Adonis Creed is a boxer in his prime who just won the heavyweight championship. He also just got engaged.

Creed, though, isn’t happy. For 30 years he’s heard how his father—Apollo Creed—climbed to the top of the heavyweight mountain before being killed in the ring by a Russian boxer, Ivan Drago. That tragedy left Adonis fatherless and placed an emotional scar on him that’s he’s carried for life.

And now Ivan Drago’s son—the undefeated Viktor Drago—is No. 1 on the list of competitors for Creed’s championship belt.

Creed’s trainer, the legendary Rocky Balboa, doesn’t want him to fight Drago. Others share that sentiment, believing he will get killed while boxing, just like his father was.

But Adonis Creed is determined to avenge his father’s loss and to heal his emotional scars. The only question is: Will he live to tell about it?

The film Creed II (PG-13), now in theaters, continues the story that Rocky I, II, III and IV began and that the movie Creed picked up in 2015: of former champion Rocky Balboa—now older and wiser—training the son of his former friend, Apollo Creed. Adonis Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan) wins the heavyweight title early in the movie but is then faced with a choice: defend his belt against a lesser opponent or fight Viktor Drago—the stone-faced boxer who is every bit as tough as his dad. It was Ivan Drago who famously told Balboa before a fight in Rocky IV: “I must break you.”

The good news for Rocky fans is that the veteran actors and actresses are back. Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky Balboa, Dolph Lundgren returns as Ivan Drago, and Brigitte Nielsen—Ivan’s romantic interest and wife in Rocky IV—is back as Ludmilla Drago.

The best news, though, is that Creed II is more than a movie about boxing. It’s a film about fatherhood, with great messages every dad should hear.

Of course, Creed II includes quite a bit of violence and some language, too. Let’s examine the details.    

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

Moderate/extreme. The movie gives us an up-close and somewhat lengthy view of three boxing matches. For the squeamish, it can be difficult to watch. Punches land squarely on jaws. Blood flies out of mouths … in slow motion. Boxers fall to the ground and struggle to get up. One boxer goes to the hospital following a match and is told he has a ruptured kidney, cracked ribs and a concussion. Later, he urinates blood.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

Moderate. Adonis proposes to his girlfriend, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), in a touching and sweet moment. They then begin kissing and hop onto the bed. The scene lasts but a few seconds—and very little is seen—but sex is implied. It ruins an otherwise positive moment in the film.  

Coarse Language

Minimal/Moderate. About 13 coarse words: s–t (11), h–l (1), b–ch (1).

Other Positive Elements

Rocky and Adonis are decades apart, but their friendship and bond is genuine. Rocky teaches Adonis the skill of boxing, and Adonis reciprocates it by taking care of an aging Rocky, who is a widower. It is implied that Adonis has given Rocky a major financial boost—almost like a wealthy NFL star buying his parents a new home.

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

Adonis and Bianca discover they are pregnant before they are married. At first they are terrified—Bianca wonders how it will impact her singing career—but Adonis does the right thing in pledging his love and support for Bianca and their baby.

Life Lessons

Creed II provides several lessons. Among them: Championships and success don’t bring joy. Happiness is found in the simpler things of life. Family is preeminent. We also learn it’s never too late to be reconciled to someone.

Worldview/Application

The best movies remind us what life should be like. They celebrate the beauty in life. They inspire us. Despite its violent backdrop, Creed II does that. It is among the most pro-fatherhood films I’ve seen, with three father-centric angles: Rocky and his estranged son, Adonis and his deceased father, and Ivan Drago and his son. (Ivan is living vicariously through him, pushing him beyond his limits.) Not surprisingly, we see resolution before the credits roll. Creed II is a feel-good movie that makes you want to be a better father (Ephesians 6:4) or grandfather—perhaps even to be a father figure for the fatherless. .

“I don’t want you making the same mistakes I made,” Rocky tells Adonis, referencing the son he hasn’t spoken to in years.

