Guest Blogger

Editor's Note: A separate post called "Seminary Infographics" has been posted that demonstrates some of the data that William and Bart have been discussing.  When I visited seminaries back in 1978 prior to enrolling, I went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary which was touted as the largest seminary in the world. Put together bold-talking Southern Baptists and tall-tale Texans and you've got a recipe for some heavy, heavy trash talking. Largest IN THE WORLD! Largest IN HISTORY! Impressive, though I chose not to attend. How are things looking these days? Well, it depends on the … [Read more...] about Just how are our seminaries stacking up these days? (by William Thornton)

Before I begin, let me express my gratitude to Dave Miller for his willingness to let me post here at Voices. He has been generous with space while allowing me to offer perspectives at variance with his own. This is the true spirit of constructive debate. This post is my response to his response to my response to Nathan Finn’s response to the “Traditional Statement” (TS) on Southern Baptist (SB) soteriology, which is our response to New Calvinism in the SBC, which is the Calvinist response to non-Calvinism in the SBC. I imagine that this sort of back-and-forth is off-putting to some who see it … [Read more...] about A Response to Miller’s “Amyraldian Antinomy” (by Eric Hankins)

I received this submission anonymously a couple of days ago. I thought it was worthy of posting, but am reluctant to post anonymously, unless there is a good reason. So I emailed the anonymous "Baptist Person" who submitted it. Lo and behold, he identified himself a Nicholas Graves. He was posting anonymously because his mother and my sister are the same person. Be nice to Nick. With his family background, he deserves sympathy.   As a layman who has interest in my favorite denomination, I have some observations about Southern Baptist distinctives and ways we may be shifting away from them. … [Read more...] about How Southern Baptists are Destroying Their Distinctives – Sort Of (by Nick Graves)

Ryan is the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Orange City, IA, and blogs at "By His Grace." This year so far two pastors in Iowa have died by suicide. The job fatality rate is higher than the police department my dad works for, which is located in a high crime area in Pittsburgh. My heart is heavy when I hear that a shepherd is slain by falling on his own sword. I’m not writing to analyze what goes on in the heart of a man who chooses this end. Nor am I going to offer a list of suggestions on how to prevent pastoral suicide. There are others more qualified to do that. But I do … [Read more...] about Pastoral Suicide (by Ryan Perz)

Dr. Eric Hankins is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Oxford, Mississippi. He is the author of the much-discussed Traditionalist Statement and was central to the Calvinism Task Force appointed by Dr. Page, which reported at the Houston Annual Meeting. This is part 4 in the series. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.  In this final post, I offer a response to the second question Nathan Finn puts to Traditionalists in his recent essay in the Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry. Finn asks, “Who are the New Calvinists, and what have they done?” (68). Finn understands the preamble to … [Read more...] about A Response to Dr. Nathan Finn, Part 4: The New Calvinists (by Dr. Eric Hankins)

Tom Law was the Interim Executive Director for the Baptist Convention of Iowa. If you have never been what would it take for you to go? If you have been what would it take for you to go back? What do you wish that you had known before you went? Finally, what would it take for you to organize a group to go with you? I am putting together a group to go to Israel in October 2014 of Iowa pastors and their wives. As I have researched this and seen what others have done I have come to the conclusion that this is something I should have done years ago. I am trying to understand why I … [Read more...] about What Would It Take for You to Go to Israel? (by Thomas L. Law III)

“NEVER WASTE A CRISIS” Did Donald Sterling's Adultery Expose His Racism? By Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr. Donald Sterling's racism is well documented and has been appropriately redressed by Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner. But his adultery has gone largely unaddressed.  No one of stature has related the impact of his adultery to this crisis. Wasn't Sterling's adultery the precursor to him receiving the death penalty, as a result of his racist rant? Wasn't it a recorded conversation with a female friend—that his wife was suing for having interfered with her marriage—the conversation that … [Read more...] about NEVER WASTE A CRISIS: Did Donald Sterling’s Adultery Expose His Racism? (by Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr)

Let me put my cards on the table first and let you know that I am the pastor of a small church that is also a young church, barely a year old. We have a large handful of people, meet in a back room of a preschool that recently had a jackhammer in the ground due to construction happening to expand the building. We have very few resources by American standards and operate during the week from my office at home. I build the worship guides and a church member makes it fit on a single piece of paper that looks nice and readable. Another members print it off from their own personal printer each … [Read more...] about Small Church Pastors’ Attitudes (by Job Dalomba)

Nathan Finn structures his essay on the Traditional Statement (TS) around two questions he puts to his “Traditionalist friends”: “What makes Traditionalists traditional?” and “Who are the New Calvinists and what have they done?” My final two posts in this series will attempt to answer those questions. Before I offer my response to the first question, let me make a few brief remarks about the answer Finn gives to it, which is, essentially: “There is nothing significantly ‘traditional’ about Traditionalists.” Finn’s argument against the name boils down to these two assertions: (1) Calvinism … [Read more...] about Response to Nathan Finn, Part 3: What Makes a Traditionalist Traditional? (by Eric Hankins)

While this post might seem to be a counterpoint to Rick Patrick's recent article (first in a series) concerning the CP, it was actually published on February 28 at William's site, the SBC Plodder. The second post in Rick's series is due to post Monday.  The SBC as we know it would not exist without our venerable and beloved Cooperative Program. Without it, there would certainly be a Southern Baptist Convention. It just wouldn't look like what we see today. Alas, our flagship denominational giving program is in this slow, steady, relentless decline. As a percentage of offering plate … [Read more...] about The Cooperative Program we have…not the one we had or dream about. (by William Thornton)