Baptist “house” Karen Bullock describes in her Pinson Lecture is local church autonomy, paired as it is with congregational governance.

These are not difficult doctrines to describe. Baptists believe each local church is an autonomous entity, free from the control of governments or ecclesiastical hierarchies. Each congregation is governed by the will of its members, in whom the Holy Spirit is active to reveal the will of Christ and empower the local church to carry out that will.

It also is relatively easy to explain the benefits of this way of understanding the church. Each church member is granted the responsibility of participating in the governance of the local church, and healthy engagement in that governance demonstrates he or she is maturing as a disciple of Jesus.

Likewise, local congregations are free to shape their ministry in response to the needs and opportunities presented to them by their context.

Nevertheless, the problems created by these corresponding convictions are so myriad and so consequential they cannot be described fully here. All we can do is make a couple of preliminary observations and then touch briefly on the challenges presented by Baptist polity.

Preliminary observations

So, what does the Bible have to say about church polity? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as clear as we might like.

The New Testament assumes churches are independent of governmental control, but that is not surprising given the first Christians did not have the option of living in a “Christian” country.

As to the issue of how churches were run, it rightly has been observed that you can find evidence in the New Testament for any of the three broad streams of polity that have dominated church history—episcopal, presbyterian and congregational.

For example, 1 Corinthians presents the church in Corinth as a unified, decision-making body, one Paul had to persuade. In Acts 14, however, we see Paul and Barnabas relying upon their apostolic authority to appoint “elders” in each of the congregations they founded.

So, does one polity seem to work better than the others? That is a matter of opinion, but I would argue every polity has its weaknesses.

We have seen many of those weaknesses played out in the various sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and many other denominations and parachurch organizations.

In episcopal systems, wrongdoing can be covered up by bishops, and elders or board members can do the same thing in presbyterian or semi-presbyterian contexts. In congregational denominations, the decentralized nature of authority can blunt attempts at accountability and change even when wrongdoing is brought to light.

Autonomy and cooperation

With these preliminary observations in mind, let us turn our attention to the challenges associated with local church autonomy and congregational governance.

The first challenge has to do with how autonomous entities can cooperate with one another for the sake of a shared mission.

Southern Baptists long have cooperated with one another to fund various entities that serve the church—such as educational institutions and mission boards. For several decades, they did so recognizing different churches had different theological orientations and different value structures.

In recent decades, however, there has been less tolerance for this kind of diversity of thought.

Whatever one thinks of the various conflicts that afflicted Southern Baptists over the past 50 years, it cannot be questioned, these conflicts are about the extent to which any given Southern Baptist church has the right to have its particular values reflected in the denomination’s institutions.

At the risk of stirring up a hornet’s nest, let me put the problem in practical terms, using an issue that has been in the news over the last year or more.

On the one hand, it can be argued the North American Mission Board has every right to direct its money into church plants that reflect the dominant doctrinal convictions of the Southern Baptist Convention, since doing so reflects the will of the vast majority of messengers expressed during a number of annual meetings.

On the other hand, it can be argued doing so restricts the freedom of Baptist churches who do not agree with that consensus to see their own values and convictions reflected in the kinds of churches Southern Baptists plant.

Similar arguments could be marshaled concerning the beliefs of seminary professors, the commitments of candidates for missionary appointments, and especially for those allowed access to state convention resources for helping prospective pastors find a church.

My point in raising these issues is not to say who is right and who is wrong, and it certainly is not to hurt anyone’s feelings. Rather, my point is to ensure we understand issues like these are not a bug in the Baptist system. They are a feature of that system, one that must be acknowledged and addressed honestly whenever conflicts arise.

When something goes wrong

The second challenge related to Baptist polity already has been mentioned. When something goes wrong, as in the case of the reckoning that took place after the Houston Chronicle and other news outlets reported on the prevalence of sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches, there is no easy way to bring about reforms.

At first glance, it would seem such should not be the case. If the SBC can discipline churches for having a female pastor, then they ought to be able to discipline churches for other transgressions of denominational doctrine or best practices.

But the truth is most problems in ecclesiastical spaces are not as easy to identify as simply looking for job titles on a church’s website.

Without an authoritative hierarchy of church officials that have been entrusted with the task of investigating problems and developing solutions, it is up to individual believers, congregations and smaller denominational units to bear the burden of bringing about reform.

And make no mistake about it. Reform is needed, and it will be needed again in the future.

Baptists will not be able to hide behind their polity when they stand before Christ. So, we had better figure out how we can preserve our commitment to what we really think is a biblical understanding of the church’s governance, while also creating mechanisms to bring about change.

New ways forward?

Perhaps this is one aspect of Baptist identity where we might do some experimenting.

The Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia—the country, not the American state—describes itself as an “episcopal Baptist church.” As of 2013, it was led by an archbishop and three bishops, one of whom was a woman.

More recently, and closer to home, some Baptist churches have traded their business meetings and committees for boards of elders.

Only time will tell whether experiments like these produce better results than the polity that characterizes most Baptist churches and denominations today. Either way, Baptists have a lot to think about. I can only hope they will do so with a sobriety and generosity of spirit not common in our polarized, overly politicized and toxic world.

Wade Berry is pastor of Second Baptist Church in Ranger and has been resident fellow in New Testament and Greek at B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

When the subject of apologetics comes up, many people start to quote 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

The word Peter uses there is apologia, which is where we get our modern term “apologetics.”

