If you are at the Convention this year, don’t miss the Task Force report on the SBC’s progress on Racial Reconciliation on page 2 of part 2 of the daily bulletin. I have always been appreciative of a denomination where a single messenger has a voice and any messenger can initiate and be part of […]
A Model for Charitable Theological Discussion: 4 Take-Aways
As long as there are Southern Baptists, there will be disagreements about doctrine. The Baptist Faith and Message unifies us around a common core of gospel imperatives and Baptist distinctives. At the same time, our statement of faith allows for a variety of views on important aspects of church practice, eschatology and soteriology. Because of […]
The real question about the future of SBC missions
This past week, the IMB trustees adopted revised policies for personnel and shared their intent to empower “limitless teams of missionaries to make disciples and multiply churches among unreached people.” Part of the impact of the move was that it reversed previous policies including those enacted a decade ago that controversially narrowed the doctrinal parameters […]
The IMB Personnel Policies — Personal Reflections on a decade of debate
Since hearing the report from the IMB trustees yesterday, I have done a good bit of reflecting about how the IMB policy on baptism affected me personally and shaped me as I actively engaged in Baptist life. I cannot fully describe the feelings I have about this important change or what this means to me […]
Can you be a witness for Christ in the midst of your trial?
In 2 Timothy 4, Paul tells Timothy to preach the word “in season and out of season” and to “do the work of an evangelist.” He instructs his young mentee to preach the gospel at all times, no matter the situation or circumstance. As I post this from a hospital room where my wife is […]
One more post about Ferguson — Why this event DOES raise important issues about race and why that matters to me
Last night I was invited to speak at a small rally in Gary, Indiana in solidarity with the people of Ferguson, Missouri. The following are my remarks at that event: If will allow me tonight, I want to speak both as a white man and as a pastor. A recent PEW research poll demonstrates […]
Will White Christians Hear and Stand with Our Black Brothers?
In my previous article I asked a pointed question: when it comes to tragedies in the African-American communities, will we weep with those who weep? I want to go a bit further in this post. This is an intensely difficult piece for me to write. I am not African-American and will never fully understand what it […]
Why do they weep alone?
“Weep with those who weep” – Romans 12:15 We evangelicals love social media and we loves causes. We use social media to raise awareness, stand in solidarity, comfort the grieving, and call others to prayer. In recent days, the evangelical blogosphere has taken up the cause of Iraqi children on the other side of the […]
Five Prayers for Leaders of a Declining Church
Many churches, like mine, find themselves in a state of plateau or decline. We want our churches to grow and believe that God desires that too, but we seem stuck and don’t know how to move forward. Our first instinct ought to be to pray, but pray for what? If you are leading a declining […]
How to (and how NOT to) Minister to Families Battling Cancer
Reflecting on our past and present experience with cancer, we have been blessed to have family, friends and a church family who have been wonderfully supportive. Quite often, people want to know how they can help and encourage someone going through the experience of cancer or other medical related trials. I hope that you will […]
Will you hear his story? A Baptist pastor reviews a gay author
A year ago, I had a brief email correspondence with author Scott Terry about evangelicals and homosexuality. The following is a review and response to his book, Cowboys Armageddon, and the Truth: How a Gay Child Was Saved from Religion Note: Parts of this post are rewritten, with permission, from my personal correspondence with the […]
An Acts 17 Moment: What Burger King has right about LGBT people
The new Proud Whopper is the latest instance of a corporation coming out in support of the LGBT community. While evangelicals reject these types of campaigns as contrary to the Bible’s teaching about sexuality, the Proud Whopper provides us with an Acts 17 moment. Burger King has unwittingly made a statement about LGBT people that evangelical […]