Then there is the subject of boxing, a sport that divides Christians. Many sports have an element of violence, but only boxing (and its MMA and UFC cousins) make violence the sole purpose. The goal, after all, is to knock out the opponent. There is no ball, no hoop, no helmet, no goal line. But you don’t have to be a boxing fan to enjoy the Rocky and Creed films. That’s because—at their core—they’re not about boxing. They’re about family and life. On those subjects, we can find agreement.

What Works

The father-centric story. The crowd and arena shots. It looks real.

What Doesn’t

Most proposals don’t end in the bedroom. It was a disappointing addition to the film.

Discussion Questions

1. What does Creed II teach us about fatherhood?
2. What led Rocky to want to reunite with his son? Why had they become estranged?
3. Are fathers essential in the rearing of children? What unique qualities do they provide?
4. Is boxing ethical?

Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Rated PG-13 for sports action violence, language, and a scene of sensuality.

Texas voters showed up in record numbers for the 2018 midterms, sending mixed messages as Democrats flipped at least two Republican congressional districts—on top of the 12 seats they picked up in the Texas House—while Republicans maintained control in major statewide races.

Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz defeated challenger Rep. Beto O’Rourke by less than 3 percent in one of the nation’s most hotly contested and closely watched races. When first elected to the Senate in 2012, Cruz defeated Democratic challenger Paul Sadler by a 16 percent margin. 

A member of Second Baptist Church in Houston, Cruz was outspent by O’Rourke, who set record fundraising numbers and drew national attention thanks to celebrity endorsements and his commitment to not receive donations from political action committees.

In his victory speech, Cruz thanked O’Rourke for a well-run campaign.

“I want to take a moment to congratulate Beto O’Rourke. He poured his heart into this campaign. He worked tirelessly. He’s a dad, and he took time away from his kids. Millions across this state were inspired by his campaign,” Cruz said. “But let me say to all of those who worked on his campaign, all of those who were inspired, that I am your senator as well.”

Cruz also took time to thank his wife and “best friend in the world,” Heidi, as well as his two daughters.

“In the course of this campaign [she] shouldered responsibilities at work, at home, juggling a thousand balls backward on a unicycle,” he said. “And I want to thank our girls, Caroline and Catherine. It is hard having Dad on the road all the time,” he said, “and I could not possibly be prouder of the two of you.

“It is my hope that, with the bitterness and division that we see nationally, Texas can be a model for how we can come together—disagree, yes—but with civility, respecting each other’s decency, respecting each other’s humanity, treating each other the way each of us would like to be treated,” Cruz said in conclusion. “My hope is that Texas can help lead the way to bring this country together.”

Other Southern Baptists won key elections across the state last week as well. Embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, edged out opponent Justin Nelson by just under 4 percent, the closest margin of any statewide candidate other than Cruz. 

Scott Sanford of Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, who succeeded Paxton in the Texas House District 70 seat in 2012, and Ed Thompson of District 29, a member of Sagemont Church in Houston, were both reelected to the Texas House. Kelly Hancock, a member of The Village Church, was reelected as Texas State Senator for District 9.

In addition to the significant elections in Texas, other ballot measures in neighboring states have the potential to make an impact in the state, such as Arkansas’ passage of a proposal legalizing casino gambling in four counties. Though Paxton issued an opinion letter in 2016 declaring fantasy sports illegal, the measure has been attempted before and will most likely be brought up again in the 2019 legislative session.

According to Cindy Asmussen, ethics and religious liberty advisor to the SBTC, any legalized gambling in Texas, particularly the more likely possibility of legalizing fantasy sports, could bring with it inherent dangers.

“This bill is an expansion of gambling and is targeted to the young millennials who are constantly on an electronic device,” Asmussen said. “It will bring the casino to the home, work station, college dorm and smart phone.

“Proponents are deceitfully blurring the difference between traditional, season-long fantasy sports—which started as a hobby, form of community, and social activity—to Daily Fantasy Sports, which incorporate the three elements of gambling: consideration, chance, and prize,” she said.

Sanford expressed similar sentiments.

