It is surprising to me how many believers go through their Christian life with little or no concern for reaching people with the gospel. In a former church I remember one member, a leader in the church, commented that he really did not have a burden for the lost. He admitted that he had never […]
A critique of “A Color-Blind Denomination”
My friend Raymond Dix is an African-American, Baptist pastor in a neighboring community. I asked him to read and respond to my post on “color-blindness“, knowing that he would disagree with me on some key points. I offer his careful critique with his permission to further this needed discussion. Blessings, Todd ___________ A Critical Analysis […]
A “Color-Blind” Denomination?
When it comes to the issue of race, many today advocate that we take a “color-blind” approach. That is, in our interactions with people we should refuse to allow race to be a factor at all, whether we are interacting with a neighbor, talking about social issues, or choosing a Convention president. At this point […]
How to pray for your pastor
As a pastor, one of the greatest encouragements is to hear the words “I’m praying for you.” Truly, one of the great blessings of being a pastor is knowing that prayers are being lifted up on your behalf. Often, people ask how they can be praying for me. While there are particular needs that I […]
A Black President for the SBC
Recently, Dr. Fred Luter made the much anticipated announcement that he would allow himself to be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. With this announcement, Luter is poised to become the first African American to head our denomination. The day Southern Baptists elect our first black SBC president will be an important moment […]
Why so much emphasis on being SBC?
On Sunday, during the prayer time at my church (Harvest Baptist in NW Indiana), I shared a report of my participation in the SBC annual meeting and offered prayer for our cooperative missions efforts. Later, I was graciously asked by one of my church members why I talked so much about the SBC and was […]
Reflections on SBC 2011 – One more SBC Voice
I began attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1999 in Atlanta. That first year, I was a newly appointed church planter with virtually no money. My wife graciously said I could attend…if I could do it for $100. So, between the free luncheons, gracious older pastors who chose to feed me, […]
Thoughts on GCR Component #2 — NAMB Refocus
The GCR Task force has been prayerfully at work. As we have asked it to do, the task force has presented a preliminary report of recommendations it will bring to the Southern Baptist Convention when it gathers in Orlando a few short months from now. In this post, I will focus my intention on component […]
An Important Issue for the GCR Task Force: More Dollars for International Missions
As our readers should now be aware, following a decisive vote at the annual Convention meeting, SBC president Johnny Hunt has appointed a Great Commission Task force to study how Southern Baptists can work “more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission.” That task force will begin meeting next month. Of the number […]
In case you missed David Platt’s sermon…
There’s been a lot of buzz about David Platt’s sermon at the SBC pastor’s conference (and rightly so!). Many would like to hear the sermon but, unfortunately, the streaming videos at sbcannualmeeting.com are not yet available and they don’t know anyone who bought the tape. So, for those who want to hear the sermon and […]
Baptist Disagreements — Things to Avoid
In the previous post, Todd Burus asked a question concerning the response to Calvinism among some in the SBC. The post has generated a number of comments that are helpful in understanding the issue. Of course, Calvinism is only one among many issues present in the SBC today. Similar issues, even some that came up […]
Why you should attend the SBC annual meeting
With the annual meeting next week and the number of pastors who are not going to attend because they think it’s a waste of time, I thought I would share why I encourage fellow pastors and concerned laymen to attend the Southern Baptist Convention. Here are what I believe are four compelling reasons to attend: […]