I love that passage. But I think sometimes we forget the context.

Peter isn’t writing from an ivory tower, debating abstract ideas about God. He’s writing to believers suffering—men and women under real persecution, possibly under Nero’s rule, maybe even during the time of the Great Fire of Rome. People were losing their livelihoods, their families, even their lives.

So, when Peter says, “Be ready to give an answer … for the hope that you have,” he’s not calling for an intellectual defense in a lecture hall. He’s talking about something much deeper—standing firm when it might cost you everything. He’s saying: “Know what you believe, know who you trust, and know why your hope in Christ is worth dying for.”

But somewhere along the way, I think we’ve lost sight of that.

We’ve turned apologetics into a kind of sport—a competition to see who can dismantle the most arguments or win the most debates. In doing so, we’ve missed the heart of Peter’s words. The call was to give an answer for our hope, not merely our logic.

When apologetics becomes about winning

Don’t get me wrong, I love theology. I went to school and got my graduate degree in biblical and theological studies. So, I’m firmly of the belief it’s not only healthy but necessary to understand what we believe and why we believe it.

But what troubles me is how often our approach to apologetics has communicated a subtle yet dangerous message that unanswered questions are dangerous.

When someone raises a doubt, our instinct is immediately to “answer” it—to shut it down, to defend God as if he needs us to. We treat questions like viruses that need to be neutralized before they spread. But the Bible doesn’t treat questions that way.

In fact, the Bible leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not a book that exists to explain every mystery of God or every nuance of theology. It’s not a user manual for every moral dilemma or an encyclopedia for every philosophical puzzle.

The Bible’s purpose isn’t to tell us everything. It’s to tell us who God is, what he’s done and what he’s promised to do. As Deuteronomy 29:29 would put it, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God.”

When we approach apologetics as if it’s our job to have all the answers, we rob people of the very space that faith requires—trust. Because faith isn’t the absence of questions. It’s trust in the midst of them.

The real crisis: Is God good?

When I was in seminary, Mikel Del Rosario, now a professor at Moody Bible Institute, was speaking to a group of us and said something profound I remember clearly to this day: “The main issue I see in most of my conversations isn’t that people don’t believe God is real. It’s that they don’t believe he’s good.”

That struck me deeply. He’s right.

We spend enormous energy proving God’s existence—arguing cosmological, moral and historical evidence. Those have value. But even if someone accepts God is real, it doesn’t mean they’ll follow him. As James wrote, “Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19).

Believing that God exists isn’t saving faith. Trusting who God is—that he’s good, loving and worthy of our trust—changes everything.

Too often, apologetics defends the reality of God but fails to demonstrate the character of God. We argue for his power but forget to display his love. We show he’s true but not that he’s beautiful.

This is one reason I’ve grown weary of formal debates. Don’t misunderstand me, debates can have their value. At their best, they were meant to bring ideas together, to help both sides understand the issues more clearly. But somewhere along the way, debate became about domination.

Domination, debate or discussion?

You can see it even in the titles of videos: “Christian DESTROYS atheist.” “Apologist CRUSHES Muslim scholar.” That kind of language doesn’t reflect Christ. It reflects pride.

When we go into conversations determined to win, we’ve already lost the heart of the gospel. Because love “does not boast, it is not proud, it is not self-seeking” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5).

The purpose of apologetics isn’t to crush an opponent. It’s to invite a person into a journey to true life.

That’s why I prefer the word “discussion” over “debate.” Discussion assumes we both have something to learn. It leaves room for humility. It gives me the freedom to say: “That’s a good point. I need to think about that.”

It’s not about keeping score but about pursuing truth together, even if the correct answer ultimately doesn’t come from you.

And honestly, that posture itself is one of the most powerful apologetics we have—a willingness to listen, to learn and to love.

What if we led with love?

Author Madeleine L’Engle once said: “We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”

That quote wrecks me every time I read it. Because it’s true. People aren’t drawn to Christ because we out-argue them. They’re drawn because they saw something beautiful—a hope, a peace, a love they couldn’t explain.

When apologetics becomes about love rather than leverage, something changes. We start seeing the person, not just the problem. We begin to realize, behind every question is a story—sometimes a story of pain, disappointment or fear.

If someone asks, “Why does God allow suffering?” they really may be asking, “Why did God allow my suffering?”

In that moment, a textbook answer won’t heal, but empathy might. Listening, weeping and sharing our own wrestling—that’s apologetics in its truest form.

Peter’s call never was to “win arguments.” It was to share the “reason for your hope.” Hope is not abstract; it’s embodied. It’s the conviction that no matter what happens—persecution, loss, doubt, pain—Christ still is worth it.

And when people witness that kind of hope lived out, it’s contagious. Not because our reasoning is airtight, but because our trust is unshakable.

The hope that speaks

Maybe it’s time to recover what Peter meant all along. Apologetics isn’t about having perfect answers. It’s about having a faithful presence. It’s not about being right. It’s about being kind. The most persuasive apologetic isn’t a rebuttal. It’s a relationship.

The gospel doesn’t need defenders so much as it needs witnesses—people who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and who invite others to do the same. People who love deeply, listen patiently and live authentically. People who can say, not just with their words but with their lives, “This is why I still have hope.”

Because in the end, apologetics isn’t about winning arguments. It’s about revealing hope. And that hope has a name: Jesus.

