Guest Blogger

Alan blogs at Downshore Drift. This article is a follow-up to the article we published here a couple of days ago (link is below).  After my resolution on ministering to immigrants in Alabama did not make it out of the resolutions committee on Tuesday, I have become pretty motivated to think through this issue and I wonder if it might not be possible for Alabama Baptists to tell a better story than we have. I wrote about what happened here: http://www.downshoredrift.com/downshoredrift/2012/11/are-alabama-baptists-wrong-to-minister-to-illegal-immigrants.html I understand the desire to … [Read more...] about Could Alabama Baptists Lead the Way in Immigration Reform In America? (by Alan Cross)

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift and delivers devastating nominating speeches! Admittedly, this is just going to be one side of the story. And, I am used to not getting my way or have people listen to me, so that is not the issue here. But, today, I submitted a resolution to the Alabama Baptist Convention during our annual meeting that sought to address the balance between our duty to obey the law of the land and our duty to obey God's law in loving all people and helping them, despite whether they are here legally or not. It did not make it out of committee and I wanted to explore some … [Read more...] about Are Alabama Baptists Wrong to Minister to Illegal Immigrants? (by Alan Cross)

Lynn Mitchell is a husband of one wife, a father to five children, and a faithful member of Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville NC where he lives while pursuing a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His PhD focus is in missions and specifically how Christian missions is more than evangelism. Lynn loves to teach and preach specifically in the areas of mission mobilization and men's ministry. Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/lynn.mitchell.984 and Twitter: @MLynnMitchellJr To the amazement of many, myself included, the election Tuesday went to Obama. The obvious question is, … [Read more...] about What happened?: An Anthropological Insight into the State of the Union (by Lynn Mitchell)

Dr. Timothy Paul Jones is Associate Vice President for Online Learning and Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He blogs at his eponymous site. A editorial comment is in order here. I have pretty much shut off discussions of Calvinism, because they have been so unproductive. But this post was too good to pass on!  When have we ever discussed the "Defenestration of Prague?"  So, let's defy the odds and have a productive discussion of Calvinism and Arminianism! Defenestration and Divine Election in Seventeeth-Century Europe By the opening … [Read more...] about Church History: How Christians Settled an Argument About Election (by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones)

 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.  A new lexicon has evolved in response to the advent of modern worship.  You may want to add some of these selections to your worship vocabulary: Worshipappens – Standard response to congregants who constantly complain about worship change. Worshapparition – The belief that what and how we sing or play it will determine if the Holy Spirit shows up. Worshapathy – for definition see:  … [Read more...] about Modern Worship Lexicon (by Dr. David Manner)

I offer the following email exchange that will clarify Dr. Richard Land’s views on Mormonism and my response: First message from Sam Dahl: Dr. McKissic, just wanted to send you a quick FYI about Dr. Land’s position on Mormonism. Here are a few quotes from the article linked below that he wrote for The Christian Post that might give some clarity. When the theologically uninitiated hear this answer (that Mormonism is a cult) they immediately think “Branch Davidians” or “Jim Jones,” and there is a cognitive disconnect. When most people hear Mormonism described as a “cult” they think, … [Read more...] about An Open Apology to Dr. Land for Unintentionally Misrepresenting His Views on Mormonism by Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr.

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.  Most congregations can answer affirmatively when asked if their worship welcomes those not like them…all are welcome if or when they come.  Where the conflict arises is when a congregation changes its culture in order to be intentionally welcoming to those not like them.  Welcoming worship loves my neighbor as I love myself even if my neighbor is not always lovely. Welcome is passive.  … [Read more...] about Is Your Worship Welcoming to Those Not Like You? (by Dr. David Manner)

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.  In an effort to appease multi-generations and minimize conflict, leaders either attempt to seek stylistic and musical common ground or they divide themselves along age and preference lines.  Except in rare instances, it appears from both efforts that the worshiping community suffers and all generations lose.  The impasse is a result of trying to accommodate the musical tastes of a congregation … [Read more...] about Is Multi-Generational Worship Even Possible? (by Dr. David W. Manner)

Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. is the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX. He blogs at Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. This post is a clarification of his previous post which went up on Sunday. I recently published a Blog Post that inaccurately and unfairly conflated the published positions of Ed Stetzer and Richard Land as it relates to how these Southern Baptist Convention leading figures view Mormonism. The purpose of this writing is to briefly and accurately make the distinction between their beliefs crystal clear and to publically apologize to Ed for having done so. Here is my … [Read more...] about Clarifying the Distinction between Stetzer and Land on Mormonism (by Wm. Dwight McKissic Sr.)

Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. is the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX. He blogs at Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. While touring the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit recently, at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with President Paige Patterson, Governor Rick Perry, and twenty other Dallas-Ft. Worth pastors and Christian leaders, I was privileged to meet for the first time the pastor of the First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, Pastor Robert Jeffress. Recognizing who he was from television appearances and public photos—upon seeing Dr. Jeffress, I immediately extended my hand and said to him, … [Read more...] about The Jeffress-Graham Switch and the Black Vote by Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr.