Guest Blogger

Bart Barber is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmersville, TX, and one of the mainstays of Baptist blogging through the years (Praisegod Barebones). Few things are as controversial among Southern Baptists as the employment status of a teacher or missionary. Counting the topics that have, each in their respective moment, sucked all of the oxygen out of the Southern Baptist blogosphere since 2006, the most populous category involves professorial employment. I'd like to take a few moments of your time to put forward some ideas I've come to embrace about how things ought to be in our … [Read more...] about A Few Thoughts about Denominational Hirings and Firings (by Bart Barber)

Andy Hynes is a PhD candidate at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Follow him @ABHYNES on Twitter. We live in a society that looks in every direction for assistance, help, and satisfaction.  We look to magazines, TV, movies, and the Internet to sooth our hurts, burdens, and disappointments.  When problems become greater, we turn to the “professionals” and seek their assistance in calming and settling our hurts, burdens, and disappointments. We are conditioning people to distrust the sovereignty and sufficiency of Christ.  Jesus is superior in the things pertaining to salvation … [Read more...] about Is Christ Enough for You? (by Andy Hynes)

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift. What a horrible day in Boston. Evil broke in again and shocked us all, although at this point, I don't know why we should be surprised. The Aurora theatre shooting. Sandy Hook. Dr. Gosnell's House of Horrors. Now, the Boston Marathon Bombings. Today, we all grieved with those in Boston and could not help but think back to 9/11. But, there was another story being told today in Boston. When the bombs went off, people ran TO the victims to help instead of running away to save themselves. Howard Fineman of The Huffington Post writes: "Today, rescuers … [Read more...] about Boston Bombings, Evil Unleashed, and Light Triumphing Over Darkness (by Alan Cross)

Andy Hynes is a PhD candidate at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Follow him @ABHYNES on Twitter. As we sit and listen/watch all the moral and ethical ills of our country, and countries in the world, we must be reminded that the Gospel will go forth. Isaiah 55:6-11 displays some significant truths about God’s Word.   If the wicked are not called to repent, then they won’t.  If they do, then the Lord will have compassion upon them, and He will abundantly pardon, will we???? Many will wonder if through all the disgusting and horrific news events, if people will be asking about … [Read more...] about The Gospel will go forth! (by Andy Hynes)

Editor: the blackout is slowly ending, it seems, because of pressure being put on by people horrified at the evil perpetrated by Kermit Gosnell. Here is Alan Cross' article published yesterday at Downshore Drift. I wrote about this the other day, but the Media-Bias-Blackout of the Gosnell Abortion/Infanticide case in Philadelphia continues, by and large. Kirsten Powers wrote about it on Wednesday for the USA Today and she asked the questions that every member of the Media who reported on Sandra Fluke, Trayvon Martin, Newtown, Aurora, or any other story that gained national attention should be … [Read more...] about How to End the Media Blackout of the Gosnell Case TODAY! (by Alan Cross)

William Thornton gained his fame and fortune as the SBC Plodder. One of the strengths of that blog has been his perspective on Cooperative Program issues. He recently started a new blog, called "Cooperative Program Observer" where this article was originally published.  I have heard the Cooperative Program praised and criticized. I've seen it held up as if it were inscribed on stone by God's Own Finger (not to be sinister but His left index finger, anthropomorphically speaking). I've heard many a Baptist offer suggestions - some outrageous, some eminently sensible. But what I have never heard … [Read more...] about One thing I have never heard concerning the Cooperative Program (by William Thornton)

Something of a dustup occurred in the SBC Blogosphere recently when Norm Miller, the Director of Communication and Marketing at Truett-McConnell College (SBC) in Georgia and editor/moderator/contributor for the Traditionalist SBCToday.com group blog commented in a post about the ideal SBC president and who it should NOT be. Miller referred to the Lifeway study called The Gospel Project and its inclusion of writers from Christian backgrounds beyond the SBC. Apparently, Miller thinks it a negative thing to bring in other perspectives to SBC Bible Study material and he blames Ed Stetzer, General … [Read more...] about Should We Be Talking About Treason? Is Christ Divided? What the BFM2000 Has to Say on the Matter (by Alan Cross)

Andy Hynes is a PhD candidate at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Follow him @ABHYNES on Twitter. He also seems to be fairly competent as a predictor of sporting outcomes, having won our recent bracket challenge! Whether we realize it or not we have a ministry mentality.  What I mean is, we all have ideas about the purposes of ministry.   How we view the purpose of ministry will determine our approach.  A lot of the mentality today is the need to exhaust all of our efforts to “attract” people with events and ideas. We plan and seek new ways to invite or convince the lost they … [Read more...] about Ministry Mentality (by Andy Hynes)

This was first posted at Alan's blog, "Downshore Drift." I was thinking recently about how much we simulate the experiences that we would like to have and the life that we would like to live into something that can be approached, bought, sold, and consumed. We often do not want the real thing, but we are happy with a facsimile of what we think would be nice. For example, my favorite Italian restaurant in town is made to look like Tuscany on the inside and has trees growing on the roof on the outside, but in reality, it is in a parking lot in front of a Best Buy on a bypass. I like to listen … [Read more...] about Plastic Living, Plastic Faith (by Alan Cross)

Dr. David W. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. He blogs at  http://kncsb.org/blogs/dmanner . You can follow him on Twitter:  @dwmanner.  Why are churches that so zealously defend the Bible rarely reading its text in public services of worship?  Does its limited use convey a lack of trust in the very Word professed to be foundational to faith, doctrines and practices?  And by limiting its text to a single reading prior to the pastoral exhortation are leaders implying that a higher level of credibility is found in the exhortation … [Read more...] about If the Bible Is Foundational to Worship…Why Aren’t We Using It? (by Dr. David W. Manner)