Taylor Standridge is a Christian podcaster and producer who loves to help people understand who God is and how to live faithfully according to his goodness, grace and generosity. His writing has been featured in Peer Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT Magazine and NextStep Disciple. He holds a Master of Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I realize Advent has moved on to peace, but I’m stuck at hope. It won’t sound like that at first, but keep reading.

I’m a bit of a Grinch about the holidays—any holiday. I humor the holidays, but I don’t really get into Christmas until a couple of days before Dec. 25.

Part of humoring the holidays is understanding we will start singing Christmas hymns the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and will sing them through the first Sunday after Christmas. The same songs. Every year.

And those same songs will play. Everywhere. Sometimes as early as October.

Maybe this Grinchiness started when I worked retail in college and had to listen to canned pop Christmas tunes nonstop for hours on end for days on end. Some things are hard to get over.

Or maybe it happened while I was a pastor. Most people don’t realize how much work Christmas is for a church staff and volunteers. The staff would love to celebrate with you, but they’re likely busy and exhausted from all the extra events and all that goes with them. So, even their celebration can be … sleepy.

Anyway. Some people love this time of year. I humor it. Grinchy, I tell you.

So, I wasn’t prepared to be moved by “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” while we sang it during the modern worship service at our church this last Sunday morning.

I had a similar experience last year when our choir sang a particular arrangement of “O Holy Night.”

I really don’t expect this to become a holiday habit.

A holy hope

Last year, I wrote that “O Holy Night” has “long been one of my favorite Christmas hymns.” That’s true. Once Dec. 22 rolls around, I really like it. But I may have given the impression I appreciate the song at any time. So, I will clarify: “Let’s not get carried away. The song should inhabit it’s proper setting—Dec. 22 through 24.”

Or maybe just Dec. 24.

“Boy, he is Grinchy, isn’t he?”

“O Holy Night” seized my attention last year because of the arrangement, which I’d heard before but really heard that particular moment in that service.

The same happened this last Sunday morning with “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” this ubiquitous song of longing for the Messiah.

Sunday morning, we sang a modern arrangement of this old Latin hymn, translated bit by bit into English centuries later.

Words of woe: “O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here.”

Met with the hopeful chorus: “Rejoice! Rejoice! E-ma-nu-el shall come to thee, O Israel!”

To this, the modern arrangers added: “Rejoice, again I say rejoice, For unto us is born, The savior of the world; Take heart, O weary soul take heart, For Heaven’s on its way, And holy is His name.”

And we sing it loud.

Sunday, I saw the words on the screen, and I sang them as I saw them, but the lingering echo wasn’t, “Take heart, O weary soul take heart,” but “Take heart, O weary world take heart.”

Why should it? Why should this weary world take heart?

Because Emmanuel is on his way. Better still, because Emmanuel is here.

A hollow hope

My jaw tightens at so much of the news. It’s hard to rejoice amid the news of this world. It’s wearying and disheartening. It’s hard to hold out hope, or at least to believe there’s much substance to hope. Hope really can ring hollow here.

It’s also disappointing to see so many people—especially Christians—putting their hope in worldly solutions. Even Christians place undue hope in policies, money, power and material things.

There is no policy that will make everything all right, no political party, no amount of money, no accumulation. We know this intuitively. Yet, we maintain hope in the world, or we give in to hopelessness, hiding it in hedonism or despair.

“Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!”

This is the substance of a world and a people who don’t know, don’t see or who refuse to believe: “Heaven’s on its way, and holy is His name.”

A ‘foolish’ hope

What we hope for is foolishness to this world. What we hope for actually is an inversion of this world. What Emmanuel taught, what he came to do was to turn this world inside out, and nothing will be all right until it is turned inside out.

We can cease firing and sign the treaties, we can cross the aisle and make deals, we can sell all we have and give it to the poor, but until our hearts are inverted—read: converted—by the One whose name is holy, all that activity won’t satisfy the true substance of our hope. Until Jesus is Lord and we quit being pretenders, our hope will be hollow.

We can do all the worldly things right, but doing them won’t mean everything will be all right. Because the problem isn’t in our politics, policies, social positions or pockets. The problem is in us. To fix the problem, we must be turned inside out.

The substance of our hope is beyond the power and money and stuff of this world. The substance of our hope is not dependent on who wins the war. Yes, it would be easier—so we think—if our side wins—whatever side that may be. And we do hope our side wins, thus the fight.

To this world, saying Jesus guarantees what we hope for is abdicating the fight. Or it’s militarizing Jesus. Talk about polarization.

But what we really long for, what we really need, is not guaranteed by our side winning. It is guaranteed by Jesus and is kept in his kingdom. To this world, that’s hopeless, irresponsible, stupid, weak, naïve, foolish.

A hope fulfilled

Back to peace: Scripture warns against proclaiming peace when there is no peace. This world warns against proclaiming hope when this world thinks there is no hope.

But Jesus really was born. Jesus really did live and teach and heal. Jesus really did die. Jesus really did rise again to live and reign over all things for all eternity. And Jesus said he will come back and restore all things.

No, there may not be peace on Earth right now, but there always is hope—a hallowed hope.

And that will make any Grinch’s heart grow.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Sitting in church, noticing the lights and holiday decorations in the worship center, I remembered this week was approximately the anniversary of my bout with clinical depression 35 years ago.

