Within the Southern Baptist Convention, some have implied that the current focus on addressing abuse in our churches and entities is a distraction from our mission, which has historically been assumed to be evangelism and missions. However, to view efforts to deal with the sin of abuse in SBC churches and entities as a distraction from their mission is to misunderstand the relationship between mission and corporate holiness. Dealing with abuse in our churches and entities is more than just biblically warranted, it is divinely commanded and crucial for the fulfillment of our mission, which … [Read more...] about Is Dealing with Abuse in the SBC a Distraction from Our Mission? (Casey Hough)
There Is No Camel (Bill McKinnon)
Since Donald Trump announced his intention to run for president in June of 2015, a lot of people have wondered at Trump’s popularity among evangelical Christians. A man with Trump’s well documented moral failings seems an unlikely choice for a community that railed unrelentingly against Bill Clinton for his moral failures. But evangelical support has, on the whole, remained solid. Trump famously quipped that he could shoot someone on 5th avenue and he would not lose support. This statement, to the surprise of many, turns out to be true. Over the course of the campaign and his presidency, … [Read more...] about There Is No Camel (Bill McKinnon)
Legalism, Liberalism, and the “Nameless Ones” (Adam Wyatt)
Several weeks ago, Christian author Josh Harris publically renounced his faith. Harris’ writings were incredibly popular with many in my Christian “bubble” when I was in college at a Southern Baptist College. He spoke of the importance of staying sexually pure in relationships through exchanging a dating culture for a courting one. In short, he suggested that it was far better to pursue marriage rather than pursuing dating. I agreed with him. I still do. Harris followed up his writing by becoming a megachurch pastor at the ripe age of 30, following noted pastor CJ Mahaney. Even though … [Read more...] about Legalism, Liberalism, and the “Nameless Ones” (Adam Wyatt)
Pastoral Reflections on the ICE Raids in Mississippi (Adam Wyatt)
This past Wednesday, United States immigration authorities arrested 680 undocumented workers in Mississippi in what Mike Hurst—the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi—said was the “largest single state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.” As reports came in, it was apparent that this was something important. I live in Mississippi. I have both lived and served in two of the areas affected by these arrests. I grew up and pastored in Carthage, MS and lived in Morton, MS, where my dad pastored. When I was a bi-vocational pastor in … [Read more...] about Pastoral Reflections on the ICE Raids in Mississippi (Adam Wyatt)
Letter to white evangelicals: decision time (Erich Bridges)
RICHMOND, Va.—Dear white evangelicals: It’s decision time. You can’t pretend any longer that President Trump is not a racist. Evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. Any number of examples going back years should have tipped you off. Like when Trump launched his political career by falsely claiming that Barack Obama wasn’t born in America. Or when he said many of the Mexican migrants coming across the border rapists and drug dealers. Or demanded the closing of U.S. borders to all Muslims, regardless of their countries of origin. Or said some of the white supremacists who rampaged … [Read more...] about Letter to white evangelicals: decision time (Erich Bridges)
The Art of Pastoral Honesty (Adam Wyatt)
No matter where you pastor, you will have to navigate through difficult issues. A smaller church or a rural church can sometimes be more difficult because the difficult issues are much more entrenched in the church culture. If a pastor is going to navigate the issues and steer the church toward positive Gospel-centered change it is important that he learn to use the pulpit to honestly deal with issues that need to be dealt with. I believe that there is no better way to lead a church toward positive change than by faithfully preaching the gospel. Sure, planning is important. Outreach is … [Read more...] about The Art of Pastoral Honesty (Adam Wyatt)
Don Currence: A Picture of Grace (CJ Adkins)
It was a perfect storm and Don Currence got caught right in the middle of it last week at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. The large deliberative body meeting in that historic city took important measures to deal with the heartbreaking issue of sexual abuse which tragically exist in some of our churches (as well as in many other denominations and other institutions). This is a difficult issue to engage, particularly for us, since the roughly 47,000 SBC churches are autonomous bodies and there is no hierarchical structure that can direct any local … [Read more...] about Don Currence: A Picture of Grace (CJ Adkins)
Misogyny in Baptist Higher Education (by Russell L. Meek)
May 4 was my last day at Louisiana College, where I had taught Old Testament and Hebrew for the past four years. I left because of how the school handled what seemed to me to be a clear example of the type of theological system that undergirds the current sexual abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention. It was February 14, 2019, just a few days after the Houston Chronicle released its stunning, sickening series of articles on sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches and how that abuse had been covered over for years. That day in chapel Joshua Dara, the dean of the school of human … [Read more...] about Misogyny in Baptist Higher Education (by Russell L. Meek)
Deborah: An agent of God’s compassion and deliverance (by Ashley Blosser)
Why is it that we only hear of Deborah during debates on complementarian doctrine? On the one side she’s held up as evidence that women are permitted to hold pastoral positions over men in the church, while the other side seemingly has no idea what to do with her. As one who has run in “hard” complementarian circles for most of my life, I’ve heard every attempt to explain away Deborah’s story in Judges ranging from “there were no men in Israel fit to lead” to “Deborah was a sign of God’s judgment on His people”. Interestingly, Deborah is sandwiched in a roster of all male judges. There are … [Read more...] about Deborah: An agent of God’s compassion and deliverance (by Ashley Blosser)
The Fall of All the Mall Walls: Definitions in the Age of Social Media (Dean Treloar)
Recently, I was talking to a friend about a mishap he had experienced on twitter. This friend of mine, a pastor, was defending a biblical view on social issues when, presumably due to the language used, was miscategorized by a reader as being an advocate for a trending political controversy. The misunderstanding of tweets as a result of language — in this case, language that happens be shared in hot-button topics in our current political bipartisan divide — is all too common. Consequently, my friend and I spent a great deal of time talking about the phrases we use and the words we select to … [Read more...] about The Fall of All the Mall Walls: Definitions in the Age of Social Media (Dean Treloar)