Dave Miller

There is something unseemly about trying to rank blogging, but I've always been a stats guy and so this week I looked at the technorati.com blog "authority" rankings.  I don't really understand them, why rankings go up and down. From time to time we get questions here about why certain blogs are on the "Featured SBC Blogroll" while others are not.  The Technorati rankings are one way of explaining why certain blogs are featured. When I was a coach, I was a little bit of a stats nut - probably too much so.  But its ingrained in my DNA somehow.  So, here is a listing of the Top Southern … [Read more...] about Technorati’s Religion Blog Rankings: How Baptist Blogs Stand

Everyone seems to be getting into this - and so I thought I would follow the crowd.  Here are the blogs that really struck me this week.  Now, I don't read every blog or every blog post.  So, being the blue-collar blog we are, if you have a nomination, put it in the comments.  Since we assume that you read every word of every post we put on here (you do, don't you?) we are not including our own posts. The order is simply the order in which I found the posts. 1) Ed Stetzer "New Research on Global Evangelicalism" Examines a new Pew Research study of Evangelicalism worldwide, with some of … [Read more...] about This Week in Baptist Blogging

We who blog are not always viewed positively among the powers-that-be in the SBC and in the Christian world.  We are quick to criticize and difficult to control.  I think that some of the criticism is valid - we have not governed ourselves well.  I think that some of the criticism comes because powerful people are not used to being criticized, are usually able to squelch it and cannot do so with bloggers. The Significance of Blogging Many dismiss blogging and bloggers as insignificant.  That is wishful thinking on the part of those who do not like what we do.  We may not be as important … [Read more...] about Criticizing Christian Leaders on Blogs: An Ethical Dilemma

A picket fence must be maintained carefully or it will fall into disrepair.  The ecclesial picket fence requires constant maintenance as well.  It is always easier to sequester ourselves with like-minded believers who reinforce our ideas that to fellowship with those who challenge them.  We can caricature and condemn instead of seeking to understand and embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is not an easy job. But it is worth it. I believe that there are three keys to maintaining the picket fence in the Christian neighborhood.  First, we must make a covenant of blessing.  I used … [Read more...] about Maintaining the Picket Fence: Brick Walls, Picket Fences (9)

(The SBC Plodder a contrarian?  Say it ain't so, William.) Ah, the NASCAR prayer guy. My contrarian nature is to ignore it if everyone else is talking about it but, having entered into the alleged discussion here, I’d like to suggest that the conversation has moved beyond the propriety or lack of the same of the guy’s prayer.  What is more noteworthy to me at this point is the vehemence of the criticism. For the record, I think the prayer was both inappropriate and unhelpful. I offer three reasons, 1.       It seemed to be about entertainment. 2.       The audience seemed to be … [Read more...] about Is this really how we want to be seen? (by William Thornton)

I was having one of my regular bouts with insomnia Monday night and I started perusing blogs.  There have been several articles in the last week or so that have been very critical of one of the past presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. James Merritt.  He was, for a time, involved in some way in a financial program called Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing.  I had never heard of it until blog posts appeared questioning the organization and criticizing Merritt for his involvement in it. There was a video of Dr. Merritt posted on several sites in which he spoke highly of FHTM and even how … [Read more...] about Dr. James Merritt: FHTM and His Blogging Critics – His Response

I wrote an article Monday at sbcIMPACT about Harry Potter.  In it, I admitted my deep, dark secret - I'm a fan of the books and movies.  But I'm also a little wary about the subject.  Below is my original post, then some very insightful comments by David Rogers that present a reasonable case for why Christians should be careful about the Potter phenomena.  Both David and I believe this is a matter of liberty and conscience, but that does not mean that Christians should fail to exhibit discernment. So, here is my original post and David's comments.  Let us know what you think. TRUE … [Read more...] about A Christian Liberty Debate: What about Harry Potter?

I have had two conversations recently that revealed a similar concept, that if two Christians disagree on some theological or lifestyle issue, one or both of them is "in sin" and should repent.  Is that really true?  Are differences in doctrine rooted in sin?  Must disagreements be settled by repentance? Dr. Malcolm Yarnell of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary created some controversy a few years ago at the height of the Baptist Identity debate among Southern Baptists.  We believe that baptism is meant to be performed after conversion by immersion - that's why we are called … [Read more...] about Is It a Sin to Disagree? Picket Fence Doctrine: Brick Walls, Picket Fences (8)