Dave Miller

Friday, August 2, 2019, a friend of mine, one I had never met in real life but had grown to love through online contacts, found out what S.M. Lockridge meant when he said, "Sunday's Coming." It is a bit weird, but many of my best friends are people that I met through blogging. One of those, a man I have known since my earliest days of commenting on other people's blogs, is Dr. C.B. Scott. His hard-headedness matches the strength of his convictions and his integrity. I think I have argued more passionately (I'd call it angrily, but...) with him than just about anyone else in the blogging … [Read more...] about It’s Friday, Sunday’s Coming: In Memory of Karen Scott

I have been preaching a long series on Sunday mornings on the Holy Spirit and am currently going through 1 Corinthians 12. As a part of my Sunday message on verses 4-6, I ended up in Hebrews 11, don't ask me how. I took my people through a favorite section of the "Hall of Faith" and showed them one of those passages of Scripture I call, "Verses We Don't Really Believe." We believe the whole Bible, of course, but we don't REALLY believe those verses about loving our enemies, returning good for evil, giving thanks for everything, and a host of others - you get me? In Hebrews 11, we read about … [Read more...] about Failing by Faith: Verses We Baptists Don’t REALLY Believe

I understand why people want to know what entity presidents make. I do, too. If a secret email was circulating the interwebs with the salary packages and someone said I could have the password to open the email for $10, I’d probably be asking if they take PayPal or Cashapp. I am as curious as the next guy. I have written on this topic previously and expressed my views. In my mind, my curiosity is not a sufficient reason to break protocol on confidentiality and to violate the trustee system. I do not believe that I have a legitimate claim, even as a pastor whose churches, over the last 40 … [Read more...] about Some Questions about Salaries and Our Entity Presidents

With our 2019 perspective, we find it absolutely unbelievable that the founders of the SBC could preach the gospel while also owning slaves and regarding people for whom Christ died as sub-human. There are discussions ongoing as to whether the founders - blatant and unrepentant racists - were actually saved. We took action at the Annual Meeting this year that would prevent the founders of our convention and their churches from being a part of our convention today, because of their racism, an action I enthusiastically supported. Were the founders of the SBC false believers? Were they truly … [Read more...] about Racial Blind Spots, the Jerusalem Church, and Southern Baptists

This letter was sent to me by a Missouri Baptist pastor. Since we have published articles about the controversy at Southwest Baptist University, it seems fair to publish this response by the president, Dr. Eric Turner, to the controversy. It appears to be transparent and forthright.   Dear Missouri Baptist Pastor,   In Matthew 28, Jesus commands us to change the world with passion and compassion. During the past fourteen decades, Southwest Baptist University’s education, founded upon a Biblical worldview, has followed that command. SBU Bearcats are impacting the world as … [Read more...] about A Letter from the President of SBU to Missouri Baptist Pastors

We in the SBC have sanctified the bottom line. Good pastors grow churches. If your ministry is plateaued or declining (as the majority of SBC churches are) there is something wrong with you, your ministry, your priorities, or your people. In a Facebook exchange recently, a couple of online friends unwittingly drove knives in my heart when they said that churches that are plateaued or declining should stop playing church, close their doors, and give their buildings to new churches that can be replanted in their facilities. My Situation It hurt because after a long ministry in my current … [Read more...] about Faithful? Failure? Reflections on Frustrating Ministry

I am an old, conservative, fuddy-duddy Baptist preacher. I never thought I would be posting something like I am about to post! If you are not aware, Mark Aderholt, former SBC pastor, IMB missionary, and South Carolina state convention staffer, pled guilty to lesser charges while denying the charges that Anne has consistently made through the years. No, I will not be linking to a Baptist Press article on this. To this point, BP has maintained stony silence about Aderholt's guilty plea. As is usual, the Houston Chronicle is providing excellent coverage, this time, from Sarah Smith. The exact … [Read more...] about Anne Marie Miller’s Survivor Statement to Mark Aderholt

LifeWay's Facts and Trends magazine has just released that Ben Mandrell, pastor of Storyline Fellowship in Arvada, Colorado, will be the search committee's candidate to be the next president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. I heard him speak for the first time at the Pastors' Conference this year and thought he was great, but had no idea this was coming! LifeWay kept this under wraps better than most of the others! Go to Facts and Trends for all the information.   Just as an addendum, yes, we went 5 for 5 as a denomination in keeping the SBC's entity heads white! Each … [Read more...] about Ben Mandrell Announced as Presidential Candidate for LifeWay

LifeWay shared this video at the SBC Annual Meeting which explained why they had to close the brick and mortar stores. I know there are people who are upset about that decision, but this video makes a compelling case. This is the way all such decisions can and should be handled. LifeWay gave the straight scoop to the messengers - gave us the hard, cold, and yes, ugly facts. Can anyone listen to this and say they did the wrong thing? Thank you, LifeWay, for trusting the messengers and being transparent on this issue. Thank you, Brad Waggoner, for your leadership during this interim. … [Read more...] about LifeWay Video Explaining the Store Closings

I am still having trouble recovering from this year's annual meeting. Wears this old codger out. I was born on Friday the 13th, and tried to wear 13 in athletic competition when possible. So, here are 13 prophetic utterances about 2020. Of course, if this were OT Israel my track record on predictions would have long since gotten me stoned to death. What will Orlando hold for the SBC? 1. A smaller church challenge for the pastors' conference is likely to happen again. No, I do not plan to be involved but I think it will happen. 2. As an election year, it will be a bit more rough … [Read more...] about Predictions for SBC 2020 in Orlando