On November 13, former Trump national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn spoke to a group of evangelical Christians at the Reawaken America Tour, a church-based political rally held at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. Flynn–and others–spoke about many things. Still, a couple of the highly noteworthy things deal with themes that are becoming much more […]
It May Be Time for the SBC to Break ALL Ties to MABTS
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has no formal ties to the SBC, but has always had an informal relationship with our convention. In my younger days, before the changes brought by the CR at our six official seminaries, many pastors encouraged young men called to the ministry to go MABTS for theological education because it was […]
I’m embarrassed by my alma mater, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
MABTS was a new, different kind of Southern Baptist seminary in 1978 when I matriculated. I persevered through three plus years of seminary education, complete with Greek and Hebrew. It was a great time. I graduated in 1981. Gray Allison, founder and president at the time (he died in 2019) was a great man by […]
The weird world of retired clergy: I’ve been retired for a full decade this week.
The strangest day of my life was November 21st a decade ago. That was the Monday following my last Sunday at the church I’d served for fifteen years and from which I retired. Monday morning with no sermon to think about for next Sunday, no hospital visits to make, no office to go to, no […]
Baptists You Should Know, Sallie Holmes
Landrum Holmes made his way home with a heavy heart. As a missionary in Chefoo, China he was used to hardship and difficulties. But this time something weighed even heavier than usual. As he opened the door and greeted his wife he began to tell her of the death of a fellow missionary. “If I […]
Safeguarding Our Churches Against Sexual Abuse (A guest post by Tim Overton)
Editor’s note (Todd Benkert): I’ve encouraged more ideas on how to address sexual abuse — particularly the problem of serial abusers who go from church to church. Here is one such idea. Feel free to discuss the merits of Tim’s idea in the comment section, but I applaud such efforts at creative thinking on the […]
Parents Engaging Gen Z
Youth pastors often complain that the biggest hindrance to raising the bar in youth ministry is parents. Many parents don’t think of the long-term implications of a youth ministry that’s based on silliness, yet it is the parents who cry the loudest when their children aren’t having “fun.” American youth have parents who grew up […]
An Open Letter to the Messengers of the 2021 MBC Annual Meeting & All Missouri Baptists
Hello, Missouri Baptist Convention Family! I am Scott Gordon, Pastor of Claycomo Baptist Church in Kansas City. I was also a messenger at our recent MBC Annual Meeting in Branson. Prior to our time there, I had the privilege of working with my friend and fellow MBC Pastor, Mike Leake, and other fellow MBC Pastors […]
Assessing Why Our SATF Motion Failed
Last week I did something I never thought I would do. I came to microphone 3 at the Missouri Baptist Convention and I spoke. Not once, but twice. And, yes, I remain shocked and deeply grieved that 507 Missouri Baptists voted against our motion. I’m deeply grieved for us, and I’m grieved for what this […]
On Pastoral Tenure as Covenant (Phillip Powers)
I recently read an article about an Oklahoma pastor who is retiring after serving in the same church for 60 years. And let me just begin by saying that this is the kind of pastor that deserves the platform though he would probably never ask for it. So often, we platform the personalities that are […]
How Executive Committee Leaders Failed in Their Fiduciary Duties Long Before October 5th (Benjamin Wright)
By now it’s not news to readers of Voices that the President and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee has resigned. He has reminded us repeatedly of his fiduciary duties to the SBC, and in his resignation letter explained that he can no longer carry out those duties after the October 5th EC vote to […]
Thank God for lack of drama at our most important entity: IMB
Paul Chitwood spoke at our church this morning. Excellent. I’m all in for IMB, whatever else is going on around the SBC. IMB and NAMB are having record offerings, a measure of what Southern Baptists think they are worth among our churches. Let’s keep it that way. I’m still supportive of our general giving plan, […]