With the recent death of Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church has scheduled a conclave to begin on May 7. As a former Roman Catholic, now a born-again Christian, and a protestant pastor, I am interested in the conclave’s election process, so I decided to watch the 2016 Oscar-winning movie “Conclave.”

Santa Rosa County invites residents, property owners, and stakeholders in the East Milton area to help shape the future of their community by participating in an online survey now available through June 30, 2025.

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. – Hurlburt Field will conduct multiple prescribed burns between May 4-10, pending weather conditions.

The April 30, 2025 “Precautionary Boil Water Notice” is hereby rescinded following the satisfactory completion of the bacteriological survey showing that the water is safe to drink.

Drivers in Santa Rosa County will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

A main break has occurred and/or a loss of pressure has been experienced.

One of the required courses in the seminary from which I got my degree was apologetics. For those not familiar with the term, apologetics is not a course in which you learn how to say you are sorry in meaningful ways. The term comes from the Greek word apologia which means “to make a defense” and is found in the Apostle Peter’s first letter to the churches in Asia Minor. He exhorts Christians to turn away from evil and be zealous for what is good, and “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” Knowing that such a life will be noticed in a world that does not honor Christ the Lord as holy nor is typically zealous for what is good, he continues, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The field of apologetics is engaged in teaching Christians how to defend the Christian faith.

Last week I was writing about my critics and this week I started scanning pages of one hundred-year-old copies of the Milton Gazette, which is now the Santa Rosa Press Gazette.  I found the following printed on May 1, 1925 – which could have been my column last week – just said in a different way…