Dave Miller

I have friends who think it's impossible, Luddite-leaning folks who think the only holy response to social media is to turn it all off. Many others seem to be without introspection, justifying pretty much every word they say as righteous. I take these next two statements as truisms. 1. Social media can be used for the glory of God and for the advancement of the kingdom.  2. Social media has often been a source of shame and has brought much reproach to the church and to the name of the Savior who shed his blood for that church.  I believe social media has been and can be a great force … [Read more...] about Social Media Engagement that Glorifies God

I have been involved in blogging and social media for over 15 years, and have been running SBC Voices for nearly 12 years now. For a while, I was spending way too much time on this site and in the last year, I have largely ignored it, with the exception of two brief times - the SBC Annual Meeting and the unfortunate upheaval surrounding the Executive Committee's refusal to follow the will of the Annual Meeting, leading to the resignation of Ronnie Floyd and several EC members. I haven't looked at the stats, but I'm guessing I posted fewer articles in 2021 than any year since 2009 when I … [Read more...] about The Eternal Conundrum of Social Media Involvement

Okay, before you go ballistic, I admit that the title is a bit of a piece of clickbait. Yes, there are racists among us, and people with doctrinal issues, and those who abuse women and children, and people with moral and ethical failures, as well as some structural, administration, and leadership problems within our entities. Yes, problems abound in our little denomination. Every year when our statistical report is published, the weeping and wailing can be heard throughout the cosmos and to the four corners of the earth. We have problems. I am making a simple point today, one I hope … [Read more...] about The “SBC” Doesn’t Have Problems

At a Turning Point gathering on December 19, 2021, Donald Trump, Jr. drew wild applause from conservates, many of whom would describe themselves as “Christian conservatives” when he said the following. “We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. Okay? It’s gotten us nothing while we’ve ceded ground in every major institution in our country.” If you have any doubt that the modern conservative movement is divorcing itself from any biblical moorings, realize that this conservative crowd cheered when … [Read more...] about Weapons of Our Warfare

I haven't had time to enter into the fray here, so I thought I'd drop by leave a Christmas message here. I know our audience isn't always motivated unless there's something to fight about, but this is what I'm writing and working on these days. Do you ever wonder during all the hullaballoo of the Christmas season if anyone understands what the season is all about? We celebrate frenetically but seem to have little clue about the season’s true meaning. This phenomenon is not new. There is little evidence that those who experienced the events of the first Christmas fully understood what was … [Read more...] about The Man Who Understood Christmas

This was originally posted in 2016, but since heretics like Jay Adkins continue to troll social media promoting Die Hard as a Christmas Movie, people who stand for truth, justice, and the ho-ho-ho way have to continue to stand.  I read a post the other day differentiating trolling and taking a prophetic stand. Trolling is when someone takes a strong stand with which I disagree. When I agree, that person is taking a prophetic stand. I am taking a prophetic stand against a great evil I've seen on several of my friends' Twitter and Facebook posts. On lists of great Christmas movies, … [Read more...] about Taking a Prophetic Stand: Die Hard is NOT a Christmas Movie

I am emerging from my personal hibernation to address an issue and give some information about SBC Voices. I am coming out of probably the worst 2-year period in my life - I won't bother to regale you with all the details, but COVID hit me hard and hit my church hard. Two years ago, both my parents went on hospice and I lost both of them and that kinda knocked me back. Ministering in the post-COVID era has been a challenge unlike any I have faced in 40 years. I had surgery recently and I am recovering. All of that has led to a period of significant discouragement in life - yeah, my doctor … [Read more...] about A Word (Well, a LOT of Words) about SBC Voices

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 solidly conservative. The former president there had a rule that those involved with the school were not to criticize the SBC or the CP. The current president, Mike Spradlin, has taken a different tack, choosing to spread divisive lies meant to tear down our … [Read more...] about It May Be Time for the SBC to Break ALL Ties to MABTS

The Executive Committee has an email for its president that is published and is available to Southern Baptists to use. It is my understanding that in this maelstrom, Ronnie Floyd is isolating himself from social media and tends to only listen to his supporters, those who tell him he's doing a great job. There have been statements by seminary presidents and several from state conventions and state pastors organizations, but we have no idea if they are getting through. Here's my suggestion. Tell Ronnie Floyd directly how you feel. Send those letters directly to him. PLEASE - if you do, … [Read more...] about A Suggestion: Email Ronnie Floyd and Tell Him What You Think

Various state conventions and groups in states have taken unprecedented action to state their displeasure with the Executive Committee's action to thumb their nose at the messengers of the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting and refuse to take appropriate action to deal with sexual abuse. I would guess that my list here is not complete, but here are the ones I have seen. To my knowledge, Michigan Baptists got the ball rolling with this stunning resolution. Tommy Green, the top-notch exec from Florida, sent this letter to his pastors, acknowledging the problem but maintaining that the CP was … [Read more...] about State Conventions Speaking Out about Executive Committee Failure