Dave Miller

The EC has been engaged, in the last two or three years, in an attempt to gain and assert a greater authority over other SBC entities than it has ever had. Mike Stone's unfortunate tenure as EC chairman was marked by a consistent power grab. The Executive Committee has historically been a coordinating council with seeks to assist the other entities in their work, but more recently, they have been seeking to become more of a "ruling elder board" for the SBC, interfering in other entities and asserting authority they do not have. Current EC Chairman Rolland Slade is a good and honorable man, … [Read more...] about We’ve Got Trouble, Here in SB City, With a Capital E, and that Rhymes with C…

The evidence is in. Ravi denied it and his friends supported him and attacked those who made accusations, but now there is incontrovertible, undeniable, factual evidence that Ravi Zacharias was a sexual predator - a despicable man who leveraged his ministry position for sexual favors from women. It is an ugly story. A friend asked a question today that we are called on to answer often in other contexts. "What do I do with all my Ravi Zacharias materials?" (A paraphrase.) It isn't an issue for me since I do not believe I have any books or materials from Zacharias. I didn't dislike him, I … [Read more...] about The Ravi Zacharias Problem

Adam Greenway and SWBTS announced today that there has been a settlement in the lawsuit that they and Baylor University brought against the trustees of the Harold E. Riley Foundation (HERF) over their attempt to take control of the foundation and redirect its assets. Mr. Riley was a longtime benefactor of SWBTS and Baylor, and set up this foundation to continue to support those institutions after he died. When Dr. Paige Patterson was fired from Southwestern, friends of his took control of the board of HERF and there are allegations that the intent was to redirect money from the HERF … [Read more...] about Patterson Allies Capitulate in HERF Lawsuit with SWBTS

I will admit, last night's vote in Georgia stunned me. I wanted the GOP to win those. It is not that I passionately pro-GOP these days, but I am unenthused about the idea of the Democrats having unfettered control of government for the next couple of years. They can implement some policies that will be difficult to undo. I know little about Perdue or Loeffler. I know nothing about Ossoff. What I know about Warnock is not good. Fundamentally, I believe in the old adage, that government governs best which governs least. If the GOP could have pulled off at least one win in Georgia, and it should … [Read more...] about Trump, the GOP, and a Primer in Self-Destruction

Sports tells us a lot about ourselves. We are prone to idolatry and false priorities, but there is something I have noticed on social media proclamations about the college football playoffs this year that I believe reveals something about our culture and our nature. If I had a nickel for every time I've read the following, or some variation of it, I would have a large nickel collection. Any team with only six wins in the regular season is disqualified and should not be included in the college football playoff. Many of those who say this are Big-12 fans who wanted Oklahoma in or SEC fans who … [Read more...] about A Revelatory College Football Playoff

I am going to do something a bit cumbersome and pedantic in this post. I have copied the entire text of the controversial Resolution 9 from 2019 which has been the source of so much argument. I am going to comment on it section by section and ask those who are so upset about it to identify exactly what their issue is with it. It should be fairly clear which parts are the text of the resolution and which parts are my comments. Definitions: Defining CRT and I is anything but easy. Here is my attempt. Critical Race Theory - The UCLA School of Public Affairs in an article called "What is … [Read more...] about What’s YOUR Problem with Resolution 9 – Be Specific

Recent developments in the SBC have provoked a strongly negative reaction among many Black pastors and other minorities, and many who are currently affiliated with the SBC are considering leaving our fellowship. When they express their frustrations and lament the racial situations in the SBC, they are rebuked, chastised, corrected, and labeled by some. Recent Developments 1. The passionate support of Donald Trump by many Southern Baptist leaders who justify his words and actions which many see as racially insensitive at best and racist at worst causes offense. Whatever we think of Donald … [Read more...] about A Plea to Minority Brothers and Sisters in the SBC

My granddaughter is inconsolable today, crying her 7-year-old eyes out. She came out to check on her bunny and found that it had gone to bunny glory. She'd had it for less than a year and to be honest, since she moved to the country recently and got a couple of cats, she'd spent less and less time with the bunny. When she found it lifeless, though, she was absolutely crushed. It would be easy to tell her to get some perspective, to recognize the suffering all around her and to see that in the grand scope of things, one little bunny doesn't matter all that much. I was crying a few moments … [Read more...] about Perspectives in a Pandemic

Seventy-one percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water and I have gone swimming, diving, or snorkeling in as much of it as I have been able. I spent a lot of time in the Atlantic, a little in the Pacific, and have dipped my toe in the Indian Ocean. Never made it to the Arctic. Growing up in Taiwan, I pretty much lived in the Morrison Academy swimming pool in the summer and in college, I took a SCUBA class which took us diving off Palm Beach. We explored “the Wrecks” in about 60 feet of water and did a drift dive 90 feet down in the Gulf Stream. Jenni and I have gone snorkeling in … [Read more...] about “Christ-Active” Thanksgiving

There is a lot of room under the banner of Great Commission Baptists for people who do not see eye to eye on many issues. Some among us seek to narrow the fellowship of Southern Baptists, or Great Commission Baptists, according to their own preferences. If you do not do as they do, prefer what they prefer, vote as they vote, think as they think, you are not a true Southern Baptist. We are an odd and ill-defined fellowship with an ill-defined identity, and so this kind of claim to Southern Baptist identity becomes possible. Boiled down, though, there are three basic aspects that identify … [Read more...] about “Great Commission Baptists” Have a Big Tent