I recalled not everyone is joyously anticipating Dec. 25. Not everyone wants Christmas lights shining in their eyes.

Loneliness and fear in the midst of a celebrating crowd is very real. Depression can gain a foothold like at no other time of the year, perhaps partially because of holiday expectations and loss of loved ones.

While some folks are celebrating the happiest time of their lives at Christmas, others are hiding under the covers and praying for spring.

People have trouble understanding depression. No wonder. It has taken me 30 years to be able to describe and write about the illness I experienced.

The illness I experienced

Overcast skies with cold weather bring back that feeling of desolation that nearly put me in the hospital. I was in my 30s and had a young child, and my husband served on the staff of a large church.

Emotional illness carried a huge stigma back then, and for that reason, my doctor decided to treat me for depression at home and not in the hospital.

Unknown to us then, I was without estrogen and had a nonworking thyroid. I was exhausted by motherhood and church work, with a body not operating at full speed.

We knew for months something was wrong, that my energy was very low, but thought I could cope with it. How often hardworking, determined people try to throw off illness and cure themselves.

One day, I lost color in my vision. The world was gray, and visual space perception or perspective changed. Rooms in our house looked huge and dark, and objects seemed far away. Kind of a scary tunnel vision.

Inside my entire body, I felt a vibrating, extremely anxious sensation. Terrifying, but I was able to sit quietly with the shaking. When I no longer could sit, I would pace back and forth across the room, praying for God’s help.

I remember being so sad I was ill and could not help my family. I was a burden, that fate worse than death to depressed people.

Facing a perplexing condition

My doctor met us at church that Wednesday night where we customarily had dinner and a leadership meeting on Wednesday evenings. I could barely get in the car, but my husband helped me to our appointment.

We three went into a Sunday school classroom, and the doctor determined he would prescribe a general antidepressant. I followed up with him in his office and then with a psychiatrist, who added an antianxiety medicine and a beta blocker for my racing heart.

Immediately, my vision returned to normal, and about six weeks later, my symptoms were mild. Apparently, I needed the brain chemical serotonin. Fortunately, medication with counseling were successful and helped me return to daily activities.

Whatever it takes to get well, however many times you must see the doctor, do it!

If God allows life, live fully

Some people, including myself, fear leaving home with the illness. At home, we have strategies to manage depression or distract ourselves from symptoms, and we can hide our condition from other people. So, for a while, I saw the logic in staying home and protecting myself from the stressful surprises of real life.

We depressed people try to manage our anxiety, stoically and with phenomenal effort, until two things happen: (1) we collapse, and/or (2) we realize we no longer are “living” life, not a healthy, abundant life. Of course, by then, we are in serious need of help.

So again, accepting medical and counseling help is the way through the maze. Severe illness is a trauma, and we need strong support from family and work, as well as doctors.

God heals in Jesus

I wonder if people in Jesus’s day experienced depression. Certainly, they did.

I know Jesus came to heal and save those who lived in pain—physically and emotionally.  Remember, he asked the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). When Jesus heals, he seeks our willingness.

Our physical, mental and spiritual dimensions get sick together and get well together.

With depression, problems tend to layer atop one another until the exhausted body and brain are affected. Some say a chemical imbalance comes first, but even if that is so, what does it matter? Our darkness still needs light.

Scripture speaks of “eyes seeing God’s salvation” (Luke 2:25-35). Luke relates a precious story of the prophet Simeon holding baby Jesus in his arms at the temple when Jesus was 40 days old.

Simeon knew his prophetic work was fulfilled when Jesus, light to the Gentiles and glory of Israel, was revealed. Simeon then could go to heaven holding on to God’s personal promise to him that he would see Jesus, after which he prophesied of Jesus’s impact on humanity.

Jesus was a light to my eyes even when the physical “real world” looked gray. He was the one spiritual light that never went out. Darkness cannot extinguish Christ. He is beyond physical light, dwelling in the impenetrable light of God.

The light of Christmas

God has boundaries, and he is bound by his radiance, but when we seek him above all else, we can enter his presence through Christ to pray and to praise him.

God is healing light. One might think of laser, radiation or ultraviolet light used in medicine. Light carries power that breaks down cells and kills germs, cuts and cauterizes, reveals disease and health. Light meets the present need.

Depression did not befall me because I lacked Jesus. Jesus, the light of the world, carried me through the illness. He was my safe place, my sanctuary, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:14).

Whatever you are going through, there always is more of Jesus than any of us can comprehend and more to the life he can give than you can fathom. He has put the potential for healing within you and comes to you personally with healing in his wings. Yield yourself to him and your personal physicians, and find sanctuary.

You can feel once again the joy of salvation, and the lightness—not weariness—of Christmas.

Ruth Cook is a longtime Texas Baptist. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Tradicionalmente, cuando nos encontramos con un artículo titulado «¿Dónde están ahora?», nos informan sobre dónde se encuentran en este momento personas con las que crecimos o que alguna vez fueron famosas.

Hoy, sin embargo, quiero compartir no solo dónde se encuentran ahora muchos graduados hispanos de escuelas afiliadas a los bautistas de Texas, sino también dónde podrían estar en el futuro.

Educación continua e impacto institucional

En primer lugar, nuestros graduados bautistas hispanos continúan su educación de grado y posgrado.

