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William Thornton

Hello. My name is William and I’m an alliteraholic

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I think it started with the best of intentions. A preacher I held in great esteem drank deeply from the cup of alliteration. If it was beneficial for him, why not me? Slowly, I began with simple sermonic points (rich, real, relevant) but the thing began to grip me and I spiraled down into secondary alliterative points (the route he chose, the result he gained, the reason he perished) and then, I'm ashamed to admit it, total depravity in the form of double alliteration (His life of luxury, his lament of languor, his lash of lambaste). I'm not proud of spending more time searching for … [Read more...] about Hello. My name is William and I’m an alliteraholic

Ten things you may or may not have known about LifeWay

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LifeWay put itself in the news by announcing the closure of all of its stores..so have some more attention, brethren and sistren: Future Plans — The future of LifeWay Worship Resources is more exciting than ever. In 2017, we partnered with the LifeWay Christian Stores Division to better coordinate the development and promotion of church supplies, music, and DVDs in our stores. This partnership has already begun to blossom and will provide more access to biblically sound resources for church and individual customers in LifeWay Christian Stores. We are currently experimenting with some … [Read more...] about Ten things you may or may not have known about LifeWay

It’s Springtime in the Southern Baptist Convention

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The Spring Equinox today at 5:58 pm, Eastern Daylight Time. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing...the Doxology, either that or the Sevenfold Amen, except for in Nashville where something about tears and beer have to be worked into every song. The Executive Committee has a guy, the celebrated God's Man, who will be announced March 31st and voted upon two days later at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Grand Hyatt. Plaudits to the EC leadership for not scheduling the vote on April Fool's Day. That shows some insight and careful planning. And, what's it cost to get the 80 … [Read more...] about It’s Springtime in the Southern Baptist Convention

Any more surprises in store for SBCers this year?

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Some unexpected things have already happened. Speculation is rampant, but then, we are SBCers and we always speculate about things. It doesn't cost a thing. Here you go...from the hacking and plodding SBC hinterlands: J. D. Greear can stir the pot, as we have seen. Any more surprises, JD? Here, take this giant Baptist spoon and stir some more, bro. I'll help you. Executive committee leader and other CEO searches. IMB: check. SWBTS: check. NOBTS, LifeWay, and the Executive Committee: not yet. The EC sayeth that they have "God's man" and it's the worst kept secret in SBC history. It might … [Read more...] about Any more surprises in store for SBCers this year?

Our housing allowance: safe for now with appeals court ruling

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We clergy love our minister's housing allowance and want to keep it. It's our very own Sacred Clergy Tax Break and the most important item in the tax code that recognizes clergy and gives us favorable treatment under the tax law. Unsurprisingly, some want to clean up the tax code and eliminate the tax break that is given to ministers but not to others. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has challenged this twice. Both times the federal district court ruled in their favor but the federal appeals court overturned the decision. The FFRF, whose co-presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker … [Read more...] about Our housing allowance: safe for now with appeals court ruling

Good Ides of March news: Housing Allowance upheld

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Our Sacred Clergy Tax Break safe for now. Ruling of the federal appeals court is in. Scintillating commentary to follow when I feel sufficiently scintillated. https://www.becketlaw.org/media/court-protects-ministers-1b-tax-lawsuit/ Here is another report, from a source not many among us read: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/03/15/appeals-court-tax-free-housing-for-faith-leaders-but-not-atheists-is-legal/ … [Read more...] about Good Ides of March news: Housing Allowance upheld

Inquiries, investigations, and registries: It’s complicated

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"The subject of a database is complicated and will take time to evaluate" That was J. D. Greear's statement to the Executive Committee not quite three weeks ago. Seems like ages have past since he named churches and spoke to the group about sex abuse in the SBC. That all Southern Baptists at every level want kids to be safe in our churches, institutions, and entities is not complicated. What can be done becomes complicated in many ways, not just in regard to a database of SBC offenders. J. D. Greear's address to the Executive Committee included this: I urge the bylaws workgroup of the … [Read more...] about Inquiries, investigations, and registries: It’s complicated

Lost in the noise: positive things about the SBC and abuse

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Good intentions may go awry and it's tough to label the past week as much other than a debacle in spite of good men doing what they thought was prudent and appropriate. (Yes, part of the problem is likely the heavily male-dominated makeup of the Executive Committee but more on that later). But it may be helpful to review some of the things that are positive, particularly in comparison with a year ago: The question of sex abuse in churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention is receiving serious attention and that not just from abuse victims and their advocates. Our current … [Read more...] about Lost in the noise: positive things about the SBC and abuse