As 2020 comes to a close, the Tribune website celebrates another record setting year for views and visits. There were several new contributors both within the BBFI and outside the BBFI. COVID-19 and the BBFI’s response to it dominated many of the visits. It is interesting to look back to see what was happening around the world before much of the country went on lockdown in March. This year the BBFI also celebrated 70 years and even though we didn’t get to celebrate in May or September, the Tribune took some time to reflect with several articles, including some reprints from the very first issue of the then weekly Baptist Bible Tribune newspaper.
As many will be doing tonight, here is a countdown of the 20 most read posts this year on www.tribune.org.
20. Christmas Ideas During a Global Pandemic (November 24, 2020
19. God Makes No Mistakes (October 8, 2020)
18. 2020 BBFI National Officer Election Results (July 9, 2020)
17. 50 Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years of Preaching (December 4, 2020)
16. Why the Local Church Still Matters (March 30, 2020)
15. Reasons for the Baptist Bible Fellowship (May 23, 2020)
14. Tips and Suggestions for Hosting Online Church Services During the Coronavirus Pandemic (March 13, 2020)
13. The BBFI and the Coronavirus UPDATED (March 20, 2020)
12. The ABCs of Highly Effective Prayer (July 13, 2020)
11. Three Ways You Can Pray for the Australian Fire Crisis Today (January 7, 2020)
10. Searching for Wisdom (May 31, 2020)
One common denominator every individual needs is wisdom. Wisdom to make the “big” decisions in life, but also wisdom to make the day-to-day decisions in life. Man has continually searched for wisdom from every reasonable source. But the single greatest source of divine wisdom is God’s Word. The single greatest collection of wise teachings in God’s Word is found in the book of Proverbs.
9. The Split … the Fight … the Break (May 22, 2020)
The apparent serenity was broken when the undercurrents of discontent welled to the surface shortly before the 1950 national Fellowship meeting which was held in conjunction with the graduation week exercises of the Bible Baptist Seminary. In the Spring of 1950, “the 100,000 subscribers” to The Fundamentalist were shocked to see the paper’s red headlines that had borne the praises of Vick almost weekly since 1936 now picture him as a traitor possessing the combined malevolence of “Absalom” and “Judas Iscariot.” The attack seemed completely sudden, but a judicious reading of the issues immediately preceding the Fellowship meeting attest to a strained relationship between Vick and Norris.
8. Satan’s Master Plan (June 26, 2020)
Most people underestimate the power of the devil. We imagine the prince of darkness tempting a grade school boy with pornography or enticing a high school girl to cheat on an exam. He does that…and does it well. But the Bible refers to Satan as “the prince of this world” and “the god of this age,” He offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” if He would just bow down and worship him.
7. 1918 vs 2020: 5 Things We Can Learn from 1918 Church Leaders (May 20, 2020)
While the time we are living in is definitely unique, it is not unprecedented. In 1918 during the Spanish Flu epidemic, there was also a time when no churches could meet. In fact, on Monday, October 7, 1918, the Governor of Alabama, Charles Henderson, ordered the closing of ALL churches, schools, and theaters to avoid the spread of the virus that eventually killed about 675,000 Americans. So how did church leaders in 1918 respond to such a crisis? And what can we learn from them?
6. BBFI Communication Office Hosts Webinar on Racial Tension and the Church (June 6, 2020)
On Friday, June 5, 2020, the BBFI Communication Office hosted, to date, the largest online gathering of BBFI pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. The topic of the webinar was racial tension and the church. The webinar’s two primary goals were to bring biblical principles into the conversation and help pastors and ministry leaders know better how to respond and how to lead.
5. Will Bible Colleges Survive? (June 26, 2020)
Five evangelical Christian colleges and universities have eliminated more than 150 faculty and staff positions this spring. While some officials cite COVID-19 as the reason for the cuts, most say the financial reckoning comes in response to the ongoing crisis of higher education and their efforts to prepare for the future.
School officials have confirmed the following cuts:
4. A Missionary Mom Reflects on TobyMac’s New Song About Losing His Son (January 10, 2020)
The night before Beckett died I had a dream. My little baby stood up and started walking. Then he was running. He was running so fast I couldn’t catch him.
The next morning on the way to school I told Brooklyn about it and we both laughed at the thought of his tiny body running.
3. Seven Ways Some Christians Made Church Non-Essential Long Before this Quarantine (May 20, 2020)
Many political leaders are questioning whether church is essential in our country. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who allowed church to become non-essential in their personal lives long before this quarantine ever hit.
2. The BBFI and the Coronavirus (March 13, 2020)
One month ago, the Baptist Bible Fellowship was wrapping up a great mid-winter meeting in Orlando, FL. Few, if any, at that meeting could have imagined what the world would look like today. To say COVID-19 (the coronavirus) has taken the world by storm is a vast understatement. At this writing, the viral disease has spread to 114 countries and claimed more than 4,000 lives. On Wednesday, March 11, it was officially categorized as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The same evening, President Trump addressed the nation announcing more travel bans, financial assistance to small businesses, and a commitment to fight this disease.
1. The Coming Pastoral Crash (May 21, 2020)
I don’t want to be a prophet of doom, but as a minister in touch with many ministers, I see a coming pastoral crash. And I’m not sure we can stop it. The impact of the world response to COVID-19 will be felt for many years to come. It will be felt in every career field and in every home. This post does not diminish the hard work and adjustments being done by first responders, law enforcement, health care workers, and the educational structures. But from my perspective, those who serve in ministry are, in my thinking, in particular danger for several reasons.
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