DBU Hosts President of Texas Baptists Dr. Ronny Marriott

"John 17 has a prayer that Jesus prayed not only for the 12 disciples that followed him but also for you and me. He would pray that you and I would be one as he and the Father were one. He would pray that even today, we, as the church, would be unified. One Lord, one faith, and one baptism. With one goal, which is to advance His kingdom and bring glory to God."

October 7th was a clear day on University Hill. Student chapel opened with corporate worship when an unexpected technical difficulty caused the sound to cut out. DBU Chapel Worship adapted quickly and continued to lead the DBU Family in worship with vocals and acoustic guitar.

Dr. Jay Harley welcomed everyone and introduced Dr. Ronny Marriott, President of Texas Baptists. He is married to Robin Marriott, and they have three children. Dr. Robby Marriott has also served as an adjunct professor for DBU, teaching New Testament Survey.

Dr. Marriott opened his message by reflecting on his time on a mission trip in Brazil with his wife. He shared a story about when he was there; his group also had technical difficulties during one of their worship services. When this happened to them in Brazil, it created a beautiful moment where he could hear each and every voice lifting the name of the Lord to the heavens. The similar technical difficulty during DBU chapel created another beautiful moment where the congregation could pause and listen to everyone praising the Lord.

He thanked DBU for the opportunity to come and speak within the service. "Just recently, I was pastoring at First Baptist Burleson, south of Fort Worth. We have a residency program, and many DBU students have participated through the years. I'm thankful to DBU and grateful to have the privilege of serving here."

A theme being discussed within his team at Texas Baptists is "God's Kingdom Agenda." He posed a few rhetorical questions to the students about what God's kingdom is and what it could look like. Dr. Marriott pointed out that we think of kingdoms as territories ruled by earthly powers. He pointed out that, although that is true, God's Kingdom is beyond all worldly variations. "He is King. God's kingdom is ruled by King Jesus. There's no territory it is limited to. No walls that keep it inside. The Kingdom of God is within us."

Dr. Marriott shared a story about the construction of his new home in Burleson, which was recently completed. He discussed the importance of piers for their foundation, which provides immense support for their home, which rests on a hill. Dr. Marriott pointed out the similarity between the piers and the two significant truths that act as piers for the foundation of God's Kingdom, supporting those walking in faith.

First, he talked about the pier of unity and the importance of unity in times of difficulty. Dr. Marriott pointed out that unity can, at times, be confused with uniformity, which can cause more conflict within the world. Dr. Marriott defines unity as when everyone comes together, no matter the differences of opinions or values, and works together. "In America, we talk a lot about being unified. We're very divided in our culture. The last time we were truly unified as a country was right after September 11, 2001."

He recalled driving his children to school while listening to the radio when, all of a sudden, they announced an airplane had hit the World Trade Center in New York City. Then, 18 minutes later, the radio host announced the second tower had been hit by another plane. "Everything changed in that moment, and it brought our country together. In those months, we pursued the same enemy and realized we needed each other."

Within the current political climate, we are divided more than ever. He discussed the polarizing differences in American politics with the presidential and vice-presidential candidate's beliefs. He continued to discuss other hot-button topics that divide our nation. One would assume that a tragedy like a global pandemic would have united the country toward a single cause, yet it divided us more than ever before.

"We've lost the ability to debate. Learn the art of debate and reasoning together," Dr. Marriott challenged. "Learn how to present your argument without creating an enemy." He argued that it is better to have opposing views when coming after a problem because "The result you come to is better than the one where everyone thought alike."

Dr. Marriott then discussed the second pier: loving like Jesus. When coming into contention with each other, we must approach one another with a love like Christ. "His Kingdom is founded and sustained in love." He dove into a discussion about the Great Commission and the importance of sharing the knowledge of God. How can believers know how salvation is obtained and not share it with everyone they encounter? Sharing the Gospel is the most loving thing a person can do.

He closed his message by sharing a few stories of people who changed their lives and their hearts because of people portraying the love of Christ. He closed by talking about how we, as Christians, have knowledge of the love of Christ and that it is our job to continue to share this love with others within and beyond the church. "It is a great commandment to love the Lord with all that we are and to love our neighbor as yourself," Dr. Marriott expressed. "If you love God, you love your neighbor. It is a part of our mission with the Great Commission. People need to know and experience the astounding love of Jesus Christ that changes our world. That is God's agenda, to show the world that His love makes a difference."