William

  When interim Executive Committee CEO Augie Boto made his report at #SBC18 he shared the graph below. While the subject is arcane to most Southern Baptists it is critical to leaders at the state and national level and what the graph shows is no surprise to those who must watch their revenue streams to maintain employment levels and ministries. Here is the way Boto put it in his report (this excerpt from my state paper, The Christian Index): Boto then explained that the statistical information shows that in the last 18 years “our national receipts have improved by just over $17 … [Read more...] about National Cooperative Program up $17 million while state CP down $41 million

Who, aside from the local church or churches involved, can do anything about SBC clergy who are accused of sex abuse? The answer depends on what actions are considered or are to be taken. You may have read about the case of a Tennessee SBC pastor who resigned after accusations of his abusive behavior at a Texas church in the 1980s. The story is told at length here. It is a sad story and one that should grieve any and all of us. It raises a number of questions about how sex abuse is handled in SBC churches and also about how SBC entities outside of the local church react when approached … [Read more...] about Outside of the local church, who can do anything about SBC clergy who are sex abusers?

Yet another clickbait title today. One specific question that seemed to percolate out of #SBC18 was: "Can a woman be elected as SBC president?" Former president James Merritt says, "yes." Dwight McKissick says "yes" and makes the case for Beth Moore. Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Seminary was asked and, although I can't find the quote right off, had a "yes, but" sort of reply. The SBC controlling documents are clear, though knowledgable SBC leaders usually answer the question with a negative cast, "There's no constitutional reason that would prevent...". Unfortunately, … [Read more...] about About a woman being SBC president