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Shepherding Thoughts
by Pastor Ben Francis
Welcome to Shepherding Thoughts: An inside look at a Southern Baptist Pastor's comments on navigating popular topics in Christianity and Religion.
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What I'm Reading These Days... May 22'
For my friends who are following along, or to those who want some recommendations for reading, here is the May update on what I’m...
Ben Francis
May 24, 20222 min read
A Sad Day for the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Sexual Abuse Internal Audit At the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, TN, the messengers to the Convention...
Ben Francis
May 23, 20229 min read
Gender and the Christian Worldview.
A Biblical Framework for Understanding Gender: A Christian Worldview. Recently, our Church, along with two other sister Churches in our...
Ben Francis
May 22, 20229 min read
Are Hymns Important? Yes!
We are living in an age when music is doing all sorts of things. Churches are attempting and trying a number of musical variations in an...
Ben Francis
May 11, 20224 min read
“Our Cheap Bodies.” Transgenderism and Reassignment Surgery
Does the Body Matter? Transgenderism Says “No.” An incredible article ran today in the New York Times entitled, “How Ben got His Penis.”...
Ben Francis
May 10, 202210 min read
How to Pray for the SBC 2022
In just a few short weeks, Southern Baptists from all around the nation and world will gather in Anaheim, California for the Annual...
Ben Francis
May 7, 20223 min read
In Praise of My Wife…
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and while the holiday is man-made, the regular celebration of mothers is a good and right gift...
Ben Francis
May 6, 20223 min read
What I’m Learning about Food
It might seem like an odd thing to say, but I’ve never really known how food works. I know that we eat it, our bodies process it to some...
Ben Francis
May 1, 20225 min read
A Health Check-In
April 2022 In several previous posts (which can be read here, here, and here), I’ve talked about my own personal struggles with food, my...
Ben Francis
Apr 29, 20224 min read
They're Teaching Kids What!? - Culture Shifts...
American culture is changing. In some ways, that is no great news. Culture is always changing and shifting to some degree. But right now,...
Ben Francis
Apr 18, 20226 min read
What I'm Reading These Days...
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am a big fan of books. I love books. Books make up a big part of my life. I turn to them for...
Ben Francis
Apr 18, 20223 min read
The Commodification of Discipleship.
A building Crisis comes calling… Have you ever thought about how odd it is to walk into a grocery store? It is odd to walk into a store...
Ben Francis
Apr 3, 20227 min read
Transgenderism: A Sin against the Body
Our modern times are bringing change to us faster than we ever thought possible. Nothing stays the same. Everything is changing. Change...
Ben Francis
Mar 30, 20227 min read
The Crooked Path of the Christian Life
“The Christian life is a long obedience in the same direction.” - Eugene Peterson. The Christian life is a long obedience…full of twists...
Ben Francis
Mar 28, 20225 min read
The "Power" of Transgenderism
Transgenderism: A Study in Power No one actually believes in Transgenderism. What I mean is, no one actually, truly believes that men and...
Ben Francis
Mar 24, 20226 min read
Presidential Uncertainty...Again!
The SBC Presidential race heats up… It seems like the Southern Baptist Convention is gearing up for another fight for the Presidency....
Ben Francis
Mar 23, 20223 min read
Is Our Discipleship in the Right Order?
Keeping the Horse and the Cart in the Right Place Discipleship: … How would you define it? Do you think most Church folks would know how...
Ben Francis
Mar 21, 20225 min read
You Can't Have it Both Ways
A Cultural Moment Unfolding… “ATLANTA -- Lia Thomas is a national champion. Thomas, who is a transgender woman, touched the wall in 4...
Ben Francis
Mar 19, 20223 min read
The Evangelical Industrial Complex and the Fall of Discipleship.
What Happened to Discipleship? The Evangelical Industrial Complex — “Big Eva” - Big Evangelicalism. If someone were to ask you, “ What is...
Ben Francis
Mar 13, 20228 min read
Elitism and Power in the SBC - A Follow-Up
Elitism and Power in the SBC - Part 2 In August of 2021, I wrote a post entitled, “Elitism and Power in the SBC.” It was meant to serve...
Ben Francis
Mar 2, 20224 min read
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