The most loved and loathed personality in SBC history is, without a doubt, Dr. Paige Patterson, current President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Patterson remains a figure held in the highest esteem by many SBC pastors, who find no fault with his controversial and now well-known remarks, spoken on the subject of spousal abuse in 2000 at The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Patterson is loathed by many in the SBC, not only for the spousal abuse comments, but for many miscues, missteps, mistakes and positions taken, that many find unacceptable. [Wade … [Read more...] about Harboring Conflicting Emotions Regarding Paige Patterson’s Counsel on Spousal Abuse and the Resulting Implications
The Looming Civil War in the SBC? A Response to Lorine Spratt and Others
The recent MLK50 Celebration in Memphis was a phenomenal success: Almost 4000 in attendance; over a million have listened online; 25% of the live audience were minorities, predominately African American; incredibly powerful, persuasive prophetic, biblical and redemptive preaching, teaching, panel discussions, fellowship and networking across racial lines. The most diverse gathering in my 40 years of observing SBC Life, with approximately 1000 Blacks in attendance. The Annual Convention of the SBC has nowhere near that kind of Black attendance. Obviously, with a million listeners online, it has … [Read more...] about The Looming Civil War in the SBC? A Response to Lorine Spratt and Others
Martin Luther King, Jr. & Destiny Will Meet April 3-4, 2018 at the SBC ERLC King Celebration, MLK50
If Dr. King were alive, he would be utterly amazed that the Southern Baptist Convention, this year will be hosting a party in his honor in Memphis, Tennessee. When he penned “The Letter from The Birmingham Jail,” King had his “Christian and Jewish brothers” in mind, including Southern Baptists, when he wrote the following words in April 1963: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities ‘unwise and untimely.’ I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King, Jr. & Destiny Will Meet April 3-4, 2018 at the SBC ERLC King Celebration, MLK50
Grateful for William Seymour, N L. Robinson, One Community Church Awards, Arkansas Baptist College Trustee, & Life Action Advisory Board Appointments
In the past three months, I have been chosen to receive three distinguished awards and given an opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees of a Historically Black College and on the Advisory Board of an evangelical revival ministry with an incredible vision. There are numerous awards, certificates, plaques and tributes I have received across a forty-year span of public life and ministry. I am equally thankful and godly proud of all those as well. Typically, I am not one who desires or broadcasts awards, honors and Board appointments. However, I am so thankful and thrilled to serve and be … [Read more...] about Grateful for William Seymour, N L. Robinson, One Community Church Awards, Arkansas Baptist College Trustee, & Life Action Advisory Board Appointments
Alabama Voters Will Determine Whose Voice Matters Most (William Dwight McKissic, Sr.)
The Chairman of the Deacons approached me about a rumor floating around the church during my tenure as an Arkansas Pastor from 1977-1983. The rumor: the pastor is engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with girls between the ages of 13-17. Although astonished by the deacon’s inquiry, I hurriedly and truthfully assured my deacons that there was not one iota of truth to the rumor. I then asked the deacons the source and basis of the rumor. The source of the rumor was the church’s janitor. His evidence; “feminine napkins” he often had to discard from the trash can in my office after youth choir … [Read more...] about Alabama Voters Will Determine Whose Voice Matters Most (William Dwight McKissic, Sr.)
National and Southern Baptists Presidents Unite in Denouncing the Alt-Right, and Signing an Open Letter to President Trump to Do the Same
Dr. Steve Gaines, President of the Southern Baptist Convention and Dr. Jerry Young, President of the National Baptist Convention are signatories on a letter released September 28, 2017, denouncing the Alt-Right and respectfully calling upon President Trump to speak out against the Alt-Right movement, noting “This movement has escaped your disapproval.” An additional thirty-five well known Pastors, professors and religious leaders have endorsed the letter, including Dr. Tony Evans, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Danny Akin, Dr. Fred Luter, Dr. J.D. Greear, Dr. Joel Gregory, Dr. John Jenkins, Dr. … [Read more...] about National and Southern Baptists Presidents Unite in Denouncing the Alt-Right, and Signing an Open Letter to President Trump to Do the Same
A Road Map on Race: After Phoenix ’17 and the Alt-Right Resolution (William Dwight McKissic, Sr.)l
A ROAD MAP ON RACE IN THE SBC IN LIGHT OF THE PHOENIX ’17 ALT-RIGHT RESOLUTION By William Dwight McKissic, Sr. The Southern Baptist Convention’s response in its Annual Session in Phoenix, June 2017, to the White Supremacy/Alt-Right Resolution that I submitted, may be recorded by historians as a defining moment in SBC history, particularly on the racial front. Phoenix may prove to have been a pivotal turning point and place in how racial matters are dealt with in the SBC for years to come. To reflect on the Resolution and to offer a road map to navigate through uncharted racial waters as an … [Read more...] about A Road Map on Race: After Phoenix ’17 and the Alt-Right Resolution (William Dwight McKissic, Sr.)l
Crossing Cultural Chasms: An Invitation to Hear Dr. H.B. Charles and Dr. Jerry Young
In Romans 16:13, Paul said to the saints at Rome, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been mother to me as well.” Many scholars believe that Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21). Cyrene was a North African city, located in Libya. Paul referred to Rufus’ mother as his own. Mark was the only gospel writer to record the names of Simon’s sons, Rufus and Alexander *Mark 15:21). Thomas C. Oden, in his groundbreaking book, “The African Memory of Mark” provides a compelling argument that Mark was an African Jew born also in Cyrene, and was personally familiar with … [Read more...] about Crossing Cultural Chasms: An Invitation to Hear Dr. H.B. Charles and Dr. Jerry Young
Resolution for the 2017 SBC Annual Meeting – Condemning the Alt-Right & White Nationalism
Resolution On The Condemnation of the "Alt-Right" Movement and the Roots of White Supremacy Submitted to the Resolutions Committee for the SBC Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, June 13-14, 2017 by William Dwight McKissic, Sr. WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that from one man God made every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation (Acts 17:26); and WHEREAS, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the day when the Lord would judge between the nations and render decisions for many people (Isaiah 2:4); and WHEREAS, … [Read more...] about Resolution for the 2017 SBC Annual Meeting – Condemning the Alt-Right & White Nationalism
The Moss Perspective vs. The McKissic Perspective: Opposite Sides of the Window Interpretations of the SWBTS Preaching Photo
Rev. Otis Moss III, the eloquent and winsome young preacher who succeeded Rev. Jeremiah Wright as Pastor of The Trinity Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, posted on Facebook a brutal response—tantamount to a rebuke—of the five Preaching professors at SWBTS, and by extension, a rebuke of the Seminary and the SBC. Moss’ intellectual and insightful mind is on full display in his “Standing on the Outside of the Window—Looking In” interpretation of the Twitter photo. Four years ago, I was privileged to be a table mate of Rev. Moss for three hours, during an invitation-only Phoenix gathering of … [Read more...] about The Moss Perspective vs. The McKissic Perspective: Opposite Sides of the Window Interpretations of the SWBTS Preaching Photo