Un número cada vez mayor de estudiantes de nuestras instituciones reconoce el valor de obtener títulos avanzados para alcanzar el potencial para el cual Dios les creó y aumentar su impacto en el Reino. A menudo trabajan o sirven a tiempo completo para proveer para sus familias o pagar sus estudios, haciendo todo lo posible por evitar obtener préstamos educativos.

A medida que obtienen estos títulos, los graduados hispanos de las instituciones bautistas de Texas se están convirtiendo en profesores a tiempo completo o parcial.

Muchos también están asumiendo funciones de liderazgo en los lugares donde enseñan. Al hacerlo, aportan una perspectiva cultural muy necesaria, ya que nuestras instituciones buscan reclutar, retener y graduar a estudiantes de la población hispana en rápido crecimiento de nuestro estado, que ahora supera los 12 millones de personas.

Liderando la Iglesia

A medida que crece la población hispana, más iglesias de habla inglés reconocen la necesidad de ampliar estratégicamente sus esfuerzos para alcanzar a la comunidad circundante. Por lo tanto, están incorporando a graduados hispanos bilingües de nuestras instituciones para dirigir los ministerios «en español».

Estos ministerios «en español» no están aislados, sino que están plenamente integrados en la vida de toda la iglesia. El miembro hispano del personal suele ser reconocido como uno de los pastores de toda la iglesia y desempeña un papel clave en el presente y el futuro de la congregación.

Muchos consideran que este modelo de ministerio es una de las mejores formas de alcanzar a la población hispana actual. Algunas congregaciones están adoptando un enfoque aún más audaz al nombrar a un líder hispano bilingüe y bicultural como su pastor principal, un paso elogiable en la dirección correcta.

Los graduados hispanos de nuestras instituciones también están pastoreando iglesias bautistas hispanas en todo el estado. Más de 1,000 iglesias bautistas de Texas se identifican como hispanas, y me atrevería a decir que la mayoría están dirigidas por uno de nuestros graduados o han sido influenciadas de alguna manera por uno de ellos.

La gran mayoría de estos pastores son bivocacionales, balanceando el trabajo con el ministerio, para proveer mejor para sus familias, o sirven a tiempo completo en sus iglesias, confiando en que el Señor proveerá para sus necesidades básicas. Aun así, dirigen con todo su corazón las congregaciones a las que Dios les ha llamado, maximizando sus recursos limitados. Nuestros pastores son mis héroes.

Superando las expectativas

Si desea saber dónde sirven muchos otros graduados hispanos de nuestras escuelas, mire al personal de Texas Baptists.

Somos muy bendecidos con muchos hispanos en el personal y líderes ministeriales hispanos en todos los niveles, incluyendo a nuestro director ejecutivo, el Dr. Julio Guarneri.

Esta diversidad también se está haciendo una realidad en nuestras instituciones y otros ministerios con quienes colaboramos. La Baptist General Convention of Texas se parece cada vez más a la gente de nuestro estado, lo cual es clave en nuestro esfuerzo por ganar a los perdidos para Cristo.

Recientemente formamos un equipo para desarrollar un programa que apoye a estudiantes hispanos que cursan un doctorado en nuestras instituciones bautistas de Texas. El primer paso fue una encuesta para recopilar datos de bautistas hispanos actuales con doctorados sobre su jornada doctoral.

El objetivo es desarrollar un programa que proporcione ánimo, apoyo y entrenamiento a estudiantes doctorales hispanos que complemente su aprendizaje formal.

En total, 28 de los 32 doctores completaron la encuesta. Estas cifras tal vez no parecen mucho para algunos, pero cuando llegué a Texas hace casi 30 años, prácticamente se podían contar con los dedos de una mano los doctores bautistas hispanos. El hecho de que ahora haya más de 30 es absolutamente digno de celebración, aunque sin duda necesitamos más.

En todas partes

Si pensamos en todos los programas que ofrecen nuestras instituciones de educación superior, probablemente podemos decir que hay un graduado hispano en casi todas las carreras.

Los graduados hispanos de las universidades y seminarios bautistas de Texas desempeñan muchas otras funciones en las congregaciones; y también son plantadores de iglesias, misioneros, educadores, consejeros profesionales, líderes empresariales, emprendedores, músicos, médicos, ingenieros, trabajadores sociales y mucho más.

Están marcando una gran diferencia en su mundo y son un ejemplo extraordinario para quienes les siguen.

Así que, si me pregunta: «¿Dónde están ahora?», le respondería: «¡En todas partes!»

Gabriel Cortés es el director de educación hispana de Texas Baptists.

Traditionally, when you come across a “Where are they now?” article, you’re given an update of where people we grew up with or who were once famous are at the moment.

Today, however, I want to share a glimpse, not only of where many Hispanic graduates of Texas Baptists-affiliated schools are now, but also where they may be in the future.

Continuing education and impacting institutions

First, our Hispanic Baptist graduates are continuing their graduate and postgraduate education.

A growing number of Hispanic students at our institutions recognize the value of pursuing advanced degrees to reach the potential for which God created them and to increase their kingdom impact. They often work or serve full-time to provide for their families or pay for school, doing all they can to avoid obtaining educational loans.

As they earn these degrees, Hispanic graduates from Texas Baptists institutions progressively are becoming faculty members on a full-time or part-time basis.

Many also are stepping into leadership roles where they teach. By doing so, they provide a much-needed cultural lens as our institutions seek to recruit, retain and graduate students from the fast-growing Hispanic population in our state, which now exceeds 12 million people.

