I am a Southern Baptist woman. As a baby I toddled up and down the aisle of my parents’ little SBC church in central Texas, squealing with laughter as one church member after another held my chubby hands to steady me. I grew up there. I knew all of the best hide and seek spots in the building. I slept on the floor of the fellowship hall during G.A. sleepovers, and Jesus found me in that same room, when a traveling evangelist asked me if I could hear my shepherd’s voice. How many sweet people had poured God’s word into my hungry little soul by the time I was eight years old? Eventually, … [Read more...] about SBC Women: Next Steps (Melissa Edgington)
Mike Pence & the SBC – It’s a Mixed Bag (Dave “Tarheel” Cline)
I want to say from the outset that I would strongly prefer that no elected politician, candidate, or official speak at the Southern Baptist Convention. I would even go so far as to suggest that the host city send a tourism or chamber of commerce representative to welcome us to their fair city instead of a mayor or councilperson. I hope the SBC exec committee will, as a result of the referred motions regarding this, propose a formal nix going forward of our historic practice of inviting and granting space on the platform and/or on the schedule to elected politicians or candidates for secular … [Read more...] about Mike Pence & the SBC – It’s a Mixed Bag (Dave “Tarheel” Cline)
American Family Radio Picking the Wrong Fight (Jimmy Meek)
As I come home from Dallas, I am refreshed at the Gospel unity shown at the Southern Baptist convention. I was however disappointed by what I heard on a Dallas AFR station. American Family Radio has a combination of broadcast sermons and political commentary shows, with a conservative Christian bent. One of their commentators on Tuesday, hours prior to the election for SBC President between JD Greear and Ken Hemphill, was making an obvious push for listeners to side with Ken Hemphill. The reasons given seemed to be this commentator’s perception that the younger JD Greear was a liberal … [Read more...] about American Family Radio Picking the Wrong Fight (Jimmy Meek)
Pensive on Pence (Fabian Portunato)
Let me begin by saying I was appalled and confused when I found out about the V.P.'s speaking at the convention. With all the rah-rah on unity, to put such a polarizing figure on stage seemed to be a blatant slap in the face. Though, and no one is more surprised about this than me, I walked away from the speech strangely encouraged. Here's the play by play: First, this professing brother started well and ended well in regards to really driving home a message appropriate for our convention. It was the middle/body of his speech where it got awkward with what was basically a re-election … [Read more...] about Pensive on Pence (Fabian Portunato)
Is There An Effort to Put Anti-Moore Trustees on the ERLC Board?
Editor's Note: We received this from Derrick Lynch Monday and are deeply concerned. We checked out the story as best we could with several sources who confirmed it. The gist of this is a profoundly disturbing accusation which has been confirmed by three authoritative sources. Dan Anderson was replaced as a trustee of the ERLC because he refused to agree to oppose Dr. Russell Moore. Of course, this leads to a broader question. Is there a concerted effort to stack the ERLC board with anti-Moore trustees? Our hope is that this action was taken by a rogue committee member and does not … [Read more...] about Is There An Effort to Put Anti-Moore Trustees on the ERLC Board?
The Southern Baptist Convention Is a Symphony Not a Melting Pot (Luke Holmes)
In 1915 America was in crisis. The large wave of immigrants had threatened what people deemed the “American way of life.” In other words, people didn't like that others were different from them. It was in this culture that Jewish scholar and writer Horace Kallen wrote his 1915 essay “Democracy versus the Melting Pot.” Kallen challenged the popular notion of America as a melting pot. To Kallen the very idea of a melting pot contradicts part of what it means to be American, of a country of people founded on freedom and equality. He challenged that America was not a melting pot, but a … [Read more...] about The Southern Baptist Convention Is a Symphony Not a Melting Pot (Luke Holmes)
5 Lessons and Reasons for Hope In Spite of the Recent Tensions in the SBC (Chris Hefner)
As a Southern Baptist I have been following the recent controversies and tensions at a distance. There is no shortage of opinions, commentary, criticism and defense. The tenor leading up to next week’s convention in Dallas promises to be eventful and significant. There is ample reason for self-examination personally and denominationally. There are lessons we can learn and reasons we can have hope in spite of the controversy and tension. The SBC is an affirmation of the biblical narrative. When you look through the scriptural storyline, you will not find biblical heroes, but rather you … [Read more...] about 5 Lessons and Reasons for Hope In Spite of the Recent Tensions in the SBC (Chris Hefner)
Miami Church Planter Fabian Portunato on Why He’s Attending #SBC18
My name is Fabian Portunato and I am a Send Network planter in Miami, FL, in my 3rd year of this plant. This will be my 4thconsecutive year attending the SBC. It is a commitment I made to myself and my church, that if we were to be Southern Baptists then we would be involved in Southern Baptist life at the local, state and National level. The first year I attended was part of a requirement for my Baptist History class at SEBTS. It was pretty wild seeing characters from the books I had read about the conservative resurgence and it was like seeing those stories jump off the pages into real … [Read more...] about Miami Church Planter Fabian Portunato on Why He’s Attending #SBC18
Three Reasons I’m Looking Forward to #SBC18 (Jim Drake)
With all the controversy surrounding this year’s annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, I have seriously considered canceling my hotel reservations and staying home. With each new “revelation” and Twitter storm, I have thought it might be emotionally easier to skip the trip to Dallas. After all, a 15-hour drive, wall-to-wall mini-conferences, meetings, and crowds are exhausting—not to mention the added ministry weight of planning and preparation that’s required to be away from our small church during the height of gearing up for summer ministry. With those things in mind, it … [Read more...] about Three Reasons I’m Looking Forward to #SBC18 (Jim Drake)
The Time is Now: Why I Will be Voting for J.D. Greear (James Merritt)
I have been attending the SBC for over 35 years and was a buck private in the army that fought the battle for the Conservative Resurgence. I have been humbled and honored to be around some of the finest men of God who have ever lived who served as SBC president. Adrian Rogers, the greatest preacher of my generation, Jimmy Draper the quintessential statesman, Bailey Smith, the fearless evangelist, and the list goes on of men who led us to believe that this mighty evangelical battleship could be turned from running aground into the shallow waters of theological liberalism to the warm waters of … [Read more...] about The Time is Now: Why I Will be Voting for J.D. Greear (James Merritt)