I came to seminary from a secular job and volunteer positions in my large church with no preaching experience. Soon, I was offered an opportunity to preach in a small town in the Mississippi Delta, the ‘Fust’ Baptist church thereof. With some effort I cobbled together a sermon of a sort on Isaiah 40, I […]
SBC entities should voluntarily, annually disclose CEO compensation
Morris Chapman, former SBC president and Executive Committee CEO, made a motion last month in Birmingham: A motion by Morris Chapman of Triune Baptist Church in Arrington, Tenn., to request that the Executive Committee amend the SBC’s Business and Financial Plan where necessary to strengthen the fiscal accountability of the SBC’s entities to the convention. […]
People change churches easily and often and I was totally unprepared for this
If Dave Miller can bare his soul by reflecting on his ministry I can at least empty my mind on one aspect of my own: I was totally uprepared for how folks move so easily and often among churches. It was my own fault, or at least a lack of preparation caused by never having been […]
The sorry state of SBC evangelism and ye old time gospel beans
Pictured above are my magnificent gospel beans, heirloom pole beans handed down in my wife’s family for generations. These beans made the trek in a wagon down the eastern seaboard and across Georgia and Alabama to northeast Mississippi. The family story is told that in the 19th century one ancestor, a woman, traveled through Indian […]
A pastor looks at immigration and immigration policy
My friend and colleague Alan Cross is an expert on immigration and immigration policy. Your humble, happy, semi-retired hacker and plodder SBC pastor is not. But I know what I am seeing and reading. While on a vigorous four mile walk yesterday morning (vigorous to me, approaching my eigth decade, is about 18 minutes per […]
Pure secular politics and the reality show that is the Democratic nomination process
It’s a slow time at SBCV so… Two debates, four hours of snippets, indignation, and the party of free stuff is back on my radar. It’s over two months until college football, so why not? Biden; from “Uncle Joe” to “Poor Uncle Joe”; looks feeble, frankly. Come on Joe, get stirred up about something. Michael […]
No matter what, Southern Baptists can always brag
Baptisms may be in freefall, the Cooperative Program may be half of what it used to be, membership may be declining, and we might be in the grips of nasty controversies and extremely bad behavior by prominent SBCers…but Southern Baptists can always brag. Here are a few bragging points for some of the state conventions: […]
Malevolence, incompetence, and ignorance in the SBC concerning abuse
The SBC meeting in Birmingham is one week past. In this short time three horrific cases of sexual abuse of children involving the SBC at various levels have come to light. All of these are malevolent and deplorable. The nationally-known reporter for the Houston Chronicle and co-author of the long and depressing series on abuse […]
Your housing allowance is safe for the forseeable future
The group that brought the federal lawsuit against the cash version of the clergy housing allowance has decided not to appeal the unanimous Federal Appeals Court ruling that upheld the thing. They have a clever title to this news: Appeals Court Blesses Housing Allowance. Now’s the time to start thinking about next year, brethren and […]
#SBC19: home runs and whiffs
Probably my most enjoyable convention in quite some time, partly because I stayed in the HQ hotel with the SBC heavy hitters. I spent my own money doing so. They surely did not. Good to see Kevin Ezell in the lobby very early in the morning, 5:30-6:00, working for us. The Westin had some very […]
On the forsuchatimeasthis rally
I made it a point to be at the rally. I suppose there were a hundred or so, some coming and going. Several of the leaders are people I have been following for a decade or more and I was pleased to meet and talk with them before and after the rally. Christa Brown and […]
This is different
Maybe it’s me but there’s a different feel to the convention this year: it’s better, fresher, younger, more energetic and vibrant, less perfunctory and predictable. Maybe it’s because I’m spending my own money here and feel compelled to enjoy it and get my money’s worth. I sit in on the Executive Committee meeting. It’s Southern […]