Leading the church

As the Hispanic population grows, more churches are recognizing the need to expand their efforts strategically to reach the surrounding community. So, they are bringing bilingual Hispanic graduates from our institutions to lead “Español” (Spanish) ministries.

These “Español” ministries are not isolated. They are integrated fully into the life of the whole church. The Hispanic staff member usually is recognized as one of the pastors for the entire church and plays a key role in the congregation’s present and future.

Many consider this model of ministry one of the best ways to reach the Hispanic population today. Some congregations are taking an even bolder approach by calling a bilingual and bicultural Hispanic leader as their senior pastor, a commendable step forward in the right direction.

Hispanic graduates of our institutions also are pastoring Hispanic Baptist churches across the state. More than 1,000 Texas Baptists churches identify themselves as Hispanic, and I would venture to say most are led by one of our graduates or have been impacted in some way by one of our graduates.

The large majority are bivocational—balancing work and ministry—so they can provide for their families better, or they serve full-time, trusting in the Lord’s provision for their basic needs. Still, they wholeheartedly lead the congregations God has called them to, maximizing their limited resources. They are my heroes.

Exceeding expectations

If you would like to know where many other Hispanic graduates from our schools serve, look no further than our Texas Baptists staff.

We are extremely blessed with Hispanic staff members and ministry leaders at all levels, all the way to our executive director, Julio Guarneri.

This growing diversity also is becoming a reality in our institutions and partners. The Baptist General Convention of Texas increasingly looks more like the people in our state, which is key as we seek to win the lost for Christ.

We recently formed a team to develop a doctoral cohort to support Hispanic Baptists pursuing a doctorate at our Texas Baptists institutions. The first step was a survey to collect data from current Hispanic Baptists with doctorates regarding their doctoral journey.

The goal is to develop a framework for the cohort to provide encouragement, support and training that will complement their learning.

In total, 28 of 32 doctors completed the survey. These numbers may not seem like much to some, but when I arrived in Texas almost 30 years ago, you practically could count the number of Hispanic Baptist doctorates with one hand. The fact there are more than 30 now is absolutely worth celebrating, though we certainly need more.

Everywhere

When you think of all the programs our higher education institutions offer, you probably can say there may be a Hispanic graduate in nearly every single career.

Hispanic graduates of Texas Baptists colleges, universities and seminaries serve in many other congregational roles. They are church planters, missionaries, educators, professional counselors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, musicians, doctors, engineers, social workers and more.

They are making a tremendous difference in their world and are setting extraordinary examples for those coming behind them.

So, if you ask me, “Where are they now?” I would say, “Everywhere!”

Gabriel Cortés is Texas Baptists’ Hispanic education director.

In my work as Baylor University’s associate director of ministry guidance, I have the privilege of working with women and men discerning a call to vocational ministry.

It is a gift to hear their stories and to bear witness to God’s work in their lives. I especially love hearing about the mentors, ministers and church communities that formed them as disciples of Christ.

While my male students tend to receive praise and encouragement across the board, regardless of denominational tradition, the experiences of my female students unfortunately are more varied and measured.

Some of these women arrive on campus still searching for the language to describe what they feel called to do, and sometimes a church’s tepid or partial endorsement makes it more difficult for them to imagine what is possible.

Inevitably, my female students who are most confident in their calling are those who grew up in traditions or congregations where women were affirmed fully in all levels of ministerial leadership.

They had mentors, opportunities and examples. Because they saw themselves in their church’s pastoral teams, they did not have to question whether they could be called or reconcile their big God-filled dreams with human limits.

Usually, male and female students from these empowering environments also are more equipped for critical thinking, and their faith is less threatened by ideas that might differ from their own.

State of women in Baptist life

Baptist Women in Ministry’s recent State of Women in Baptist Life Report 2025 supports these observations, noting: “Congregational culture is where theology meets practice, and thus is where Baptist women in ministry are either empowered or undermined.”

The data presented reinforces the important role congregations play in forming and affirming the women in their midst.

More specifically, the report names six practices congregations that empower women share: (1) affirmation of women in various leadership roles, (2) intentionality toward gender in the world of the church, (3) non-hierarchical organizational structures, (4) support networks for women, (5) addressing gender issues and (6) creating egalitarian staff policies.

The statistics provided in Part Two of the report remind us we have work left to do truly to embody these practices.

One simple suggestion

I have one simple suggestion for moving us forward: If you support women in ministry, join a church that affirms, encourages and empowers them.

Perhaps that recommendation seems too rudimentary even to write down, but I am continually surprised by the people who claim to be advocates for women in ministry who nevertheless attend churches that exclude women from positions of ministry leadership and/or refuse to ordain women to the gospel ministry.

These individuals do not hesitate to offer words of support in an academic context or in their mentoring of female ministry students, yet they excuse themselves from the faithfulness of solidarity in their choice of a local church.

For the family

One of the reasons I hear often from these would-be allies of women in ministry is they have chosen to worship in a complementarian church for familial reasons. Perhaps these churches have robust youth groups or an excellent music ministry. I normally smile and nod politely, because careful and constructive confrontation is not one of my gifts.

But here is what I wish I could say: “I have children, too.”

Indeed, it is in large part because of my children that my husband and I intentionally have chosen to worship in spaces that affirm women.

