The Southern Baptist Convention seems to have been frozen in time for a few decades, entrenched in doctrinal disagreements, ongoing concerns of sexual and spiritual abuse, and so focused on operational autonomy that renders it unable to police itself. For good reason, a small army has risen to protest the harm this torpor has generated. Their voices are both valid and valuable. There is a tipping point, though, at which genuine advocacy slips into routine outrage, especially regarding a large and lumbering religious system that has managed to ride by most cultural reforms on the backs … [Read more...] about The Credentials Committee: A Call for Patience (Susan Codone & Megan Lively)
Response to Paige Patterson’s 2012 Letter (Dr. Marshal Ausberry)
I was saddened and wounded to read the letter from seven years ago from our Brother Paige Patterson to Jimmy Draper. I was asked by a couple of news agencies to give comment. But as I prayed about it, I felt led to share first with my SBC family through the Baptist Press. I agree that anyone holding the office of President of the Southern Baptist Convention must have sound biblical doctrine, to include inerrancy of Scripture. That is one distinctive of Southern Baptists; we have a high view of Scripture. Southern Baptists hold that “…all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.” (BFM … [Read more...] about Response to Paige Patterson’s 2012 Letter (Dr. Marshal Ausberry)
An Admonition for Women Serving Christ (Etta Linton)
"Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these WOMEN who have CONTENDED FOR THE GOSPEL at my side..." Philippians 4:2 Ladies, we are not secondary to gospel ministry. Our job here on this earth isn't JUST to make things pretty and sweet and delicate and feed the men and build them up. Note: I said JUST. (I actually want and enjoy doing those things...well, maybe not so much the delicate part.) We are GOOD at those things and we should do them. But we, LADIES, are CONTENDERS FOR THE GOSPEL. BY THEIR SIDES. Don't ever think for a second that God doesn't intend to use you, woman, for the … [Read more...] about An Admonition for Women Serving Christ (Etta Linton)
Is Dealing with Abuse in the SBC a Distraction from Our Mission? (Casey Hough)
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)