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Dave Miller

The Racism Motion: A Response from the Inside

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I received an email from someone who was "in the know" relative to some of the decisions that I have been critical of here.  I'll call him Jason Bourne (Obviously, NOT his real name).  He responded in a reasoned and forthright way to some of the comments that I (and others) have made here about Dwight McKissic's motion about racism in the SBC. It is really important to see all sides of things.  Jason gently shared a different perspective than the one I had formed and I learned from it.  He has asked that I protect his identity but granted me permission to share some of his thoughts and … [Read more...] about The Racism Motion: A Response from the Inside

I Wish Every Baptist Executive Was Like Our Jimmy Barrentine!

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I got an email a couple of days ago telling me what I had already heard. Sometime this year, the SBC's best state executive director will be retiring. We Iowa Baptists don't have a lot to brag about. We are one of the smaller conventions - so small we don't even get representation on our boards and agencies. We struggle to plant churches.  Its not easy to get "Southern" Baptists to venture to the frozen north to serve our churches.  Iowa is often difficult soil in which to plant the seed.  But we have had the best exec in the convention. Don't argue with me. I'm right on this one. I … [Read more...] about I Wish Every Baptist Executive Was Like Our Jimmy Barrentine!

The SBC, Racism and the Future: My (Lily White) Brothers, We Can Do Better!

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Dwight McKissic said something to me the other day that absolutely shocked me.  He had called me about another matter, and but he told me something that really disturbed me. The podium at the SBC Annual Meeting last year was just like me - lily white!  When he made his motion to make racism as serious an offense as homosexuality in the SBC bylaws, there was not a single person of color involved in making the decisions.  He claimed that there was not a single black man on the stage during the entire convention. Here's the thing:  I never noticed.  It never occurred to me that the … [Read more...] about The SBC, Racism and the Future: My (Lily White) Brothers, We Can Do Better!

“Pujols: More than the Game” A Review

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I cheered for Brett Favre for a long time.  I loved his grit, his competitive spirit and the joy he demonstrated as he played football.  I even cheered for him as he retired and unretired fourteen times.  But he made it difficult to cheer for him as stories of his boorish behavior in his year as the Jets quarterback came to light.  Sexual harassment.  Sexting.  Brett Favre is evidently a hero with feet of clay. Baseball's 1998 was a year of glory.  Not only did the Yankees win more games than any other team ever has, but the home run derby between Mark McGwire (my hero) and Sammy Sosa (not … [Read more...] about “Pujols: More than the Game” A Review

When Did the Trinity Become Non-Essential Doctrine?

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NOTE:  I still have not seen any statement, though I assume that one is forthcoming.  But the link to Potter's House and the bio for Jamar Jones have been removed from the Pastor's Conference website. Two items for your consideration: 1) Ed Young, Jr has been trumpeting his "EXC3ED" conference which just wrapped up. Now, I'm going to put aside my old-fogey ennui about hip spellings of words. There's a church in my town called Riverz Edge. Good church.  That z replacing the s is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! But, as I said, I'm going to put the misplaced (annoying) 3 aside … [Read more...] about When Did the Trinity Become Non-Essential Doctrine?

NAMB and Disaster Relief: If It Ain’t Broke, Let’s Fix It?

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As an Iowa Baptist, I can tell you that there are two Southern Baptist ministries that really make a difference in our neck of the woods.  No one here cares a lick about who is elected president of the SBC, or about the NAMB restructuring or the IMB search committee.  If you offered a million dollars to anyone in my church to name the president of the SBC or NAMB, no one except the three staff pastors and our DOM would have a chance to collect.  If anyone in my church knows who Tom Eliff is, I would be shocked.  Iowa people, with the fewest of exceptions, simply don't care about what is going … [Read more...] about NAMB and Disaster Relief: If It Ain’t Broke, Let’s Fix It?

Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee

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Tom Eliff is going to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, and I'm not sure exactly what to think about that.  I have no problem with Tom Eliff.  I just don't know that much about him. Tom Eliff's father was the pastor of the church that sponsored the church my dad planted in Cedar Rapids in the 60s, so the Eliff name has been familiar to me all of my life.  But in reality, I know very little about him.  I know he was the president of the SBC and pastor of FBC Del City, Oklahoma.  I've never heard anything negative about his life, character … [Read more...] about Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee

Someone Switched the Price Tags

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(This was originally published last Friday at sbcIMPACT) My mom and I were shopping at K-Mart back in my much younger days.  I was not easy to shop for - I was both very tall and unnaturally thin (trust me, it used to be true).  Finding pants my size was not easy.  That waist just doesn't come in that length very often.  But that day we found a pair, and at a price that amazed us.  We snapped them up and headed to the cashier. The younger whippersnappers who read this may not remember what price tags looked like in the 1970's.  There were no computer printouts with bar codes.  There was a … [Read more...] about Someone Switched the Price Tags