First Baptist Church Hattiesburg

What is the role of women in the church?

This is the question that could get all of us killed.  Let it never be said that Jay McGuirk is a coward.
The toughest part about this question is settling what in the Bible is a cultural statement about womens’ roles (or their role in 1st century Palestine), [...]

What’s the truth about speaking in tongues?
The gift of tongues are mentioned in three books of the Bible:  Mark 16:17, Acts 2, 10, 19 and 1 Corinthians 12-14.
There are two different gifts of tongues that are described in the New Testament:  the gift of language (speaking a different earthly language),  and the spiritual gift of [...]

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When Satan was cast out of heaven, he took 1/3 of the angels with him.  Have we not minimized the impact of demonic spirits on earth?  Would we recognize them, and what should we do?
Revelation 12:9 “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, [...]

What does the Bible say about gambling?
Gambling is risking money in an attempt to multiply the money on something that is against the odds.  This is also called “investing in the stock market”.  OK, I kid…
The Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, betting, or playing the lottery.  I know that many of you may disapprove [...]

What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol?
Historically, Baptists have considered themselves against alcohol use.  So many of you, like me, may have grown up with pastors who regularly railed against it’s evils.
But, let’s look at what the Bible clearly says, because that’s what matters.
Ephesians 5:15-18 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as [...]

What are we going to do in heaven?
This is my last post on questions about heaven and the end times, and it’s a good one.
Heaven is going to be one never ending church service, with all of us sitting on a cloud playing a harp.  Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?
Aren’t you afraid you’ll [...]

Will we recognize our family and loved ones in heaven, or will we just be random, generic people?
This is one of those questions that the Bible doesn’t answer directly, but we can sort of infer an answer from a few different passages.
First of all, the focus of heaven is not seeing our friends and family.  [...]

Does God care about our animals?  Do they die forever or will we see them again?
Do all dogs go to heaven, or have we been lied to?
First of all, God does care for animals.  He cared enough to save them from the flood, and he cares enough to provide them with everything they need.
Read Job [...]

What does God think about cremation?
It really burns Him up.  Zing!  Just kidding.
There is no specific teaching about cremation in the Bible.  There are some instances in the Old Testament of people being burned to death and of human bones being burned, but this is not cremation.  It is, however, mentioned in 2 Kings 23:16-20 [...]

Will people who commit suicide go to heaven if they are Christians?
This is another one of those questions that go beyond being intellectual.  It’s also an emotional question.  Most of us know someone who either took their own life, or have been affected by a love one taking there own life.  But, this one is [...]

What happens to children who die before they accept Christ?
This is a tough one, because it goes beyond being simply an intellectual question.  It’s an emotional question, too.
No doubt, we all know those who have suffered the loss of a baby or young child.  We want to be comforting to them, and we also want [...]