I am very encouraged by this report from the Baptist Press:

NASHVILLE (BP) – As the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting (June 12-13 in New Orleans) approaches, many Southern Baptist pastors and leaders are sharing the reasons they are glad to be part of the Convention using the hashtag #WhySBC.

Matt Capps, senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C., made the first video, where he pointed to thousands of churches plants, fully funded missionaries and seminary students as reasons to be encouraged about the Convention.

“All of these are ways that we work together to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation,” Capps said. “That is why I’m a Southern Baptist.”

Capps told Baptist Press about his decision to spark the hashtag.

“I was talking with some pastors in North Carolina and all of us lamented that the tone and rhetoric of the conversation online trends towards division and hatefulness as we get closer to the annual meeting,” Capps said in a statement to Baptist Press. More Here

Now to the warning from Franklin Graham issued at the NRB:

Franklin Graham Warns Christian Broadcasters and Ministries of ‘Coming Storm’

Franklin Graham: “If you’re not going to talk about sin, you’re not going to have anything to worry about; but if you’re going to proclaim the Gospel, they’re going to try to shut you up.”

TRUTH!!!! We have been warning about this for years!

From The Christian Post:

The Rev. Franklin Graham warned members of Christian news media organizations and others about the “coming storm” headed toward churches and ministries in the United States.

Graham, who serves as president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and head of Samaritan’s Purse, gave the keynote speech Monday evening at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Orlando, Florida.

“I believe there is a coming storm that we all need to be ready for,” Graham said. “The world has deteriorated so quickly. We cannot be deceived and we can’t be fooled. We need to get ready and be prepared.” More Here

While giving a word of warning about coming persecution, Franklin Graham offered a challenge at the National Religious Broadcasters annual conference Monday night: “Use your radio, television, blogs, internet, to communicate the Gospel.” Another Report For You

(RNS) — The National Religious Broadcasters, an association of Christian media outlets, has joined a lawsuit seeking to block a California law that requires social media companies to publish their policies on removing hate speech from their platforms.

“In an environment where much religious viewpoint expression is considered ‘controversial’ speech, NRB is acting to stop the weaponization of new laws against Christian communicators,” said Troy Miller, the NRB’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement. More Here