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Articles by Terry Austin
Virginia House of Delegates general election results for District 37 on November 7, 2023
Alli Graham, Digital Content Producer Published: November 2, 2023, 5:15 PM Tags: Election Results, Decision 2023, Virginia House of Delegates, District 37 Sign up for our Newsletters Alli Graham, Digital Content Producer Published: November 2, 2023, 5:15 PM Tags: Election Results, Decision 2023, Virginia House of Delegates, District 37 ROANOKE, Va. – The 2023 general election will be held on November 7. You can find the results for the Virginia House of Delegates District 37 race here. Terry L.
The Medieval Crusades, Billy Graham and American evangelicals – Baptist News Global
My earliest encounter with the term “religious crusade” probably goes back to junior high history. Still, I don’t remember the term being used much other than when Billy Graham came to town. He went from city to city, holding “crusades.” I remember watching them on TV, “must watch” television back in those days at the preacher’s house. Graham came to Denver when I was a young teenager, and it was a big deal. Our suburban church was heavily involved in promoting and participating in the crusade.
My obituary for the Baptist General Convention of Texas – Baptist News Global
Losing something that once was valued and respected is painful. It doesn’t matter if it’s been circling the drain for years. When death finally comes, the grief is real. Such was the case for me recently with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, known as BGCT to us Texans. The BGCT is a convention of cooperating Baptist churches in Texas. I don’t know the current numbers, but at one time, they reported more than 5,000 churches in Texas.
What If Everybody Was Woke?
By Terry Austin Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him. Judges 16:20 A "Facebook Friend" recently accused me of being "woke," whatever that means, in response to a short observation (ok, wisecrack) I posted. I hear people frequently throw the term around, but I'm not sure what they...
Perhaps ‘He Gets Us’ better than we thought – Baptist News Global
There is great weeping and gnashing of teeth happening on my Facebook feed about the “Jesus commercial” that aired on the Super Bowl broadcast. The ad is the work of an organization that calls itself The Servant Foundation. These folks have created the “He Gets Us” campaign, and if you watch much TV, you probably have seen some of the advertisements. I have. My reaction was very positive.
Prayer might not be enough – Baptist News Global
When someone shares a prayer request, what do you hear? We’ve been programmed to tell others when we have a need for God’s help. Many of us grew up going to Wednesday prayer service, where a significant block of time was designated to ask others to pray for us. We listened as people talked about illnesses or upcoming medical procedures. We heard tales of wayward children, broken families and suffering of all kinds.
Reflections on life in the ninth inning – Baptist News Global
No doubt, you’ve heard the legend about Yogi Berra, the famous baseball player who commented on the end of a baseball game: “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” It seems Yogi had been to an opera or two and knew they often conclude with the lead singer belting out an aria. In real life, it would be nice if we had a way of knowing when things are finished. I’ve been to countless baseball games, and as a Texas Ranger fan, many of them have been lopsided defeats for my team.
An agnostic teaches us about Jesus – Baptist News Global
Nearly a decade ago, I had a pleasant surprise. I received an email from a friend I had not seen or heard from since the late 1960s. Charles lived two doors down from us, and we spent many hours playing together, along with his younger brother. Our experience together did not include church or school because his family was Catholic, and he went to Catholic school. It was out of the blue when I received his email. How that happened is a long story for another time.
50 years later, I'm still embarrassed to admit what a stranger at church taught me about being welcome – Baptist News Global
I’ve been interested in Mary Magdalene lately for some unknown reason. Hers is a fascinating story, and to be honest, everything we know about her would barely fill a small paragraph. Here it is: Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman from Magdala, a small town on the Sea of Galilee. She had seven demons cast from her by Jesus, hung out with Jesus’ disciples and spoke to the angel who showed up at Jesus’ empty tomb.
Three fatal flaws of the Christian faith – Baptist News Global
Christianity, as we have always known it, is in trouble. I’m not just referring to declining church attendance and survey numbers that suggest fewer and fewer people are interested. Although the spiritual need within humans remains strong, people are looking somewhere besides Christianity to fulfill that need. We need to examine why Christianity has failed to be the spiritual answer people need.
Bret Blevins Identified as Phantom Ghost Artist
Home / Section: Comic strips Bret Blevins Identified as Phantom Ghost Artist June 14, 2022 The Phantom cover art by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin The Chronicle Chamber has revealed that Bret Blevins is the ghost artist temporarily relieving Mike Manley on The Phantom daily comic strip. They stress that it is a temporary situation. Read the full Chronicle Chamber report.
Does the SBC have enough sackcloth? – Baptist News Global
There’s a saying that’s been around for a long time that goes something like this: “God created man in his image, and then man returned the favor.” The suggestion is that our god is what we want him to be, a reflection of what we think is right and good. For me, this explains much of the behavior we see around us. This week, the world has been rocked (or at least a significant tremor felt) by the findings of a report on the Southern Baptist Convention and how sexual abuse has been handled.
