Dave Miller

David Uth, pastor of First Baptist, Orlando, and president of the 2020 SBC Pastors' Conference, has responded to the movement by some to pressure him into changing the SBC Pastors' Conference schedule he has designed. He is not backing down, but he has removed one point of attack for the critics. Some were seeking to pressure the EC to refuse the normal $100,000 in funding they receive for help with the venue costs. Uth has declared that First Baptist, Orlando will underwrite all the expenses. No money from any SBC entity will be sought. Donations from churches and individuals will … [Read more...] about Uth Responds to Critics

I am not saying this to defend or to criticize David Uth. If I were president of the PC, I would not be doing some of the same things he is doing this year. Oh, if I didn't have an agenda such as the one we used back in 2017, I would enthusiastically invite Vance Pittman to speak. Jimmy Scroggins should do a wonderful job. There are others that I am not as familiar with and I might make other choices. The chances of me inviting someone to do spoken word poetry are about the same as me performing an interpretative dance to the song "Oceans" during the conference. I am very much not a … [Read more...] about The LAST Thing the SBC Needs Is EC Oversight of the Pastors’ Conference

Another new Baptist network has formed, purporting to represent the grassroots majority of Baptists who have been disenfranchised somehow (since all our meetings allow open voting) that is going to lead us away from a drift into "woke" theology and liberalism. The networks have formed - some made a big splash and others barely a ripple - and generally faded away. What will happen to the "Conservative Baptist Network" announced today is yet to be seen. The network is a little nebulous at this point, still revealing itself, its structure and leadership, its purposes and tactics. Who knows … [Read more...] about Conservative Baptist Network: Reflections

I spent an hour on the phone yesterday with a kid who grew up in one of my previous churches. I have to be vague because he now works in a high-security Muslim country where it is illegal to share Christ. I was absolutely amazed at what God was doing through him and others in nations that we consider our enemies and which are often seen as closed to the gospel. For lack of time, I will simply give you a list of reactions to our conversation. 1. Don't give up on those annoying kids you minister to at church. Many moons ago, I did Bible drill with preteens on Sunday night before the service. … [Read more...] about An Unprecedented Opportunity among Muslims

I haven't been writing much. Thanks to William and others for holding down the site during my unscheduled, sort-of sabbatical. It's been intense at the church and a time of family crisis (both of my parents have rounded the final turn and are headed for the finish line), plus some stuff I can't talk about, but to be honest, I have been burned out, discouraged, and disillusioned with blogging and social media. I have been mulling in my own mind whether it still has value and what my place is here. Last week I had two conversations, one with one of our contributors here and another with a … [Read more...] about Why I’m Struggling with the Value of Blogging (And Social Media)

NOTE: One of the chief offenders in spreading lies in the SBC is the Capstone Report, which anonymously publishes a string of half-truths and falsehoods, without conscience. They recently made up a story about Dr. Jason Allen that was related to his involvement with "Soros-funded EIT" and to everyone's surprise, had the common decency to retract the story when it was demonstrated to be false. They stand by their lies about the EIT and ERLC and show absolutely no integrity or Christianity in any other area, but at least they had the decency to correct this lie. It is a start.  I have heard it … [Read more...] about Thou Shalt Not Lie: The ERLC, EIT, and George Soros (EDIT – Concerning Retraction by Hate-Blog Capstone)

In the long history of the SBC, we’ve faced many crises. Historians with greater expertise than I have can argue what periods are golden and which are not, but we have had many lamentable times that demonstrate that we exist by the grace of God, not the merit of Southern Baptists. What was the worst of those times? Was it the time of our founders, when slavery was blindly supported as godly in SBC pulpits? Was it the decades during which SBC churches excluded people of color and cheered segregation and oppression. We wandered the first steps on the path of liberalism until we were called … [Read more...] about Tom Ascol Plans to “Take the (SBC) Ship”

*And the rest of you SEC-loving, Alabama Crimson Tide-cheering cretans, whom I love with the love of the Lord, of course! I've never made much of a deal about it, but I'm not a fan of either the Southeastern Criminals (er, Conference - sorry) or of the Alabama Crimson Crud. I don't like to make a big deal of sports, because I'm a uniter, not a divider. But this year has absolutely baffled me. At the end of last season, the Crud was getting steamrolled by a clearly superior team from Clemson, which started the season at #1 and has won all of its games, though one of them was a near-miss … [Read more...] about A Question for Dr. C.B. Scott*

I have loved social media and defended its value against its detractors. Every year at our Annual Meeting I've bristled when our entity leaders and other platform personalities take pot-shots at bloggers, tweeters, and others involved in online communication, especially since most of those making those criticisms have blogs and are active on Twitter. It need not be argued that social media has had negative effects, but there have been some positives as well. We shine lights into hidden places where the powers-that-be do not want light shined. Of course, we also spread fake news, … [Read more...] about Social Media Burnout: Thinking It Through