“Legislators often hear the appeal of those who support legalized gambling with phrases such as, ‘Let’s keep Texas money in Texas.’ Of course, we already know that legalized gambling brings more government, more crime, and more social maladies,” Sanford said. “I believe a good response to the argument is to simply ask, with all due respect to our neighboring states, ‘Do we really want to be like Louisiana and Oklahoma?’”

Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore said that, while last week’s election resulted in a divided Congress, “Our commitments as Christians remain unchanged. 

“We look forward to working with every elected official sent to D.C. as we carry out our mission bearing witness to the gospel and its implications for the public square,” said Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in written comments for Baptist Press.

Sanford said that, in the wake of the election and in the lead-up to the Texas legislative session, the most important thing Southern Baptists can do is pray.

“The next legislative session will provide new opportunities and challenges for representatives across the state. One new opportunity that all Texans have today is to begin to pray for the session, and to pray for the likely new Speaker of the House, Dennis Bonnen. We should ask God to give Rep. Bonnen great wisdom and a smooth transition,” he said. “I would encourage Texans to pray for new opportunities to protect unborn babies, the freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, and to push aside state-sponsored secularism.” 

RICHMOND, Va. The call to serve God came at a young age for Ethan Dupree*. He answered it through military service and fell in love with a people group while on deployment. Not long after leaving the military, this same people group popped into the Texan’s life again.

Ethan and his wife, Kris*, discovered that all around them were people from Central Asia. Friendships ensued along with a desire to see unbelievers read the Word of God for the first time.

“We were able to do life in the states and learn to love them and their culture,” Ethan said. “We were sent to Central Asia as journeymen in 2015 … we rejoice to be sent back.”

The Duprees, along with nine other Texans, took part in the IMB’s Sending Celebration Nov. 14, in Richmond, Virginia. The mission board honored 42 new missionaries. The 11 missionaries from Texas could not share their real identities due to security concerns in their appointed regions. For many in this group, the passion to take the gospel to the nations was fostered by their churches.

A local church opened the eyes of Rebecca Waters* to a world much bigger than Texas as a child in Girls in Action (GAs). An “Experiencing God” class taught her how to see God at work and pray boldly, all the while learning about the world of missionaries and people groups. Then, short-term mission trips with her church opened Waters to serving in a long-term capacity.

“Years ago my pastor challenged our church to dream about where God might be calling us,” Waters said about her sending church, High Point Fellowship. “I have been living that dream for the last 14 years in the bush of Africa in search of peoples and places who have no gospel.”

Rickie and Isabell Forrest* worked closely with their church, Grace Bible Church, to pursue a calling to missions. Isabell grew up overseas where the Lord burdened her heart for the nations. Her husband, Rickie, had a passion for “all peoples to hear” about the King of kings. The church prayed them through the process and will continue as the Forrests head to the North Africa and Middle Eastern peoples.

When Robert and Mary Fields* look back at their upbringing, it’s clear to them that all of their experiences led to serving South Asian peoples. In college, Mary met people from different nations and cultures. It was on a short-term mission trip with their church when Robert felt the same nudging for the nations. Their church, Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen, and a perspectives class, fostered this to fruition.

“I discovered that the heart of poverty is often spiritual,” said Robert, adding that spiritual redemption is always God-centered and transformative.

Watching this process firsthand is what moved Casey and Layne Tucker* to work among the people of Southeast Asia. It was through participating in refugee ministries with their church, Southcliff Baptist in Fort Worth, that God fostered a burden for the lost.

Jeffrey and Susan Cartwright* took a class at Rock Creek Baptist Church, Crowley, designed to expose people to God’s heart for the nations. The class ended with a short-term trip and the couple feeling that God had called them to full-time cross-cultural ministry to the people of South Asia.

“We praise God for our church that has equipped us to serve the nations through teaching, discipling and displaying for us biblical hospitality,” Jeffrey said.

For information on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, visit imb.org/lmco. 

*name changed for security reasons

KINGWOOD  The election of new officers, the celebration of the self-sufficiency of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation, and an update on the Send City of New Orleans were some of the highlights of the executive board meeting held the day after the conclusion of the Southern Baptists of Texas annual meeting in Houston.

