D.A. Horton is the lead pastor at Reach Fellowship in Long Beach, CA. His is a voice we need to hear. Read the whole thread. Dear #SBC18, I’m deeply grieved how power & privilege inside our convention are used to build walls of self-preservation & systemic protection. This results in allowing an erring person to avoid confessing wrongdoings which = the removal of bearing fruits of repentance. (1) — D.A. Horton (@da_horton) May 24, 2018 When we shield someone w/ repeated public offenses from confession of wrongdoing, it not only allows them remain ensnared perhaps in the … [Read more...] about D.A. Horton on Patterson and SWBTS
Email to SEBTS Students on Washington Post Story [Full Text]
This afternoon, SEBTS released this email to seminary students to address the steps they have taken and are taking as a result of information that's recently come to light in today's Washington Post story. Dear SEBTS Students: Today an article was released in the Washington Post that mentions Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The focus of the article is the handling of a rape accusation that involved two students in 2003. The event took place under a previous administration. I was only recently made aware of this event. Since being made aware of the event, I have asked our … [Read more...] about Email to SEBTS Students on Washington Post Story [Full Text]
From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 4:1-6 Walk Worthy of This Calling
We share our opinions and insights at SBC Voices, but we believe that the Voice that matters most is the one that comes from God's Word. We present these daily expositional devotions, beginning with a tour of Ephesians called, "Walk Worthy," in hopes of encouraging our readers to remember to Voice above every voice. Passage: 4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 4:1-6 Walk Worthy of This Calling
Possible Outcomes of Tuesday’s SWBTS Trustee Meeting
Tomorrow the full trustee board of Southwestern Seminary will meet to discuss what action, if any, will be taken in light of the recent controversy surrounding the seminary’s president, Dr. Paige Patterson. No one knows what to expect. The Baptist Press story linked above indicates that Patterson himself requested the meeting. The trustees’ decision will likely have deep and far-reaching consequences regardless of what conclusion is reached. Opinions on this issue have been strong, and no doubt will continue to be. My purpose here isn’t to argue the merits of one choice over the other, but … [Read more...] about Possible Outcomes of Tuesday’s SWBTS Trustee Meeting
Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
In the preface to Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “That part of the line where I thought I could serve best was also the part that seemed to be thinnest. And to it I naturally went.” We see a need in the Southern Baptist Convention, and our desire is to provide a means to strengthen that weakness. The SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative is designed to be a networking tool that helps open channels of communication within our convention. We are receiving nominations of ethnic minority leaders and women who may be available, interested, and willing to serve the SBC in leadership … [Read more...] about Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
Breaking News: Patterson Issues Another Statement, “An Apology to God’s People”
This afternoon Southwestern Seminary released another statement from Dr. Paige Patterson. This follows an April 29 statement from him and a May 1 Statement on Abuse from Patterson and the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee. It also follows a widely-circulated open letter to SWBTS trustees from SBC women and a more recent, similar letter from SBC men. The full text of today's statement is copied below. An Apology to God's People Pastoral ministry that occurred 54 years ago, repeated as an illustration in sermons on more than one occasion, as well as another sermon illustration used to … [Read more...] about Breaking News: Patterson Issues Another Statement, “An Apology to God’s People”
The Mess We Are In: Can We Say “Enough Is Enough”?
A few days ago, Dave Miller shared his thoughts on the “Patterson brouhaha” in this post: A Few Words about the Patterson Saga. In my opinion, it was balanced, honest, and gracious. As I reflected on Dave's post, I started to wonder: How exactly did we get in this mess? Make no mistake, it is a mess, and all Southern Baptists are in it – together. People are debating whether Dr. Paige Patterson should preach the convention sermon or whether he should remain president of Southwestern Seminary. Those questions are important. I'm not taking away from those discussions, but that's not my … [Read more...] about The Mess We Are In: Can We Say “Enough Is Enough”?
GoFundMe Available for SWBTS Student Fired for Tweet
Nathan Montgomery is the SWBTS seminary student & former employee who was fired this week for tweeting Ed Stetzer's article critical of Paige Patterson. According to media reports, Montgomery will lose $40,000 in salary and $7,000 in tuition benefits per year as a result of not longer being employed as catering manager. Sarah Pulliam Bailey at the Washington Post has the background and latest. One of the points of Stetzer's article was that the slightest expression of criticism of Patterson brings a huge backlash. Irony noted. Montgomery says he he plans to appeal his termination to … [Read more...] about GoFundMe Available for SWBTS Student Fired for Tweet
TGC Profiles Summit Church’s Incredible Sending Capacity
If you want to get fired up about how a local church can develop a culture of sending its members on mission, go read the Gospel Coalition's profile of Summit Church. Titled How One Baptist Church Has Seven Times More Missionaries Than Anyone Else, Sarah Zylstra details the history of Summit: From a church plant, to quickly growing, to plateaued & declining, and then to revitalization and exponential growth, the focus isn't on the numbers attending the church but the pipeline of leaders and workers going out to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. In the 17 years since the church … [Read more...] about TGC Profiles Summit Church’s Incredible Sending Capacity
New SBC Voices Site Design & Features
We've been talking about it for a while now, and finally over the past week we've been rolling out an update to the website. We hope you'll enjoy the new look and features. The visual changes may be the first thing you notice, but we hope you'll see some improvements in other areas too, particularly with our comments section. Here are some of the details: New SBC Voices logo & artwork across the blog and social media. The speech bubble seemed like the perfect visual icon for what we do here: say what we think and then give you the chance to talk back to us and to one … [Read more...] about New SBC Voices Site Design & Features