Tommy Mann

President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has caused the national conversation to turn once again to  Roe v. Wade. Supporters of abortion are nervous that this right might be taken away, while those of us who rightly believe that abortion kills an unborn child would love to see this slaughter brought to a halt. In my book which was released last Friday ( Asleep in Heaven’s Nursery, 2 nd Edition ) I included a new chapter that deals with why the Judicial and Legislative Branches need to act. I analyze the majority opinion in Roe, highlighting Justice Blackmun’s conclusion that the Court disagreed with any notion that a woman should be able to have an abortion at any time and for any reason, and how women should have a consultation from a responsible doctor before having an abortion. The abortion business has taken us light years away from that decision. Most people think the Supreme Court waded knee-deep in science and expert opinion...

The author of the epistle of James, who I believe to have been the half-brother of Jesus, was quite the wordsmith. There are at least a dozen words or phrases in his short letter that appear nowhere else in the New Testament (two of those words he used twice), and it is possible that one of those words is one he invented. Additionally, there are at least three other words used by James that only appear one other time in Scripture. 1.      Double-minded (1:8, 4:8) Literally “double-souled,” ( dipsuchos ) James uses this word first to apply to those who pray for wisdom, but lack faith when they pray. The double-minded man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. The second usage appears in the back half of a Hebraic parallel, an ancient form of Hebrew literature in which the same thing is said twice, but the second time is more specific than the first. In 4:8, James says, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded....

I enjoyed my time at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Dallas. It was my first time getting to attend the annual meeting, although I have attended several of our state conventions here in South Carolina. I was there both as a student at Southwestern, and as a messenger from Putman.              On Sunday afternoon we got to   attend the Text-Driven Preaching Micro Conference led by Dr. David Allen. There was a panel of pastors and professors that make up the SWBTS School of Preaching, including Mac Brunson and Kyle Walker. Dr. Allen asked them questions and took questions from the audience. Sunday night began the Pastors' Conference where we heard sermons from Juan Sanchez, James Merritt, and Tony Evans.                            On Monday we were privileged to attend the closed-door questions and answers time with the members of the Executive Commit...