Racism from the perspective of a white man – Baptist News Global
I frequently hear white people claim we do not have a race problem in this country, and to prove their point, they say they like Black people and even have a few Black friends. Even though they are aware of the existence of some openly racist organizations, they personally never have knowingly discriminated against a Black person. They are quick to add that if Black people simply took control of their lives and made good choices, they would get ahead and enjoy the same privileges as white people.
What is the gospel, or what must I do to be saved? – Baptist News Global
The answer to the great question of how to be saved was supposed to be easy. When I was a kid, they said to “invite Jesus into your heart.” It sounded good, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. To be honest, I still have no clue what that means — inviting Jesus into your heart? As I got older, the answer became to confess your sin, ask for forgiveness and pledge your faith in Jesus. That was a simple enough process — Romans 3:23, then Romans 6:23, then Romans 5:8, and finally Romans 10:13.
Where to see Jesus in the war in Ukraine — and elsewhere – Baptist News Global
Tatiana Perebeinis was a 43-year-old accountant working for a California start-up company in Irpin, Ukraine. She became famous this week as her photo appeared on the front page of the New York Times. It wasn’t a flattering photo. Along with her 9-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son, they were lying face-up on a paved street with armed soldiers kneeling over them attempting resuscitation.
Whatever happened to Southern Baptists and church autonomy? – Baptist News Global
Neither one of us had a clue what we were doing 12 years ago, but a friend and I started a church. We didn’t know anything about starting a church, but we knew a great deal about church. Between us, we had more than 50 years of pastoral experience with churches from very small to large. We knew how churches operate, but more importantly, we knew how they should operate. Our non-negotiables We had a couple of non-negotiables when we started. First, we were committed to not owning any property.
COMMENTARY: Virginia must invest in the creation of a health-sciences highway
COMMENTARY: Virginia must invest in the creation of a health-sciences highway GETTY IMAGES By Terry L. Austin and William A. Hazel Jr. THE COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that workforce shortages in health care can be deadly. We’ve seen story after story in the news highlighting the problem. Yet, very few of these stories have proposed solutions. A lack of nurses and doctors is only part of the problem.
Terry L. Austin and William A. Hazel Jr. column: Commonwealth must invest in the creation of a health sciences highway
Terry L. Austin and William A. Hazel Jr. column: Commonwealth must invest in the creation of a health sciences highway GETTY IMAGES By Terry L. Austin and William A. Hazel Jr. By Terry L. Austin and William A. Hazel Jr. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that workforce shortages in health care can be deadly. We’ve seen story after story in the news highlighting the problem. Yet, very few of these stories have proposed solutions. A lack of nurses and doctors is only part of the problem.
Jesus and deconstruction – Baptist News Global
I shared a meme recently on Facebook to a page dedicated to discussion about house churches. It’s a site with lively discussion on issues broader than church and religion, but usually, the Christian faith comes through. I have no idea who originally made the statement, but the meme reads: “Deconstruction is the revival that evangelicals have been praying for. They just don’t have the eyes to see it.” After receiving a few quick “likes,” the mood changed.
How the evangelical church messed up and lost its way – Baptist News Global
The evangelical church in the United States is a mess. I’m not talking about reports of declining membership and lower baptism numbers. Those statistics merely provided warning signs that something was amiss, that things were going in the wrong direction. The church has been headed into trouble for a long time. I’ll leave it to church historians to trace the start of the mess — I know it started a long time ago — but the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back occurred in the past few years.
Jesus, not the Bible, is ‘the Word of God’ – Baptist News Global
Like many Christians, I strive to read the Bible every day. However, I admit frequent failures and that I’m not as diligent as in times past. I remember the first time I set out to read the entire book from Genesis to Revelation. I was working the graveyard shift as a police dispatcher, and there usually was a lot of down time after 3:00 in the morning. I carried my Bible with me and read during those stretches and finished in a few months.
On COVID and praying for the sick – Baptist News Global
Our family got our first television set when I was 6 or 7 years old. I clearly remember the first afternoon coming home from school; we watched cartoons. Childhood memories stick with us because they touched something unique or special in our life. Other than cartoons, one of the earliest TV programs I remember watching was, of all things, Oral Roberts.
Remembering Christ's death with chicken soup and Goldfish – Baptist News Global
It’s probably wrong to think this, but it feels good to hear that groups other than Baptists are fighting about stuff. Catholics are all in a snit about allowing the president to share Communion since he is a supporter of abortion. I’m aware that my views about Communion are vastly different from the Catholic Church. I went to seminary and learned all that stuff about transubstantiation and consubstantiation. But I have a rich history with Communion, or what Baptists call the Lord’s Supper.
Like a good neighbor, this app’s for you – Baptist News Global
At their best, neighborhood social media sites can provide a good laugh. Some of the distractions experienced by our neighbors can be quite humorous at times. However, it sometimes causes me to wonder if these people live in my neighborhood or if I’ve logged on to a community site near the Appalachian Mountains or perhaps the swamps of Louisiana. Of course, these sites do have value. Without ours, I never would have known our neighborhood is plagued with coyotes.