We never want either of our children—one boy and one girl—to question God’s calling on their lives. Because the local church plays a large role in one’s theological formation, we wanted to be in a space that valued and nurtured the gifts of our son and our daughter equally.

We have witnessed firsthand the deep-seated faith, active curiosity and quiet confidence that accompanies college students reared in such faith communities, and we wanted that for our children.

But this choice has not come without sacrifice. The congregations that tend to be the safest, most supportive places for women are not usually megachurches with large youth programs. Far more often, they are small to medium spaces that demand a lot of time and energy from every member of the congregation.

We all pitch in our gifts to support and build up the body. And that work can be exhausting. We could use a few more laborers in the fields of harvest.

Imagine the possibilities

When someone proudly tells me they support women in ministry only for me to find out they have excused themselves from this work in spaces that need their life and witness, it can be difficult for me to reconcile. Not necessarily for myself, but for the church.

If everyone who claims to support women in ministry joined a congregation that empowers women, imagine the possibilities.

Think of what we would be teaching our children. Think of our witness to the community. Think of our faithfulness to support those God has called. Think of the students—male and female—we could assist in discerning a call to ministry and the foundation our combined efforts could provide them.

I implore you again: If you affirm women in ministry, please stop telling me and show me. Join a church that empowers women.

Mandy McMichael is associate director of ministry guidance and J. David Slover Associate Professor of Ministry Guidance at Baylor University. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

This editorial will be a bit meta, as the kids say. It will be about what news and opinion is—a reflection on where we’ve been. Reflecting on reflecting is the “meta” part.

The days are full and fast. Yesterday’s gone. Tomorrow’s a breath away. The news cycle churns.

What are we doing with the time we hold in our hands like sand? What are we doing with the present?

Some of us are adding to the churn. There’s work to be done. If the present is all we really have, there’s urgency. We have to keep moving, stay busy.

Some of us hard drivers think of Scripture like Ecclesiastes 3—a time and a season for everything—and Psalm 1 or 119—meditating day and night—as applying to other people or as something we can do on the fly.

But does it? Can we? Do we?

Yesterday may be gone, but its importance is still alive and well, informing our today and tomorrow. We must not rush past yesterday.

We must give space and time to reflection, but reflection with a purpose.

Biblical history

As Bible-believing, Bible-preaching people—who also should be Bible-reading, Bible-studying people—the idea of reflecting on the past should not be a problem for us. That’s what the Bible is—reflection with a purpose.

Part of the Bible’s authority is its record of God’s interaction in human history. We are supposed to learn from that record and shape our lives by it. At least, that’s what we say we believe we should do with the Bible.

Yet, how much of our present do we give to learning and being shaped … by Scripture? We give plenty to being shaped by the world. So much of what we do is evidence of that.

Reflect on this: How many people do you know who quit attending worship because of the music or something the pastor said? You might be one of them.

While you reflect on that, take a look at this story of church leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo trekking as much as 45 miles a week through deep mud just to copy a portion of Scripture to take back to their churches for Sunday worship.

Whose attitude and behavior yesterday best prepare them for tomorrow? This is the purpose of reflection.

I tell you, we must not rush past yesterday.

Reflecting on history

Part of what’s behind this editorial is my reading of Ukrainian history over the last couple of weeks. I’m trying to have better grasp of what informs Ukraine’s present. It’s a complicated history, and learning just how complicated it is has opened helpful windows of understanding.

We owe it to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and elsewhere to understand more about their history, particularly as they face current hardship and especially as we take steps to come alongside them in their suffering.

Also, part of what’s behind this editorial is my reflecting on the business sessions of the 2025 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting.

I’m not equating the situation in Ukraine with anything in the BGCT, though both have complicated and contested histories.

The vote for BGCT president and the vote on a motion to investigate Baylor University were close. In fact, the vote on the Baylor motion was very close. BGCT leadership—and the rest of us—need to reflect on why. There is important information for who the BGCT is and where the BGCT is going in that reflection.

BGCT reflection

Since there’s no real campaign for BGCT president, we don’t know why people voted for either Debbie Potter or Kevin Burrow. We do know of the 750 votes counted, 57 percent were for Potter and 43 percent were for Burrow. That’s pretty close. And worth reflection.

The vote on the Baylor motion was even closer. After a raised-ballot vote was too close to call, messengers were asked to stand and raise their ballots to vote. From my front-and-center seat, the standing ballot vote looked just as close, but I could not see the room as completely as could those on the platform. They ruled the opposition carried, and the motion failed.

I’m not calling into question the determination of the chair. I am saying when a vote is that close, we do well to try to understand why and to learn from it.

Votes are important. They provide us important information about who we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going. We ought to reflect on votes and their outcomes. This is all the more true when votes are very close.

Those in favor of the motion to investigate Baylor represented a fairly broad spectrum of messengers to the 2025 BGCT annual meeting. The previous day, very few of them voted in favor of a motion to defund Baylor. What tipped the balance so much between the two Baylor votes, and what does that indicate for the BGCT as a whole? That’s worth reflection.

I don’t know the answers with certainty, but I guarantee they are connected to our history.

Those who lead the BGCT shouldn’t rush past November.

Reflecting forward

Some of us reflect to a fault. We go beyond reflection to rumination. We get stuck in the past, try to live in the past. We live out the opposite side of Ecclesiastes 3 from the hard drivers. We don’t move forward. Forgetting about the future, we’re not even in the present.

