We won’t always agree. No, let me rephrase that. We won’t ever agree—on everything doctrinal and practical about the faith.

History indicates this and the Bible recognizes it. The Apostle Paul recognizes this in the early church regarding worship choices. Historically, Baptists have also recognized this in one of the key Baptist Distinctives—individual soul liberty and responsibility.

We will all give account to God individually for the things we believe and practice. We will not be able to hide behind the Church, Church leaders, or a denominational structure.

Theological Boundaries

But we also must somehow determine what essential obedient Christianity looks like. Theologically, the early fundamentalists were not trying to determine what was obedient or not, but rather the theological boundaries of true Christianity. They wrangled and battled over the “fundamentals” and eventually settled on a consistent set of doctrines that comprised essential Christianity. They called these doctrines the Fundamentals and we have discussed them often over the years.

They put a fence around the playground of Christianity and said that once you cross the fence, you can no longer legitimately call yourself Christian.

Moral boundaries.

Paul does not draw just theological boundaries, but also moral boundaries around the faith, in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. ….

Read the rest of the post here, or just listen to the podcast.

Today we begin our interviews with authors from our January/February edition of FrontLine on the theme: “It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor.”

I’ve got Dave Shumate with me to talk about this issue and his article in the magazine. Dave is a regular on the podcast and this time is what we call the “Associate Editor” for this edition of the magazine. That means he was involved in setting the theme and recruiting the authors for this edition.

We talk about the theme and its emphasis on the whole church being involved in the process of bringing men into the ministry. This has been the experience of many, and several of our articles are testimonies from men about how their local church experience led them into the ministry. Dave’s article is one of these.

In the church, there is a growing awareness that the average age of pastors is increasing and the number of churches without pastors is increasing as well. I don’t know if there is a quick fix to this, but as we discuss in the interview, if churches can get into a Great Commission mindset, reaching out into the lives of others in their communities, our churches should be producing pastors.

The article featuring the magazine is already available on the Proclaim & Defend website, we will put the link in the notes.

For Dave’s article, I’ll mention that his article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.

The Contents & Editorial for the January/February FrontLine:

It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor [FrontLine]

The Article:

The Power of Radical Hospitality

I must admit that I had not been keeping up with Child Evangelism Fellowship and its premier way of sharing the gospel with children—the Wordless Book.

The Wordless Book uses simple colors as a framework for sharing the gospel. My mother trained with CEF before she was married and considered joining the organization as a missionary. I was first introduced to the Wordless Book before I could even speak the colors of its pages. She and my father continued to participate in Good News Clubs in public schools well into their 80’s. The Wordless Book was always part of their gospel presentation.

However, the presentation changed over the years. …

Read the rest of this post here, or just listen to the podcast.

We are wrapping up our interviews for the November/December issue of FrontLine with this podcast. This interview is unique among all the others for this issue of the magazine as it combines the theme “Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World” with a chaplains report.

Alan Ashley is an FBFI endorsed chaplain with the Boy Scouts of America. As his son was growing up, he had a lot of involvement in Scouting and continues to have as a chaplain. You will hear some great accounts of what Alan is doing with Scouting these days, it’s really a blessing to see him have this opportunity.

We also discuss some of the controversy around recent changes to the Boy Scouts. Alan has thought through his position very carefully and still has a tremendous opportunity to share the gospel in the organization. He also gives us insight in how to get involved if anyone is interested.

Now, let me remind you that Alan’s article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.

The Contents & Editorial for the November/December FrontLine:

Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World [FrontLine Nov/Dec 2025] – Proclaim & Defend

The Article:

The World at Our Doorstep: Chaplaincy Ministry to Scouting America

We took a few weeks off over Christmas and are just now getting going once again. Today’s interview also comes from our November/December FrontLine magazine, which had the topic “Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World.”

In this interview, I’m interviewing Emily Haynes, whose article was called “Fostering Resilience in Young Adults.”

I really enjoyed having this conversation with Emily and then enjoyed it a second time while editing it. I hope you find it profitable as you think about your interaction with young people in your home and church.

Our recording software has an AI component that gives us a summary of our session. I thought I’d read its summary of this conversation to give you a sense of where we are going with it:

In this conversation, Emily Haynes discusses the importance of fostering resilience in young adults, emphasizing the need for purpose, community, and mentorship. She shares insights from her experiences as dean of women at Maranatha Baptist University and highlights the challenges faced by today’s youth, particularly in the context of social media and emotional health. The discussion also touches on the role of the Christian community in supporting young people and the significance of discipleship in building resilience and purpose.

There you have it. We’ll commence shortly, but first let me remind you that his article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.

Maybe I should also mention that this interview works out to be Interview 100 in our series. I’m not sure why we put significance behind round numbers like that, but here we are. We are counting, if no one else is!

