Today Chris Roberts, Joshua Breland, and I have launched a new collaborative blog endeavor, SBC Focus.
Why another collaborative SBC blog? I believe that is best answered by Chris’ statement from our about page. While two notable SBC collaborative blog ventures already exist, namely SBC Today and SBC Voices, we hope that “SBC Focus provides something new. Our regular and guest contributors primarily fall on the Calvinist side of the theological spectrum and will help to provide a glimpse into life as a Calvinist in the SBC. We hope this blog serves as a source of blessing for all in the SBC. Our goal is not to turn people into Calvinists (though we certainly would not object to convincing people of what we believe to be biblical theology!). Our goal is to help equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). One way we will do this is by demonstrating that Calvinists, rather than being enemies, are co-laborers for the cause of Christ. We will also do this by providing devotional material, lessons from history, outreach ideas, ministry updates, Southern Baptist news, and more. We have ambitious goals for this website, and we encourage you to be part of what we are doing.”
For our launch today, the three of us have posted about our reason for embarking on this endeavor as well as our hopes for what SBC Focus will be able to bring to SBC BlogTown. Joshua has also written an excellent post on what JP Boyce has to say about the Lord’s Day with respect to our sanctification. Please join in on our discussion. Everyone is welcome!
You may also connect with us via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
See Y’all Around,
Scott Gordon, SBC Focus Team
Primarily from the Calvinist side? Sounds like a much needed addition to provide some balance. May God bless your endeavor!
Ken,
Thanks!
The url for the facebook page is wrong.
You can view our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/theSBCFocus
Joshua,
Thanks for catching that. I typed in the link incorrectly when I sent this post in.
To ALL,
The link to SBC Focus on Facebook has been fixed. Thanks Dave!
I’m kinda magic that way.
There’s a Magic Mike/Magic Dave joke in there somewhere.
I think this picture supports that joke, Joshua.
Guys, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m not sure that we need another forum for the same eight people to argue about Calvinism.
Did you even consider using the name GCB Focus? Established blogs, like established churches, already have a brand. On the other hand, your blog is like a “plant” that could have embraced the new term and all that it is supposed to represent.
I am assuming all three of you were in favor of the descriptor. I also assume there is no other “body” or “board” to whom you are accountable. You could have named this anything you wanted, but you chose to stick with SBC instead of GCB.
Why?
If we are going to have a blog that represents the Majority Historical ‘Traditional’ views of the SBC, perhaps naming the blog “The Traditional Southern Baptist” would be fitting?
Rick,
I really wanted to go with NGPYTACB Focus (Non Geographically Positioned Yet True and Calvinistic Baptists) but that caused a major argument and we never could agree. Given the blow-up, we simply settled on SBC.
Rick,
They used SBC because they belong to the SBC…same as you.
I can’t tell if your post was joking or serious.
I get that a lot, Jason. I try not to take all of this too seriously. I’ve been kinda focused on the name change thing for a while, though.
Honestly, to this point, I can only find three examples of the use of GCB in SBC life, a reality which makes me wonder, in hindsight, if it was really worth it after all.
A “new” blog seemed like a good place to try the “new” descriptor. If it doesn’t fit in here, then where does it fit in?
I don’t think it was… or is.
Yeah……. that will be a challenge.
Well said, Scott.
Other Scott,
Focus will not be a forum simply speaking about Calvinism. It will be an unfiltered opportunity for us to speak within the context of the SBC as Calvinistic Southern Baptists without ‘hijacking’ existing forums.
Rick,
Because.
Anthony—Chris—Brandon,
Ugh. You guys are killing me…wait for it… 😀 (obligatory smiley for DaveM)
Liberal
😛 🙂 😀
While I am not a Calvinist and truly believe that Calvinism has not made its biblical case, I sincerely accept Calvinists as brothers and sisters in Christ and wish them many blessings in their explorations of theology and ministry.
I think you have a perfect right to have a Calvinist blog (I‘ve heard there are already a few out there). I also feel the same way if Traditionalists (non-Calvinist Baptists) choose to have a blog site, have a John 3:16 Conference, have a Whosoever Will book, or a Traditional Statement on Salvation. I’ve never quite understood why some Calvinists get so upset when Traditionalists do some of the above. I doubt I’ll be calling you heretics, semi-heretics, and be appalled at your views. We’ll just disagree on some points of Calvinism. I agree we are all brothers and sisters… Read more »
David,
You know very well that no one called the non-calvinist crowd “heretics” because they chose to have a blog or chose to have a conference, or even because they chose to release a doctrinal statement. It was the content of said statement that raised concern.