In the meeting on Nov. 14 the Board elected Danny Forshee chairman. Forshee is the pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin. Mark Hogan, a member of Castle Hills Church in San Antonio, was elected vice chairman. Damon Halliday, pastor of Keystone Fellowship Church in Fort Worth, was elected secretary. All three were elected by acclamation. 

SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards recognized outgoing chairman Kie Bowman for his service. “What an incredible leader, no greater cheerleader for the SBTC than our dear brother Kie,” Richards said of Bowman, pastor at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin.

The board also approved sending half of the balance in a revocable endowment at the end of the year to the Southern Baptist of Texas Foundation for next year’s general operations, with the remainder returning to SBTC reserves. Foundation Executive Director Bart McDonald explained that the action is part of a strategy to reverse the custom of consuming Cooperative Program resources.

“For the first time in the 15 years of the foundation’s existence the foundation is financially and operationally now self-sufficient which means we generate enough revenue not only to fully absorb our cost but also, like the convention, to produce a surplus,” McDonald stated. “Our desire, our heart’s goal, is to be a provider of ministry service that produces surplus so we can go back to the (SBTC) and say ‘plant more churches, do more work.’”

The board also heard a report about the SBTC’s partnership with New Orleans, one of the cities listed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board as a “Send City.”

“We deal with a 37 percent child poverty, a 27 percent overall poverty rate, so there’s a lot of barriers in New Orleans, said Send City Missionary George Ross, “but there’s a great opportunity for church planting and evangelism in the city of New Orleans.”

Ross invited board members and their churches to come to New Orleans to do missions.

SBTC Missions Director Doug Hixson, reported that more than 25 churches in the convention are already working in New Orleans. 

The Board approved 17 churches for affiliation with the convention and removing four churches based on either a merger with another church or a request from the church for removal. The current number of affiliated churches is 2,702. 

Other action by the board included: 

• Approving a constitution and bylaws review committee,
• Allocating $250,000 to Criswell College to assist with the construction of a new student dormitory,
• Allocating $200,000 to Jacksonville College for operating costs and
• Sending disaster relief donor grants of $50,000 each to the North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia Baptist state conventions to assist recovery efforts following recent hurricanes.

The Board concluded its meeting with a special recognition of Jim Richards for 20 years of service as SBTC executive director.

MONTGOMERY – First Baptist Church of Montgomery was struggling. One of the oldest churches in Texas, what had been more than 500 in Sunday morning worship had dwindled to fewer than 80, and finances were dismal at best.

Some talked disbanding. Roger Yancey, associational missionary for the Tryon-Evergreen Baptist Association (TEBA), which consists of 140 congregations, suggested an alternative.

He called it a “reset.” Others called it “radical.”

But at least 90 percent of the congregation in May 2015 said yes to giving up the church’s autonomy for three years, and allowing a nine-person leadership team from the churches in the association to oversee all church matters.

“We went along with it because that’s what they told us we needed,” said Barbara Russell, a member for 54 years.

The options offered to First Montgomery were to stay as it was, to become part of a multi-site church or to enter the “Reset” process.

Russell and her husband hadn’t left when, after the 1960s and ‘70s, the church began to dwindle, she said, when people began to be unwilling to do “things” – ministry – together, and when pastors started not living up to her expectations, failing to visit, to help, to lead the church to work together.

“To me, it was very hard to stay, but this is my church,” Russell continued. “Then the weird music came in and they stopped playing hymns and people started leaving. We were told we could leave if we didn’t like the music. But I’m hardheaded, and we stuck it out.”

Issues as noted in Yancey’s reports included a student minister starting a church nearby, drawing young families away; a pastor’s forced termination; and an underlying, unrelenting conflict among the remaining members.

“A partnership of churches sought to assist [First Montgomery] in 2007/2008 but there was resistance to the suggested direction for the church and the profile of a future senior pastor,” Yancey wrote. “Too much energy was diverted to unneeded conflict and other distractions.”

A bivocational pastor was called but because of the underlying conflicts was able to do little more than love on the members. When he retired in April 2015, the demoralized First Montgomery turned to the association.

