There has been a lot of discussion recently of the death of John Allen Chau, a young missionary who violated Indian laws to go the remote North Sentinel Island to proclaim Christ to the isolated people who lived there and was immediately killed. He was aware of the danger of his actions and said that […]
Things to Be Thankful For…A Record-Breaking Year at SBC Voices
We don’t publish our page-views, which is the easiest way to judge traffic on a blog, and I am not going to do so here. But we have had an amazing year at SBC Voices, judging by our page views. Thank you for being a part of it. Last year, 2017, was actually down a […]
Giving Thanks – Embracing the Cross
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, filled with family, food, and football, a uniquely American celebration of our prosperity and all that we have to be thankful for. And let’s face it, with all the problems that we often bemoan, we have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we? We live in a great nation. […]
Holiday Rules at SBC Voices
I have family in and am in the countdown to my third (and hopefully last) surgery of the year – next Monday morning. It’s Thanksgiving and I hope you have better things to do this week than blog! If the mood hits I might write something. If any of our writers get inspired and want […]
IMB Trustees Elect Paul Chitwood President by Unanimous Vote (Update concerning IMB Policies)
UPDATE: Concerning the IMB policies mentioned below. I have received assurance from someone with specific and unequivocal knowledge of the situation that Dr. Chitwood has NO intention of revisiting or attempting to reinstitute the policies that were instituted under the guidance of the committee he chaired when he was on the board previously. I am […]
Dr. Paul Chitwood Nominated as IMB President
The IMB search committee is announcing its intention to nominate Dr. Paul Chitwood, the Executive Director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, as the next president of the International Mission Board. The official vote will be held Nov. 15. I have never met Dr. Chitwood but several of my friends, some of them part of the […]
SWBTS: On the Comeback Trail?
Last year would have to be described as a difficult time for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary by any metric. There were reports of declining enrollment and financial troubles, along with the constant drumbeat of controversy that led to the dismissal of their long-tenured president, Dr. Paige Patterson, an event that also resulted in some of the […]
What “Trust the Trustees” Means…and Doesn’t Mean
I heard a story recently that infuriated me. A friend was speaking to a trustee of one of our institutions who told him that one of the things he liked about being a trustee was that he didn’t have to listen to anyone else but the other trustees. And, he said, his only job was […]
Baptists and the Mega Millions Jackpot
There are all kinds of good reasons to oppose the lottery. It is a terrible form of gambling that tends to appeal most to people who can’t afford it. I’ve heard it described as a tax on stupidity – you’ve better odds of being struck by lightning than winning the thing. Then suddenly the Mega […]
Should Entity Head’s Salaries Be Made Public?
I noticed a comment in William’s philippic (see, William, I learned a new word) yesterday that called for something that has been called for many times before – that the leaders of SBC entities should make their salary packages public to all Southern Baptists. It was recommended as an accountability measure. This has never been […]
A Forum for the Opposition on Race
We are burdened about race relations in America and in the church. We advocate actively seeking justice and reconciliation through greater inclusion, through minority hiring, through social justice initiatives from a biblical foundation. Some of you oppose everything we suggest. You quibble with our terminology and accuse us of racism, of reverse discrimination, or you […]
Five Vacancies. Why the SBC Should Hire Its First Minority Entity President
We are in a unique time in SBC life. Have there ever been five entities in transition? We have been talking about minority leadership at an entity over the last few years. With nearly half of our entity leadership positions open, it is inevitable that this is a key moment in SBC history. Our trustees […]