Our reflecting on the past must move us toward the future. And a more productive future, at that.

As people of the Bible—shaped by the Bible—this should be second nature. After all, Israel’s past and biblical reflection on it all pointed forward to Jesus. From there, all reflection points forward to the restoration of all things in him. Yes, reflection has a purpose.

Advent is a season of reflective anticipation. Or it’s supposed to be. How much reflection are you doing this December? Me? It’s hard to do much reflection in such cluttered times. But I must give space and time to reflect on the necessary things in a forward direction.

Don’t rush past yesterday. Notice it. Reflect on it. Learn from it. Grow from it. It points to our future.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

In Part 5 of this series, I cited Karen Bullock’s Pinson Lecture on Baptist distinctives. One of the elements of Baptist identity she discusses some might argue is the most difficult to defend. It certainly has been the source of much controversy—both in the church and in the public square.

I am talking about the interlocking notions of soul competency and religious liberty.

Baptists assert faith is not something that can be compelled. Like love, humility and so many other Christian virtues, it only can be chosen.

Thus, the liberty to choose whether to believe in Christ not only is a cherished element of America’s political philosophy, but also is a core element of the church’s soteriology.

The problematic nature of religious liberty

In his recent series on Christian nationalism, pastor-scholar Nick Acker frames this core Baptist conviction this way: Both the church and the government have a role to play in a healthy society. The government’s role, among other things, is to restrain evil and promote good (see Romans 13:1-7).

But when the government uses the force of law to compel conformity to Christian dogma, it oversteps the boundaries established for it by God. In so doing, it corrupts both itself and the church.

There is plenty of evidence, both from history and from contemporary politics, to support Acker’s construal of the situation. But as Acker himself acknowledges, not everyone sees our plight as humans in this way. The problem boils down to the simple fact no legislation is either amoral or objective.

At the risk of offense, let me be both clear and emphatic. One of the most unhelpful sayings ever to catch on in our public life is, “You can’t legislate morality.”

It is true enough that moral laws do not guarantee moral conduct, and in a democratic society, it even can be argued legislation is a lagging indicator of that society’s moral health.

Nevertheless, all laws—and most administrative regulations—are moral in intent and quality, and that morality will not be religiously neutral. It will be informed by someone’s worldview—whether the Judeo-Christian consensus, enshrined in Sharia law, proposed by so-called “secular humanism,” or something else.

In turn, the perspective on the moral life that shapes our laws will shape our culture, and that influence will trickle down into the hearts, minds and hands of individuals.

Hence, we can put the logical objection to religious liberty this way. There is no “none of the above” option at the ballot box.

We must decide whose ethics will guide our democracy, and it is doubtful whether any worldview can be broad enough and nimble enough to accommodate a pluralistic society while simultaneously giving the necessary moral boundaries a nation needs to have a peaceful and profitable public life.

Remembering the past, acknowledging the present

Critics of religious liberty—and of its corollary, separation of church and state—need to remember this Baptist doctrine did not spring out of nothing. It was a reasonable reaction to centuries of persecution and corruption. Indeed, the church often was co-opted by the state, with disastrous consequences for the European continent.

We still see this process at work today. While some tout Vladimir Putin as a champion of Christian identity, this dangerous dictator continues his war of aggression against Ukraine and suppresses any voice inside his country that would hold him to account.

We may never know how many people Putin’s wars have killed, how many women have been raped by his army, or how many children have been forcibly removed from their homes and brainwashed with Russian propaganda.

Most disturbing of all is the role church leaders have played in the atrocities that have marred Western history. The Russian government seems particularly adept at subverting the church, but other ecclesiastical authorities in other times have cooperated with “the powers of this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12), usually for their own financial, political or sexual gain.

Christianity and democracy

I am sympathetic to the concerns raised by Christian nationalism. The United States of America was not founded as a Christian nation, but it is difficult to see how it could have been founded at all without the assumptions and predispositions inherent in the Christian faith.

It well may be not every culture provides fertile soil for the seeds of liberty to be planted, and it certainly is true secularism—both on the right and on the left—threatens to poison the soil in which our own nation grows.

Nevertheless, I believe freedom of religion and separation of church and state are indispensable elements of a democratic society and even may be required for any nation that wants to describe itself as “Christian.”

Judaism and Christianity share a common conviction that every human is made in the image of God and therefore possesses indescribable dignity and inestimable worth. Each person must encounter God herself or himself, and each person must decide how to respond to that encounter.

I am aware of the philosophical problems inherent in positing a religiously neutral government, and I also am aware of the ways certain people—mostly ideological liberals—have misused separation of church and state to blunt the moral influence of those with whom they disagree.

Nevertheless, my first concern is to preserve the freedom of individuals to respond to Christ with authentic faith. My second concern is to ensure the church’s freedom to speak prophetically to its government and culture.

The traditional Baptist doctrines of soul competency and separation of church and state may not help us win whatever culture war happens to be raging during a particular news cycle, but they will help us achieve these two far more important priorities.

Frankly, there will be elements of the Judeo-Christian worldview we simply must insist upon, and there are no secular equivalents for these distinctively Jewish and Christian ideas. But in so doing, we will be laying the foundation for the kind of open, free society America’s founders envisioned.

Wade Berry is pastor of Second Baptist Church in Ranger and has been resident fellow in New Testament and Greek at B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.