I could have titled this piece “Southern Baptists are at a Crossroads.” Southern Baptists have faced many crossroads in their history. Yet where things sit for Southern Baptists in June 2021 isn’t a crossroads moment, but a fork-in-the-road moment. The choices facing Southern Baptists in the year of our Lord 2021 remind me of Robert […]
SBC Sexual Abuse Survivors Joint Statement
We come now collectively, as SBC sexual abuse survivors, to make our wishes known in regard to the ongoing crisis of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. Together, we strongly urge that these immediate actions are taken: 1. All SBC messengers support the motion of Todd Benkert for the hiring of an outside […]
#SBC21 Endorsement: Dr. Anthony Dockery for 1VP (by Marshall Blalock)
With all the focus on the Southern Baptist Convention’s presidential election, the office of First Vice-President is important for reasons that may not be obvious. The First VP steps in if unforeseen events cause the President to be unable to serve, and that reason alone makes the election important. However, the nomination of Dr. Anthony […]
Do What Must Be Done, Whatever the Cost, to Eradicate the Sin in our Midst (by Brent Epling)
Southern Baptists are rightfully grieved over this week’s many revelations. It seems like a hundred years ago when the Book of Reports revealed Southwestern Seminary’s response to Ben Cole, which reported that its former president had absconded with seminary property, including confidential documents, artwork, and donor lists. Then, someone leaked two letters Russell Moore wrote […]
Boto, Page, Pressler, Patterson, and Mike Stone: The Thread of Resistance to Abuse Response (by Colton Strother)
Yesterday I tweeted a thread on several pieces of Southern Baptist controversy and what the implications are for this year’s SBC Annual Meeting that meets in Nashville next week, June 15-16. What follows is largely the content of that thread. The original thread can be found here. To begin, the purpose of this article is […]
SBC Survivor Stories: Do you want to help? Or do you want things to stay the same? (Part 2 by Dave Pittman)
In the previous article, I spelled out some weighty problems within the SBC. And I asked the question, “Do you want to do something, or do you want things to stay the same?” Since I don’t believe it’s fair to point out problems without offering solutions, I want to practice what I “preach” and spell […]
Friendly Fire in the SBC (by Kevin Blackwell)
There were many tragic events during the years of the Second World War, but perhaps one of the most troubling occurred on July 25, 1944. As the Normandy campaign began with the historic beach landings of D-Day, massive allied bombing campaigns ensued clearing the way for Operation Overlord. Around 3,000 allied planes took flight that […]
SBC Survivor Stories: Will the Church Be a Haven or a Hunting Ground? (by Dave Pittman)
To say that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is having some difficulties is like saying an oncoming hurricane will have showers and a breeze. It doesn’t fully capture the detail of what the damage will be, or the tragedy left in its wake. Vitriolic disputes over theology. Christian Nationalism and racial injustice. The continued coverup […]
(Almost) Twenty Years a Baptist (by Cody Glen Barnhart)
Where a power structure can be wielded for good, a power structure can be wielded for evil. Friends, Baptists, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury our past, not to praise it. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interrèd with their bones. So let it be with […]
Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 2) by Jon Canler
See part 1 here, where Canler discusses the first two areas of concern. There he said: My concerns revolve around three aspects of the plan, two of which I’ll highlight in this post, and the third I’ll discuss in part two: Reservations Regarding Escrowing Cooperative Program (CP) Funds and Entity Reporting Reservations Regarding Trustee and […]
Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 1) by Jon Canler
Consider my two posts an open letter to the Executive Committee (EC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and to SBC legal counsel where feedback and clarity are welcomed concerning the current text of the revised and updated SBC Business & Finance Plan (BFP) being brought before the messengers of the 2021 SBC annual meeting […]
Suggested Ethics for Online Theological Discourse (Phillip Powers)
The legacy of Donald Trump’s term as President of the United States will not be measured in terms of legislation passed, appointments made, or diplomatic accords achieved. It will not be counted by any advancements of the Republican party’s agenda, by any conservative causes that were championed, or by any national or international crises that were averted. […]