It may be the fastest decision a Baptist committee has ever reached. A workgroup within the SBC Executive Committee has assured us that most of the churches named in the Houston Chronicle’s sexual abuse exposé do not warrant any further investigation. Late Saturday, the bylaws workgroup released a statement through Baptist Press. Both the content and […]
SBC Executive Committee Recommends Bylaw Change, Disfellowshipping on Basis of Racism or Indifference to Sexual Abuse
More big news out of this week’s SBC Executive Committee meeting. The EC is recommending changes to article 3 of the SBC Constitution, which would add racism or indifference to sexual abuse to the list of circumstances which would call for a church to be deemed out of cooperation with the convention, and therefore no […]
SBC President J.D. Greear Outlines 10 Action Steps in Response to Sexual Abuse Controversy
Last night during the SBC Executive Committee meeting, J.D. Greear outlined action steps based on the work of the presidential study group on sexual abuse. A number of reports were coming out from media outlets via social media during the meeting. It was clear that the meeting, from the beginning, aimed to take the situation […]
Greear Announces Most Diverse Ever Committee on Committees
Yesterday afternoon through Baptist Press, SBC President J.D. Greear announced his appointments for the 2019 Committee on Committees. The demographic makeup of this committee, which is reported in accordance with a 2015 Executive Committee recommendation (adopted by vote of the entire SBC), includes the following details: 34% of the committee is female, 50% of the committee […]
Letter from a Birmingham Jail on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A few years ago I remember coming across the recommendation on social media that Christians would do well to (re-)read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail each year on the holiday set aside to honor MLK. I’ve taken that recommendation each of the last several years, and am happy to recommend you do […]
SBC of Virginia Young Pastors Summit
Adam Blosser and I were able to attend the Young Pastors Summit today at the SBC of Virginia office near Richmond, Virginia. I’ve attended this meeting every year since 2014. The fellowship and networking is always refreshing. SBC of Virginia leadership does a good job of a putting together a quality program too. I know […]
Power of God – Resource for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (1/20/19)
As we prepare for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday coming up in just a few weeks, I encourage you to make sure you’re incorporating that emphasis in your church’s worship service. Here’s one resource I wanted to make you aware of. It’s a spoken word piece by a good friend, Nigel “Legin” Anderson. Legin is a Gospel rapper […]
Theology Professor Dismissed by Southwest Baptist University to Appeal Firing on Friday
Dr. Clint Bass was dismissed “with cause” from the theology faculty of Southwest Baptist University back in November. According to a petition posted by supporters of Dr. Bass, he will appeal to trustees of the Missouri Baptist college this Friday and ask to be reinstated. According to his dismissal letter and other documents posted along with […]
James MacDonald Withdraws from 2019 SBC Pastors’ Conference
SBC Pastors’ Conference President Danny Wood released a statement today announcing that James MacDonald will not be speaking at #SBCPC19. MacDonald had been named as one of the speakers back in October. Recently a World Magazine article about MacDonald and Harvest renewed some earlier concerns and brought new information to light that reflected poorly on […]
David Platt & IMB Issue Statement Apologizing to Anne Miller
Late Wednesday night, IMB President David Platt issued the statement reproduced below. You can find the original statement here along with the story in Baptist Press here. Platt apologizes to Anne Miller and announces an investigation of this and any similar situations, as well as an examination of current policies. You may contribute to Anne […]
Wealthy Patterson Supporters Threaten to Withhold Future Donations to SWBTS
News reported this afternoon. 16 individuals or couples have signed a letter to Kevin Ueckert and the SWBTS trustees threanening to withhold “tens of millions” in future donations to the school. In seven pages they express “utter disdain for your actions on May 30,” the day Patterson was terminated. They demand for an investigative committee […]
Unconvinced by Bart Barber’s Case for Prioritizing Strict Immigration Enforcement
Yesterday here at Voices, Bart Barber wrote A Non-Nativist Case for Strict Enforcement of Immigration Law. There are several reasons I approached Bart’s article with a lot of anticipation. One of which is the huge amount of respect I have for Bart. Another is that he’s helped me think through immigration-related issues before (here, here, […]