Over late summer and early fall 2021, the Executive Committee (EC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) deliberated whether or not to waive attorney-client privilege (ACP) as part of a sexual abuse investigation into the actions of the EC over the past two decades, an investigation overwhelmingly demanded by the messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting. As the deliberations drew out, with resistance from some on the EC who were not willing to waive ACP, all kinds of commentary were offered to explain what was happening. As is readily apparent from this statement, some within the SBC … [Read more...] about The SBC, the EC, and Waiving Attorney-Client Privilege (by Jon Canler)
Cooperative Program
On My Motion Regarding Our Lawyers and a Conflict of Interest
Much has transpired since my visit to the Executive Committee (EC) meeting in Nashville last month. I originally wanted to get this article written and published earlier but it became clear that the Sexual Abuse Task Force's work and the response of the EC was a far more important issue (although I would argue these two items are related). Thus, I decided to hold off publishing this article until things finally came to a head after not a small kerfuffle and a third and final motion from Jared Wellman ultimately passing the EC to waive privilege. Since then things have devolved even further … [Read more...] about On My Motion Regarding Our Lawyers and a Conflict of Interest
The Real Failure at the Executive Committee Meeting
I promise the article on my motion and its response is coming soon. I just wanted to take a moment to offer up a word from myself and a few of my friends regarding our take on last week's Executive Committee meeting. When I say a few of my friends, I am not speaking about my co-writers here at SBC Voices. I am speaking about a couple of friends who took some time with me to express some of our thoughts regarding our current problem and from whence the real failure has come over the last 9 or-so days of life in the Southern Baptist Convention. I have chosen not to name the other co-writers … [Read more...] about The Real Failure at the Executive Committee Meeting
How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee
Last night after watching the debacle that was the Executive Committee (EC) meeting and then seeing so many pastors suggest they might lead their church to leave the convention or escrow their giving, I posted the following to Twitter. “Friends, please don’t leave the SBC. Too many good things happening. If anything, consider temporarily redistributing CP & GCG funds away from the EXComm until we get to Anaheim & we radically redefine the work of the EC & reformat the allocation budget commensurate w/the change.” In short order I was asked how such a redistribution might be … [Read more...] about How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee
Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract
At last week's Executive Committee meeting there were a lot of terms and concepts involved that represent unfamiliar territory for most of us as Southern Baptists. This Q&A is designed to address the most pressing questions we face as the EC Officers and SA Task Force work this week for an agreement on how to proceed. 1. Why is it important for the Executive Committee to waive privilege? Attorney-client privilege is a legal rule that allows the clients of attorneys to keep confidential any legal advice that their attorneys provide them. First, it is important because the motion that … [Read more...] about Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract
Eight Key Victories in Nashville at #SBC21
#SBC21 is in the books and it's a convention we'll all remember for years to come. I went in unsure of what to expect, and came home encouraged. Here are eight key victories I believe we saw last week in Nashville. 1. Motion for convention-wide voluntary assessment of abuse Leading up to the convention, most attention was on the Gaines/Parrott motion published in the lead up to the Annual Meeting and in the aftermath of the Russell Moore letters. See #2 for more on that motion. But behind the scenes, Todd Benkert had been working for months with counsel from survivor advocates on a plan to … [Read more...] about Eight Key Victories in Nashville at #SBC21
Seven Reflections on #SBC21 (by Jon Glass)
I’ve had the opportunity to attend 11 SBC Annual Meetings. This year was different than all the rest. It was the largest in 25 years with over 15,700 messengers. This was an historic meeting and I’m glad I was in the room. If you weren’t there and you followed along in the media, online, or on social media, it’s easy to find varying opinions and feel confused as to what transpired. At times it’s hard to tell what happened when you have to wade through the bias and perspective of the author. That being said, here is my perspective on what happened this week. 1. On Monday evening we … [Read more...] about Seven Reflections on #SBC21 (by Jon Glass)
Lessons from Birmingham
It's no secret that the 2021 SBC Meeting in Nashville will have a focus on events that happened at the last meeting in Birmingham. There will (probably) be attempts to turn over Resolution 9, which has caused much discussion in Baptist circles since then. I will make no tries to predict the future, but I do think we can learn something from Birmingham. But for our lesson we need to go back a little farther than 2019, to the first time the Annual Meeting was held in Birmingham in 1891. Baptists were not always keen on the idea of having their own publishing arm. Several times this idea had … [Read more...] about Lessons from Birmingham
Why I Am Being Nominated for SBC Recording Secretary
Let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Adam Blosser. My wife, Ashley, and I have been married for ten years. We have four children. I am the lead pastor of Goshen Baptist Church in Spotsylvania, Virginia where I have served for almost five years. And Dave Miller is nominating me for recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention. There are three primary reasons why: 1. I want to serve Southern Baptists. My entire life has been spent in Southern Baptist churches. As a child, my Southern Baptist parents took me to our Southern Baptist church every time the doors were open. … [Read more...] about Why I Am Being Nominated for SBC Recording Secretary
Paige Patterson vs SWBTS: Implications for the SBC Presidential Election
I've been reading the recent resurgence of wrangling regarding Dr. Paige Patterson and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS). The question of guilt involves not only these two parties, but by extension also impacts the coming SBC presidential election. Pastor Mike Stone bears the public perception of being Dr. Patterson's man by way of their mutual involvement in the organization Mr. Stone and Dr. Patterson helped to found, the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN). Should Dr. Patterson be (in this matter) the rascal many claim, the resulting guilty-by-voluntary-assocation scars both … [Read more...] about Paige Patterson vs SWBTS: Implications for the SBC Presidential Election