Bart Barber is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, a normal-sized church in Texas. But last June he was elected as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. He tells us about his conversion, his call to ministry, and how he found himself elected. He tells us about his commitment to joy amidst the serious issues of our day. (“I will not spend a year bereft of a merry heart.”)

But then, we speak about those serious issues — namely, the sexual abuse crisis. Bart recaps what the SBC has done, and he updates us on the work of the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force. “They’re about to start releasing actual actions,” he explains. “The ballgame has changed.” (The conversation starts at 5:42.)

Plus, in “Headlines” (2:01), Dr. Benjamin Quinn talks about Damar Hamlin and the dignity of athletes. In “On My Bookshelf” (27:56), Dr. Christy Thornton recommends a book.

Don’t forget to register for our upcoming conference “Exploring Personhood: Human Formation,” which will be on the Southeastern campus on Feb. 2-3. Learn more here: iamgoi.ng/personhood23

Learn more about the Center for Faith and Culture: https://cfc.sebts.edu/

Support the work of the Center: https://cfc.sebts.edu/about/give/