Dave Miller

Is it possibly a sign of our partisan ways that one of the most divisive things in the SBC today is the Sinner's Prayer? I attended a men's breakfast this morning where a nationally known sports figure was the featured speaker. Around 800 men (well, there were a few women who crashed the testosterone party!) ate a hearty meal then listened to this man share his life story and make a gospel presentation. All in all, I would say it was a biblically grounded message - I don't think even some of the angriest of the discernment bloggers would have found too much to quarrel with in his testimony … [Read more...] about A Modest Proposal about the Sinner’s Prayer

I'm not sure if Perry Noble and Newspring church still consider themselves SBC or not, but they have parted ways. Perry Noble has either resigned or been removed as pastor because of a problem with alcohol abuse that is ongoing and evidently has become severe. Ed Stetzer has an article at Christianity Today that was released this morning. I've never been much of a fan of Perry Noble, but I think we all have to say that one more black eye for the evangelical church is something that is going to hurt us all - at least in the public perspective. That church is likely to suffer the kind of … [Read more...] about Breaking News: Perry Noble Is Out at Newspring

I'm not a fan of buzzwords. If a word becomes such you can pretty much bank on it that I'm not likely to use it. I've used the word missions a handful of times in recent years but I avoid it because it's both nebulous and omnipresent. Unfortunately, the word "gospel" has become such a word in some circles. I have come to the point where I almost never use the word unless I am specifically referring to the gospel story of Christ's salvation. If I enumerated my specific complaints it would be counter-productive and we would most certainly find ourselves on several tangents. But chief among … [Read more...] about Not Everything Is a “Gospel” Issue – But Race Is!

I just spoke to someone who was in the room when Steve Gaines and JD Greear settled their decision for JD to drop out and let Gaines become president on the third ballot uncontested. Most considered it a magnanimous gesture by Greear and felt as if that was the best outcome possible after the split balloting the first two ballots. Of course, for some, grace, peace, and unity is not a good outcome and so aspersions must be cast, suspicions must be raised, and deals must be insinuated. According to the person who was there, all of that is fiction. Pure conjecture and accusation - unworthy … [Read more...] about The Truth about Steve Gaines and JD Greear

This will be short. Whether it is sweet or not will certainly be in the eye of the beholder. I do a daily "through the Bible" devotional for my church members to get them reading the Bible. This year, instead of going through the Bible in one year, I did a chronological trek through the New Testament which is going to take 7 months. Today's reading was Titus 2 and 3. I noticed something interesting about Titus 2. Paul opened the passage by admonishing Paul to "teach what accords with sound doctrine." He closes the chapter in verse 15 with this command: Declare these things; exhort … [Read more...] about An Interesting Observation about “Sound Doctrine”

I got a little annoyed by a Babylon Bee article last week – not a lot, just a little. I get a little annoyed whenever people take cheap shots at Dispensationalism. And it happens a lot. I realize that we are fair game. The spirit of the age is that Dispensationalism is a relic of our past, that we’ve evolved past such a view, that it is for rubes and rednecks, but that no serious student of the Bible would actually hold such a doctrine today. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone share how they used to be one of those dispensationalists, but then they “studied the Bible for … [Read more...] about Things Dispensationalism Does NOT Teach

Bart Barber pointed something out earlier, that the racists and white supremacists were furious with us and were trolling our hashtag, #sbc16. So, he promptly took a picture of himself with a black friend and posted it, proclaiming this to be the future of the SBC church family. What followed was the most vile stream of hate. I decided to jump in and I've been told to do some things I actually don't know how to do. I asked Bart what one word meant, but he wouldn't tell me. Gonna look that up on Google one of these days. Here's the thing. Isn't it great that the racists and white … [Read more...] about Hallelujah! The Racists are FURIOUS with Us!

http://youtu.be/BuGxOE0Vy1g At some point, we need to remember we are Baptists. We are FOR, not AGAINST, religious liberty. If you are against religious liberty for Muslims, you are an opponent of religious liberty. If you support liberty, you support it for even those you disagree with. That's the way liberty works. … [Read more...] about Mic Drop

My fellow Southern Baptists, I'm not speaking to you today just as the pastor of a church. I am the great-great-grandson of two men who fought in the confederate army. One is buried in the confederate cemetery in Litchfield, Virginia. One fought in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. .... All the confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race. https://youtu.be/2_tIxFJhR5k … [Read more...] about THE Moment – James Merritt speaks against the Confederate Flag at #SBC16