The Contents & Editorial for the November/December FrontLine:

Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World [FrontLine Nov/Dec 2025] – Proclaim & Defend

The Article:

Fostering Resilience in Young Adults

“We need more young people in the church!” I hear this cry in lots of smaller churches across the country. Why would God give your church more young people, if the older people are spiritually stagnant and unwilling to sacrifice to build and encourage the next generation? Could it be that the problem in your church is you, not them?

Revival always starts with me.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:19-21

Sometimes the hardest people in the church to motivate for Christ, are older believers. There is a revival among young people happening around the world. We are seeing young singles and couples returning to church in record numbers. They are coming to faith in Christ, and their lives are transforming. But for this to continue, we need a “revival among older believers.” Let me explain by using the Apostle Paul as an example.

Consider the Apostle Paul when he wrote these words, not as an admonition to us, but as an explanation about how he was thinking about the last few years of his existence on earth. He was facing death but also knew he had some time left. He explains what he was thinking about himself, Christ, heaven, and others and how he intended to transform that thinking into his daily activity. These are his driving principles as he faced the end of his life. …

Read the rest of this post here, or just listen to the podcast.

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, write down a New Year’s prayer list. It is more advantageous, and it keeps our plans and goals for the coming year where they should be—in submission to the will of God. Start life change with prayer. Bathe life-change in prayer. Celebrate life-change with rejoicing in prayer.

Let’s consider what a New Year’s prayer list might look like.

Pray for yourself.

Psalm 25:4-5 says, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

What do I know is God’s will for me in the coming year? Consistent devotional and prayer time? Increased Spirit empowered self-discipline? Better stewardship of my finances, time, relationships, opportunities? Do I even know. My first prayer request is to ask Him to show me what I should pray for myself in the coming year. It should be my lead request every day.

Read the whole post here: Make a Big Bold Prayer List for the Coming Year – Proclaim & Defend or just listen to the podcast.

When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)

This is the time of year for making resolutions. These are goals set for the year in which we seek to improve ourselves and our lives. It is usually about matters of habit and self-discipline.

* Exercise more

* Eat better

* Sleep better

* Stop smoking, drinking, etc.

* Spend less

* Save more

* Manage time better

We want to make better choices, be better people.

Most people fall flat with their New Year’s resolutions because what they really want is to change the window dressing in their lives rather than things that are at the core of their being.

We want to add good stuff to our lives.

The young man that came to Jesus in Matthew 19 wanted to know what he needed to add to his already righteous life to have assurance of the Kingdom of Heaven. …

Read the rest of this post here, or just listen to the podcast.

Pain? Sure. Hardship? Yes. Poverty? OK. Hard work? Count me in. Death? That one is very hard, but yes.

Public humiliation? Uh, maybe not.

Honor, duty.

We value these things highly. Civil War commanders sent rows of young men to near certain death with the words “What will your family think of you if you run?!”

Speech teachers know that fear of speaking in public rates higher for many than the fear of death. Which leads me to conclude that some people would rather die than speak in public! Of course, the root of that fear is the possibility of embarrassing yourself before a crowd of people. This is one of the reasons that the Christmas story is so noble in the sacrifice of the main characters. …

Read the rest of this post here, or just listen to the podcast.

We are talking to authors from our November/December FrontLine magazine, which had the topic “Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World.”

Our author this time is Matt Davis, the Chief Executive Officer at Maranatha Baptist University. His article was called, “A Mother’s Faith: The Forge of a Biblical Leader.” He was looking at the passages in the Scriptures that mention Jochebed, mother of Moses, and applying the principles observed to parenting children in our present world.

In our conversation, we cover a wide range of topics including the importance of authentic parenting, cultural challenges, and the influence of especially mothers on their children. We talked about the need for godly motives in parenthood, the impact of technology, and the fleeting nature of childhood, while also addressing modern fears sparked by our secular world and its godless worldview.

Some of the key points in our discussion were:

* Parents are primary actors in their children’s lives but not the main characters.

* Jochebed’s counter-cultural influence on Moses highlights the importance of early childhood education.

* Godly motives for parenthood include viewing children as blessings.

* Authenticity in parenting is crucial for instilling faith in children.

* Fear can paralyze parents, preventing them from engaging with the world.

* Technology poses challenges but can be managed with accountability.

* The fleeting nature of childhood necessitates prioritizing time with children.

Our goal in this conversation was to reinforce Biblical ideas you’ve probably already heard about Christian parenting. At times, you will feel overwhelmed by the challenges of parenting, we want you to rely on God to overcome all those challenges.

Before we get to the interview with Matt, let me remind you that his article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.

Now, for my interview with Matt Davis.

The Contents & Editorial for the November/December FrontLine:

Raising Children to be Adults in an Adolescent World [FrontLine Nov/Dec 2025] – Proclaim & Defend

The Article:

A Mother’s Faith: The Forge of a Biblical Leader