On Wednesday July 15th, Executive Committee president Morris Chapman issued a "clarification of intent" for the controversial statements he made during the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, KY. I have read it through several times now, and honestly, all that has been clarified for me is that Morris Chapman still doesn't get it. The first thing that I think Chapman doesn't get is the inappropriateness of his comments. The speech in question was delivered during the Executive Committee report on the Tuesday morning of the convention. This was time allotted for a report on EC … [Read more...] about Has Morris Chapman Clarified Anything?
Forget about Mark Driscoll; Let’s discuss Ergun Caner
I'm sorry to hog up the posts recently, but after sitting on it for a week, I feel it is necessary to say something about a tweet that I came across during the SBC Annual Meeting last week. It comes from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary president Ergun Caner and is in regards to the continuing SBC debate over what the Bible says concerning alcohol consumption. At 10:50 PM on June 23rd, erguncaner wrote, "If there is no difference between imbibing [drinking] and getting drunk, can I just smoke a little pot? It's good for the stomach (they say)..." Wow! I know this is supposed to … [Read more...] about Forget about Mark Driscoll; Let’s discuss Ergun Caner
Calvinism: The New Racism in the SBC?
Coming out of last week's meeting in Louisville I feel more optimistic about the future of our convention than I did this time last year. I have a new found respect for Johnny Hunt, a deeper understanding of the decision making process, and reasons to look forward to next years get-together in sunny Orlando. However, as I remarked in my last post, there are still two things that I am thinking about. I will leave the SBC/Acts 29 cooperation aside until a later date, and instead focus on what I find to be is the most perplexing question in Southern Baptist life today: why are there still … [Read more...] about Calvinism: The New Racism in the SBC?
Celebration from Chaos- Day 1 of the SBC Annual Meeting
At 10a.m. I thought chaos would rule the day. At 3p.m. I was even more sure of it. But by 11p.m., in a room full of cheerful brethren and exhausted, honorable leaders, I was more firm in my Southern Baptist devotion than ever. This was the first day of the 2009 SBC Annual Meeting. The day started with two motions: one in favor of the infamous Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) and one against (in so many words) Acts 29 and Mark Driscoll. An interesting start. As one SBC Tweeter (Alvin Reid) put it, "Will we be about the world evangelism or witch hunts?" For the next several hours it … [Read more...] about Celebration from Chaos- Day 1 of the SBC Annual Meeting
Passing the Gospel Torch- A Clarification from Ezra 3
A week or so ago I made a comment about the "older generation" needing to "pass off the torch to the younger generation and go quietly into the night." Needless to say, this didn't set well with everyone. Therefore, I want to try briefly to clarify this statement and also attempt to add some ideas into the mix as we head to next weeks convention meeting in Louisville. First, I want to lead with the positive. I fully affirm what Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 5.1. As such I should be more careful in using phrases that do not convey the appropriate respect to the older men. Paul makes no … [Read more...] about Passing the Gospel Torch- A Clarification from Ezra 3
Is Post-Christianity All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
Anyone who has spent much time around Christian literature and the work of the church knows that there is a great propensity to develop terms which receive pop culture status in certain circles. Words like 'emerging', 'organic', and 'purpose-driven'. Another term which is quickly climbing this later, even into the secular realm, is 'post-Christian'. Blog posts and magazine articles and books are all coming out with 'post-Christian' emblazoned into their heading. Yet the danger that always comes with such sexy phrases is the distinct possibility that they will be used so widely as to end up … [Read more...] about Is Post-Christianity All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
7-Word Devotions
Between blogging and Facebook and Twitter, many people have turned to the internet to express themselves in very personal yet very public ways. Chances are good that you are doing this in some way yourself. Yet what do we really wind up saying? What we’re eating? Where we are going? How our favorite sports team is doing and why that dramatically impacts our ability to cope with life? With all the possible avenues of communicating, in the end we often wind up saying very little. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In his book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper … [Read more...] about 7-Word Devotions
KBC Pictures an Unsteady Future for the Convention At-Large
On April 21 the Courier-Journal, based out of Louisville, KY, ran this article concerning the state of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. It is hard to tell if the findings are truly representative of all SBC state conventions, or the SBC as a whole, but the numbers quoted by the article are enough to deserve attention at least locally in the state housing our largest Southern Baptist seminary. Here's a quick run-down from the 2008 profile: Total undesignated giving and discipleship training were both up 3% over 2007 numbers Annual baptisms in the KBC were up 2% from 2007 … [Read more...] about KBC Pictures an Unsteady Future for the Convention At-Large
We Want Our Goat!
The audio from the sermon is now online. Thank you for fighting and winning the war on inerrancy, but quit fighting over secondary issues to the gospel. Affection for Jesus Christ wanes where the gospel stops being primary and secondary doctrines rise up to take its place. This was the message delivered by Matt Chandler of The Village Church (Dallas, TX) to the crowd of pastors and SBC lay leaders gathered on Tuesday at the 23rd Annual FBC Jax Pastors' Conference. Personally, I was surprised to see his name on the list for this year's conference, but was happy that an exciting young … [Read more...] about We Want Our Goat!
Acts 29 vs. the SBC (One Year Later)
As some of you may have seen, in December 2007 there was quite a commotion caused about certain SBC churches mixing "beer with [their] Bible." This was occurring in various ways, through Bible studies being hosted at bars, poker nights with BYOB notices, or simply just an open policy about a Christians right to brew and consume adult beverages. Many of these churches, it happened, also shared another common bond besides their affinity for alcohol: they were funded by the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. For those of you who don't know, Acts 29 is a loose association of church planters and … [Read more...] about Acts 29 vs. the SBC (One Year Later)