State Baptist newspaper editors urged to remain faithful to call as ‘truth-tellers’

Baptist editors were urged to remain faithful to their calling as truth-tellers for Southern Baptists during the 2009 Association of State Baptist Papers (ASBP) fellowship in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, Feb. 10–13. The meeting was hosted by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Keynote speaker and founder of WORLD magazine Joel Belz also called on the editors to infuse their work with a Christian worldview.

The tension between reporting from a position of safety and truly engaging the truth of a story is felt by every reporter, Belz said. The tension can also be seen in a church setting as editors seek to discern issues in a local church, region or convention.

“When you talk to people, are you talking from a perspective of safety or are you talking from a perspective of seeing the truth?” he asked.

The call to be a truth-teller also applies to a believer’s personal walk with God, Belz said.

“It is incumbent on you as a disciple of Jesus to work harder and harder to see the world the way He sees it. That is what Christian worldview thinking is — you see the world the way God sees it,” he said. “That is your task, not just as an editor, publisher or church person but, as a disciple of Jesus to see the world in crisper and crisper terms the way God sees it, and then to bear witness to what you’ve seen with interest.”

Held in connection with the meeting of state convention executive directors, editors also received updates from media representatives of LifeWay Christian Resources, the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board (NAMB), including remarks on the national evangelism initiative known as GPS (God’s Plan for Sharing) by NAMB President Geoff Hammond.

At the invitation of ASBP President Gary Ledbetter, two Southern Baptist Convention entities appeared for the first time in decades to give reports to the editors: The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, represented by Barrett Duke who serves in the Washington office; and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, represented by President Paige Patterson who provided an on-the-record question-and-answer session over lunch. In other business, outgoing president Ledbetter passed the gavel to Bob Simpson, editor of Maryland-Delaware Baptist Life.  Illinois Baptist Editor Marty King was named president-elect. (Southern Baptist TEXAN)