Does the love fest between the rabid Cals and the formerly militant, though now meek, Trads extend to Great Commission Giving, the SBC giving category that can’t get any respect? I’m just trying to manage all the consequences of recent SBC political developments that have my head spinning. You’d think my Christian, Baptist, Southern Baptist […]
Tom Ascol, Voddie Baucham and what a time to be in our Grand Convention!
While the SBC isn’t ‘woke’ it may be drowsy at times and the joint announcement of the campaigns of anti-wokesters Tom Ascol and Voddie Baucham should rouse any sleepyheaded SBCers. When I’ve heard Tom Ascol, he has always handled himself well, at least on the floor of conventions. There has been a bit of a […]
Look for the lone, the sole, the indefatigable stalwart ONE AND ONLY pastor in most US congregations
“And, behold, I looked and saw a vast number of churches in the United States of America. I looked again and, behold, in most of these churches there was a single, solo, lone pastor serving them.” I love these religion in America studies and surveys. This one presents what we all think is the ideal […]
There be three SBC things that are an embarrassment, yea, four an absurdity [by William Thornton]
The Baptist Faith and Message. What is an embarrassment is that so many SBC entities and institutions feel compelled to append multiple paragraphs and inferior paragraphs that were composed by a self-appointed, unelected small groups of Southern Baptists. No church has to affirm the BFM, certainly not approve or adopt any ad hoc add-ons to qualify […]
The Gospel of the Hash House
My average sized congregation in South Carolina, ministerially speaking around 100-150 on Sunday mornings, had a Homecoming Sunday. It was a Big Deal. Always on the church calendar for the same date, third Sunday in September. Always a special preacher, mostly former pastors or guys from the church who had been called out to preach. […]
NAMB, our entity with the big red bulls eye, is doing a great job
We have in our Grand Old Convention a cadre of “tire slashers.” These are folks who contribute nothing to forward progress but are happy to disable and destroy. Our North American Mission Board seems to attract the most of these people but, alas, it is the birthright of Southern Baptists to act in this way. […]
Recognize this?
I suppose I’ll never be on board with these prepackaged, prefilled, partly fake grape juice communion cups. Yeah, I understand it’s where we are and perhaps the alternatives, as in real bread and real juice without plastic and foil, are unacceptable to our health and safety conscious worshippers. I’ll use them but I don’t have […]
The quirkiness of my beloved SBC preacher colleagues
It’s guaranteed. If you don’t hold the interest of your congregants while preaching, not a few of them will focus on odd things about you – your tie choice (that’s been solved by ditching the tie altogether), other clothing and the like. No one has complained about a tie I wore except my wonderful wife, […]
SBC is headed for record offerings to Lottie, Annie, and the CP
These are our three main offerings and they account for almost all of the money received by the Executive Committee for distribution. Well, maybe not a record for the CP, that would be unreachable without Bezos and Gates pitching in hundreds of millions, but the CP may actually show an increase this fiscal year. So, […]
The expensive road to Anaheim
The convention in Anaheim this June looks like an important convention: Contested presidential election, though the expected nominations are not in Perhaps contested nominations and reports Sex Abuse Task Force report and recommendations Perhaps other matters will bubble up in the 133 days until the opening gavel. The takeover group is actively touting the meeting […]
Our Sacred Clergy Tax Break, the Minister’s Housing Allowance; lucrative special treatment for the Few, the Ordained
[Author’s note: this blog is being held hostage until someone comes up with something else to say. Case closed on the SEC but NFL is still open. Until then, I will dribble out one Housing Allowance article daily. There’s no shortage of material…and it’s interesting.] The Minister’s Housing Allowance is our best tax break because […]
Median US home price 2021: $374,900. So, how’s your housing allowance doing?
Let’s see, average clergy guy. You buy a $375k house, borrow, say, $300k on that. Mortgage and escrow maybe $2,500/mo or $30k annually. And, yeah, we’re probably talking a two income family. Add to that utility costs, home improvements, furnishings you buy, maintenance and you’re up to maybe $40k per year in housing expenses. ALL […]