Leaders from six strong and healthy churches in the association came together to direct the struggling church. They also sent more than 30 members to support the effort which represented an essential $60,000 of resources to the effort.

“During the 3-year period the Partner Churches in all aspects of its ministry model will RESET the church,” Yancey wrote in a preliminary report, acknowledging the process was challenging. “Everything will be open to revision and refocus under the direction of the partner churches in consultation with the [associational missionary.]

“It is believed that this process will result in the future health of the church family, ensure there will be an opportunity to minister effectively, and provide an effective witness in the community it serves,” the area missionary continued. “This community is experiencing tremendous growth and the church property and facility is of high value with strong daily traffic count.”

In an overwhelmingly positive vote, Yancey reported, the church committed in May 2015 to the Reset Process as led by the TEBA.

“The willingness of the church to participate in the Health process is a significant indicator of its commitment to move forward together,” Yancey wrote in a follow-up report.

Some of the most critical changes the church made during the three years of the Reset Process included directed prayer, rebuilding trust in each other and in God, maintaining a positive attitude in the midst of a sea change, and calling a pastor.

“The church today is thriving and growing in its effectiveness in impacting its community,” Yancey wrote in the association’s October 2018 newsletter. “Growth has resulted in needing to plan to move to multiple worship services and Sunday Schools and on September 30th the autonomy was returned to the church.

“The story of First Montgomery would fill this newsletter, but the summary is simple,” Yancey wrote. “They trusted God and great things happened.”

Chris Gober came in December 2015 to pastor First Montgomery. It was his first pastorate. He and his family had moved to Montgomery from The Woodlands, north of Houston, in March, knowing nothing of First Montgomery or its struggles.

Gober was a computer engineer running his own business and serving in Children’s Ministry at The Woodlands First Baptist Church when he went on a mission trip to El Salvador. On the third day of that trip, he sensed God calling him to be a pastor.

“After two years of wrestling with this new calling, I surrendered to the ministry in early 2015,” Gober said.

He talked with Yancey about his call, and Yancey sent him one Sunday in early September to preach at First Montgomery. Gober was drawn to the church, but the Leadership Team was looking for a pastor with experience in turning churches around. Weeks later, the final two candidates removed themselves from consideration the same day Gober called again, asking about the church.

With no other candidates remaining, the Leadership Team decided to interview Gober, and called him a couple weeks later for his first pastorate.

The first thing Gober did as pastor in December 2015 was, “Pray! And pray and pray and pray,” Gober said. “My very first prayer, I prayed God would bring leaders to this church to help me turn it around. I knew it would take a whole group of people. …

“We began looking at every ministry of the church and restarting everything,” Gober continued. “We began to evaluate everything the church was doing, [asking] what do we start or prune to get the church moving again?”

First Montgomery’s saying the first year was, “God is on the move!”

Entire rooms no longer used for classes had turned into storage. Most everything went into dumpsters. As people came to help, additional Sunday school classes were started in part to give the new members ways to serve. “They all came with a heart to serve,” Gober said.

The church’s reputation in the community needed to be restored, and to do so, the church started a week-long emphasis: Cross Montgomery. “We go out and visit every business on Hwy. 105, pray for the business and any other prayer requests they have, and give them a dozen homemade cookies,” Gober said. This summer, that totaled 450 dozen cookies. Church members would also buy meals, groceries and gas for Montgomery residents, help with home repair jobs and do yard maintenance for those who were unable.

“It’s been slow steady growth,” Gober said. “We’re running about 275 a week, have nine Sunday morning Bible study classes, and have growing children’s and youth ministries. It’s been amazing to see God resuscitate our church.”

Sept. 30 was First Montgomery’s Jubilee Sunday, the day the association gave back to the church its autonomy.

“The Reset is both drastic and innovative,” Gober told the TEXAN. “It was a bold step, bold and selfless, because it’s human nature to seize control and not human nature to give up control. But when we are willing to step aside, God steps in. He brought our church back to life, and He gets all the glory.”