If the SBC Focus team releases a statement that they say they believe represents the majority of Southern Baptists, then it deserves the same scrutiny that any doctrinal statement deserves.
Guys, how long are going to continue to dredge up these same old grievances?
As long as the truth is worth fighting for. Sorry Dave.
To be serious for a second, there are genuine issues that can be debated between us. But we seldom debate the issues. We are more likely to just rehash old wounds.
I would say–and this is ignoring any potential hygienic benefit to emphasize the flinch–it’s more like pouring salt in fresh wounds. Speaking of hygienic benefits: I learned this summer that hydrogen peroxide is not recommended for deep wound therapy. It, indeed, still kills pathogens, especially bacteria. But it also kills new cells near the wound. So perhaps that is the word picture I’ll offer: discussing theology when the interpretation of the Bible leads to stark doctrinal positions can–especially among the spiritually immature who also evidence a lack of gentleness and perhaps an excess of hubris–while presumedly good for knowledge and… Read more »
In the spirit of David and Russell’s new book and the current posts related to prosperity gospel I want to state the following: As the Sports Editor of SBC Voices, I will take all large financial donations from any Trad or Cal and will send you something back in the mail very special which you can look at and feel prosperous whether you are a Trad or Cal, who reads the new SBC Focus or the older SBC Today. I will send any and all, Trad or Cal, a three pound bag of wood shavings from the last bat Babe… Read more »
Rev Dr CB Scott (with a last name that works even better as a first name),
I have already held the bat of The Mick when our SBC family was in Louisville for our little shindig a few years back. That was as close to sporting heaven as this die-hard BaseballEmpire fan will ever get.
😀
SolaGratia!
Scott Gordon, That is OK. I understand and the Mick was one of the greatest. I just wanted to help you guys out as you kicked-off your new Blog and maybe put a few dimes in Tony and Dave’s treasury here at Voices (maybe get myself a raise to boot). Maybe I can offer you and many others out there in the Baptist Blog World something you would like to have for a financial donation to Voices. If you or any Baptist Blogger sends me $2000.00 or more, be you Trad or Cal, reader of SBC Focus or SBC Today,… Read more »
I’m sure you will…from the SSA! 😀
(Now, I’m sure that Pancho Villa and his band of merry-men will be headed North out of Bama to the Show-Me State pretty soon!)
It is true. The SABANATION will be there Oct.13.
I went to the blog site this morning and actually found it very refreshing. I really hope their blog does well with a lot of participation. I really enjoyed Josh’s from yesterday.
Chris/Joshua,
Started to go check out the new blog, but our work internet filter blocked you guys as “malicious activity detected”.
It took me three minutes to stop laughing.
But, seriously, you might want to run this by your web guy.
What is your internet filter. We might want to promote that here.
I had the same thing once when I tried to go to Ed Stetzer’s site. Took a screen capture and sent to to him.
The splash screen does not say what they are using.
“Notice – Malicious Website Detected”
“Security risk blocked for your protection ”
“This Websense category is filtered: Potentially Damaging Content.”
“The website you are attempting to visit will be periodically re-checked for threats and vulnerabilities. When no further threats are detected, this block will automatically be lifted.”
Maybe if Chris publically resigns from the blog… ;-P
I suspect the problem is Joshua Breland.
Perhaps Rick Patrick hacked them.
On second thought, no. He’s so happy about the Cowboys winning last night he’d probably buy lunch for a car full of five-pointers.
Dave & Donald,
Boy, we hoped to keep that warning under wraps. Bummer.
AND DAVE, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating a Cowboys victory…the ones with the 5-pointed star on their helmets!! AWESOME!!!!!
Hey, you are right.
Conclusive proof that Rick Patrick is a Five-Pointer.
We had hoped it would take longer before people found out about our built-in subliminator. Being discovered so soon will make it that much harder to advance our agenda of turning the SBC into a convention of coffee lovers.
Donald,
Any chance you can grab a screenshot of the error and send it to me? chris@dailycross.net I may be able to figure out which filter it is and why it has flagged a problem. We heard from someone else whose filter flagged our site and it turned out to be something on their end, but there may be something with our configuration that might help filters realize that Calvinist websites are not the enemy.
Chris, I did not check back before being off work for the weekend. But, it is a custom corporate splash screen. It seems like there is a Norton update going on during login. I’ll shoot IT an email and see what they say.
Donald,
That’s fine. If you would, check back on the site Monday. I found one antivirus company that had our site misclassified. Emailed them and they said they’ve fixed it. May take a little while for the fix to roll out to everyone.