The foolishness of WWJD – Baptist News Global
Charles Spurgeon, a famous British preacher in the latter half of the 1800s, used the phrase, “What would Jesus do?” in a sermon. If you’ve ever read any of Spurgeon’s sermons, you know he had a knack for turning a memorable phrase. A few years later, the phrase found its way into a novel by Charles Sheldon called In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? The purpose of Sheldon’s book was to inspire people to a higher moral standard of living.
Would Jesus wear $800 sandals? – Baptist News Global
A couple of decades ago, when I was working as a church consultant, I had an interesting conversation with a young pastor. He was probably 20 or so years younger than me, and it was obvious from our conversation that we had some generational differences. He asked about the differences between our generations among pastors. So, I explained it in terms he could understand. I said, “When you interviewed with this church about being pastor, did you ask about vacation time and days off?
To the Constituents of the 19th House District
To the Constituents of the 19th House District Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 5:32 pm By Delegate Terry Austin 19th House District Log In Already a subscriber? Register/Activate account If you subscribe to the newspaper, you already receive FREE access to all the exclusive content of the website. Click here to register your account. If you have any problems then please contact us at 540-586-8612. Purchase a Subscription
Are you sure that all lives matter? – Baptist News Global
I have struggled for the past several years with understanding how so many Christians can support politicians and preachers with glaring, public moral failings. I’ve been discipled in Christian values my entire life, and what I observe with many Christians is foreign to anything I ever was taught about Christian values. It was pounded into my brain that all Christians cling to a similar set of values, even though we might have differences in theology, religious practices and lifestyles.
Is the church only for 'good Christians'? – Baptist News Global
I recently read an article about an organization that provides background checks for churches. If a church wants to feel safe about those who volunteer to work with children or serve in a leadership position, it might be a good idea to get information about that person’s past. The article was full of statistics and inferences, but it was not the numbers that caught my attention. It was the attitude of quoted interested parties that struck me as curious. Researchers did what statisticians like to do.
A prescription for healing the American church – Baptist News Global
I’ve been to my share of doctors. Many of those visits happened when I was so young that they have no conscience in my adult brain. My earliest memories were of Dr. Matchett, an orthopedic surgeon who was assigned the task of helping me regain what I had lost to polio. I remember him because of his gruff bedside manner. His training included treating wounded soldiers on the European battlefield during the war. I dreaded visits to Dr. Matchett because he scared me.
Let’s make America great again – Baptist News Global
My middle son is a car guy. I have no idea how that happened since there are no other car guys in the family, on either side. It started with his first car. I told him and his older brother that I would buy their first cars as soon as they could make the payments (that’s what my father told me). They both saved up their money and bought their own cars without my help. Matthew quickly decided he needed to customize his.
When a Facebook 'friend' told me I didn't understand the power of God – Baptist News Global
My 70th birthday arrived recently, and my wife, Sharon, kept telling me it’s a big deal. I think she means a big deal this year; next year, when it’s her turn, we’ll see. It causes me to think about why 70 is such a big deal. For a long time, I never expected to live past age 50. I was born in 1950 and lived with the effects of polio, so it just made sense to me that living to the year 2000 and getting 50 years out of this disaster of a body would be a worthwhile accomplishment.
Are You Spending All Your Money on Yourself?
By Terry Austin, Crosswalk.com I am reading through a boring book that is filled with interesting information. I hate it when that happens – someone has very useful material but their writing skills tend to make it difficult to locate and extract the nuggets. It is kind of like panning for gold in a desert creek instead of a Rocky Mountain stream. The gold is just as valuable but the experience of getting it may not be inspiring.
Voices: Pro-life voting involves more than one issue
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing people support a political candidate based on one issue—abortion. I suggest three reasons why it’s a problem to make abortion the one and only campaign issue. It’s dishonest People who choose to use the term “pro-life” rather than abortion are not being honest with themselves or anyone else. If a person truly is “pro-life,” then he or she would oppose equally capital punishment, war and indiscriminate gun ownership—all pro-life issues.
Legislation will help more children find adoptive parents
The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has completed its third week in session, advancing several bills important to citizens of the 19th District. The bills include proposals for increased funding for Interstate Highway 81; support for child adoption; and stricter controls on opioid use. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I have consistently supported increased funding for improvements to I-81.
Davenport’s wrong about murder rate
Charles Davenport’s writing is such a poor excuse for a column. He makes huge, incorrect assumptions and then argues from that shaky ground.On Sept. 3, Davenport blames the current Greensboro murder rate on “the prevalence out-of-wedlock births, and the illegitimacy rate among blacks, in particular.”Put aside all the systemic factors — racism, unemployment, poor education, lack of health care, disparate policing — that he is ignoring to come to his racist conclusion.
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