Dave Miller

I actually have nothing to say. I'm on the way to Omaha to pick up the world's cutest and most wonderful grandson ever (and I will not tolerate debate on this issue). But here's the challenge.  Top that title! There is a large cash prize (I'll take a dollar bill and blow it up to an 11x17 sheet of paper and mail it to you) for the best potentially controversial blog title. My money is on Doug Hibbard. … [Read more...] about Mark Driscoll on Church Politics concerning Illegal-Immigrant Calvinist Homosexual Homophobes who Deny Baptist Identity in Emergent Megachurches

There are several modern inventions I think are genius. The in-car GPS?  Give that inventor a Nobel prize.  And the DVR - wow!  I get to fast forward through commercials.  I can watch a soccer game in about 15 minutes, but just zipping through it until the score changes then watching the goal.  Amazing.  Recently, I got a smart phone - a Droid because everyone else says to get the iPhone.  How did I live so many years without a smart phone? But there is one modern innovation that this aging pastor hates.  I don't know who the low-down varmint was who came up with the idea that we have to … [Read more...] about Why Can’t I Sit in Church?

I don't have time to write a lengthy article here and this is too long for a tweet, but I'm going to vent my spleen a little and you can chime in. I read some things today that got me thinking, and fuming, and writing.  So, here it is.  I'm not giving details because I don't want this to be personal. My church is having a tough time financially.  Yours is too, probably.  The vast majority of non-profits in America are struggling.  Churches.  Associations.  State conventions.  The SBC.  We are all in the same boat - sailing in a sea of red ink and leaking fast. Let's assume, for the sake … [Read more...] about The WRONG Way to Handle Church Financial Problems

I had a long talk with a woman last week.  She grew up in what I will call left-brained Christianity and she is tired of it. She was raised in churches that prized doctrinal correctness and biblical knowledge and had very strict standards for behavior - typical American conservative evangelical churches.   They have emphasized the holiness of God, His glory and supremacy.  But she has also seen the dark side of left-brained Christianity.  One church she was a part of used "truth" as a hammer to keep people in line and obedient.  She is very tired of a Christianity that is defined by what it is … [Read more...] about Right-Brain Christians, Left-Brain Christians: Can We Walk Together?

As a rule, I do not tell jokes that involve God and his ways.  Just doesn’t seem right.  But this old joke makes a point. A man was trapped in a flood on top of a barn.  He prayed, calling out to God and a voice came from heaven saying, “I will save you, my son.”  With that confidence, he relaxed on the roof and awaited his rescue.  Soon, a man in a canoe came by and told him there was room in the front.  The man said no because he was waiting for God to save him.  As the waters continued to rise, a motorboat came by and offered him a ride.  Again, he turned it down and awaited divine … [Read more...] about One Thing Changed: The Key to Church Health and Growth?

I always love reading William Thornton, the SBC Plodder.  But this time, he is just flat meddling!  Seriously, we pastors love our housing allowances, don't we?  Thanks for the knowledge, William. Lest we forget when we complain about the government – we are on the receiving end of a pretty significant tax loophole, the minister’s housing allowance. So far, President Obama hasn’t railed against it or labeled it ‘clergy welfare.’ I am unaware of any legitimate justification for this tax break, but then who said tax policy in this country had to be legitimate, sensible, or fair? Recent news … [Read more...] about Our Sacred Tax Break: The Minister’s Housing Allowance (by William Thornton)

I paid the slightest attention to the Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida.  Evidently, now, if you look up "dysfunctional family" on Wikipedia, the Anthony family photo pops up - what a mess.  I was aware the case had gone to the jury, but yesterday I checked my Facebook and saw anguished cries of pain at the injustice in Florida.  I checked Fox News and sure enough, Casey Anthony beat the rap.  She is legally not guilty of killing her child. Evidently, twelve jurors sat through hours and hours of testimony.  They were not allowed to watch the breathless 24/7 coverage of this trial and … [Read more...] about A Nation of Experts Renders a Verdict!

In keeping with my commitment to the BIFF movement, I would like to address the issue of patriotism and Christian worship - certainly a hot-button issue here at SBC Voices.  A few days ago, we published an article by David Brumbelow which defended the validity of including patriotic aspects to Christian worship.   Then, yesterday, Mark Lamprecht published a response to David's article at Here I Blog.  It is not my intent to grade either articles, to pick a winner or to even enter a pony in the race.  What I would like to do is try to state what I see as areas of agreement - points of unity in … [Read more...] about A BIFF Perspective on Patriotism and Worship: On What Can We Agree?

I am now in my sixth year of blogging - in blogger years that is ancient.  I have been involved in discussions of baptism and private prayer language, opined on the Wade Burleson/IMB saga, crossed swords with several in both the BI camps and moderates.  I was a commenter, then had my own blog (which no one read), a contributor at a great blog called sbcIMPACT, then became part of the team here at SBC Voices. In all that time, I have been as much interested and concerned with the process of blogging as with the subjects we discuss.  I believe God cares as much about the means as he does the … [Read more...] about Ten Rules* for Blogging (*Well, more like guidelines than actual rules)