Well, I suppose I voted for the thing a couple of decades ago. The “thing” is the last remaining monument to the foolhardy faith of SBCers in an endlessly upward trend line; that is, we just expected more churches to give more money to the Cooperative Program year-after-year. Millions of new people were moving to […]
Overlooked: SATF “challenges” for state conventions
Try not to yawn. This isn’t as controversial and contentious as the database or survivor fund (delayed until next year) but may be more helpful in addressing the sex abuse issue. The Sex Abuse Task Force issued five “challenges” to state conventions. State conventions are in a better position to handle many issues with churches because […]
Guidepost’s recommendation of a “Survivor Compensation Fund”
As I have followed and read about abuse in SBC churches, the subject of “the SBC” funding some level of compensation for survivors has often been discussed. The Guidepost report calls this a “Survivor Compensation Fund Program” and has a recommendation in this regard, page 268: Establish a Survivor Compensation Fund Program: We recommend a […]
Our 86 member Executive Committee and sex abuse in the Convention
I join my colleagues here in expressing sorrow and lament for so many victims of horrible abuse in churches and entities of our convention. We may differ on some aspects of recommended changes but not on that. _____________________ Last year after some disastrous Zoom meetings many were calling for the SBC Executive Committee to revert […]
Remote voting for the SBC Annual Meeting gets yet another kick in the teeth…
…and it’s a well-deserved, well-aimed roundhouse kick against remote voting. For the umpteenth time, the Executive Committee had a motion referral that asked for an examination and approval of a form of remote voting for the SBC Annual Meeting. Yawn, here we go again. You have to register and be approved as a messenger, receive […]
2021 SBC data is out; round up the usual suspects but note a few quirky things
If you want to see autonomy in action, look at all the footnotes from the 2021 Annual Church Profile. The ACP is collected by the state conventions, 41 of them. Fully ten states don’t collect some of the data and the vocabulary and terms used for some categories differs. No big deal but each of […]
Guidepost report to be released May 15th; Some EC members get a preview this coming Tuesday
The day is drawing nigh for the report of the Sex Abuse Task Force, the Guidepost Solutions, LLC report that forms the basis and body of the SATF report and “suggestions” for convention action in June. [An important note: I have no complaint about the SATF, their work, their public statements, or anything else on […]
The sex abuse database, surely coming to a denomination near you
I am not the SBC Voices expert on sex abuse, nor on any component of SBC sex abuse solutions. But, I do read the things that pertain to it. Last week I wrote an article about the Sex Abuse Task Force and the deadline that is drawing near for the report of the investigative firm, […]
Yea, 25 days until the Guidepost final sex abuse report is released
The SBC has never done anything like this. That is, to have an unelected group (the Sex Abuse Task Force, appointed by SBC president Ed Litton) and give them an undefined and essentially unlimited budget to spend on an independent group which is to “review includes an investigation into any allegations of abuse, mishandling of […]
Wonderful Easter at two churches…to worship, see, and be seen
I was present for worship on Resurrection Sunday morning, not in one but two separate churches. It was a great Lord’s Day. In my current church there were three services and my wife was singing in the choir for each one, leaving yours truly with extra time to scout around. Our church is a large, […]
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Crucifixion of Jesus 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused […]
Missouri Baptists show us how to trash the Cooperative Program
One would think that Holy Week would be a week for NOT publishing controversial hard SBC news but since the Missouri state paper, The Pathway, chose yesterday to post a piece explaining how their state convention is undermining the venerable Cooperative Program, a timely response is needed. You don’t have to agree with my take […]