The gang would be the Founders group but there’s always an unhappy segment of our beloved Southern Baptist Convention and the dolorous brethren always justify their feelings. When you have a moderately large tent, some folks will always be dissatisfied with the flow of convention politics. I’m a fairly happy guy in the SBC, imperfect though it may be and I don’t see anything happening that is worthy of another Resurgence.
We had the Traditionalists who created their own statement of belief. The call went out from that group for quotas (er, ‘parity’) in entity head theological persuasion. They shot some blanks and made some missteps. While I hope some version of that group maintains an active advocacy in SBC life, it seems to be dormant at the moment. Which leaves us with the Calvinists who can’t seem to abide success (isn’t their guy the heavy favorite for SBC president?)and who make a virtue out of being humorless and unhappy, as the gang that can’t shoot straight. Followers of Calvinus and Broadus can’t hit the broad side of a ‘See Rock City’ barn.
During the SBC Annual Meeting this past June in Birmingham, one of the gang shoved a mic in the face of one of the abuse survivors at the forsuchatimeasthis rally. I thought it particularly inappropriate, classless, and crude. Then there was the attempt to get into the movie making business to stir the languorous SBC masses to greater biblical fidelity. The result was a fiasco. Founders had board members resign over it although the organization did express “regret.” Now, Founders uses a source who has some antebellum views on slavery in the South. Nice. Here’s Joel Rainey’s tweet on that.
What’s next? I’m afraid to guess.
I may hibernate for the rest of the year and take a peek out around March.
___________________
The other contributors here may not share this opinion. I’m still sated from the jellied cranberry, so three hundred words will have to suffice instead of a thousand or so.
I propose that the rest of the week be devoted to mental prep for the national championship game, LSU vs UGA, this Saturday.
Well, here’s hope that the national SBC leadership will do better than these foolish Founders. You know, the same ones who claim the main reason abuse has been hidden all this time in the SBC is that “we just didn’t know abuse was bad”… and we need the CareWell program to educate us. Also, these same guys look a blind eye to youth pastors dating multiple 18 year olds and taking Las Vegas vacations… because it was a “youthful indiscretion.” “Look at all the good he’s done since then!” These are also the same ones who apparently think Critical Race Theory has something to teach us about race relations and missionary work. Yep, these heroes will save us!
Mark,
I don’t follow Founders word for word so I can’t really address all what you have said about them.
But as to that last thing you have it backwards.
They are against CRT as much as anyone.
As to youth pastors and Carewell, I’m ignorant of what they hold to on both.
Blessings
No, the SBC leadership are the people I am addressing. I am using sarcasm. They said these things.
Go DAWGS
No need to apologize for 300 words, William, I think you made the point perfectly well in short format.
Good post William. I echo what Brett wrote.
Mark your post makes no sense. Even with sarcasm.
As Founders is doing the damage they are doing, while people do not research their lies, they will continue to try and build a following and spread their nonsense that could possibly do untold damage in undoing all the SBC has accomplished the last few years.
They are intent on releasing a film which is full of editing and partnering with unscrupulous people in order to undo all that we have accomplished. I am so angry at Founders, they are doing untold damage and they continue to call it truth. It’s not.
I do think the day is coming soon where the sleeping SBC members will wake up to the reality that the SBC leadership is more concerned with the SBC leadership than the SBC. The “different” camps and inside baseball mentality of the SBC hierarchy will spill over into the public information arena and SBC members will find out they are the frogs in boiling water. How many SBC members know about Resolution 9 and how many would think it was needed and a good idea? How many average SBC are aware the IMF went financially burst and the church planting direction of the NAMB for 2 examples. Sure, historically Calvinist have been a part of SBC culture and it was not an issue but soon the entire SBC leadership will all be Calvinist in belief, how will that affect the working of the SBC at the local level? Salaries and benefits a state secret at the leadership level because ? I think the political and cultural climate in 2020 will make the leaders and influence peddlers in the SBC leadership have to remain silent on what they truly believe or to come out and make a stand or as they say “find a hill to die on.” I think they will remain silent to consolidate power. I think I will be moving on from the SBC soon as I am becoming disillusioned the more I find out.
Hi Steve,
Curious about what you have against church planting?
Mike
I’m not qualified to comment on direction, but I did spend one year as an RA volunteer in my church. I was aware of the direction that some people were claiming, but I didn’t see any explicit signs in the , primarily promotional, church and individual profiles. However, I did feel that the material presented the missionary activities in an isolated manner. It felt a little like they were being indoctrinated into a system before they grasped elementary principles.
I wanted them to look at the stories to understand why as a means of seeing connections in God’s work. The answers to some of my own why questions led me to minimize emphasis on a couple of profiles because of non-sequitur inconsistencies. One of the profiles presented an all white family that had moved to a sketchy neighborhood where they lived in a house with bullet holes to reach a diverse community. The website picture was all white and the other online information bemoaned the gentrification of their community. There were two or three more groups involved behind the scenes in the plant that represented the theological leanings of the unseen, but alleged direction.
Well said, though I would say, don’t count on the sleepers waking up any time soon. I’ve never been able to figure out the provincial backwardness of the SBC or why the favor-granting, influence peddling way of doing business doesn’t ever seem to bother anyone enough to speak up or do something about it. At least three SBC-owned entities became personal kingdoms for individuals who worked their way into leadership by building support systems among the trustees in a “good ole boy” sort of way, bringing major financial woes and disastrous circumstances that crippled their ministries along with them. Why it took forever to correct the problem is an unexplainable enigma. Depending on who it is, a few catch phrases about the need for more mission support and an affirmation of inerrancy excuses all.
Ever since the conservative resurgence first gained control of the SBC presidency, it has been a pathway for many of its organizers and original supporters into many of those “undisclosed salary” jobs. Your comments are an observation of the results.
I disagree that more people will “wake up” to anything going on in the SBC. I actually predict less people will have the workings of the SBC on their radar screen with each passing generation.
I’d be careful where you get your information. The SBC has problems, but if you are reading lie-sheets like Reformation Charlotte, Capstone, or Pulpit and Pen, you are not getting a true picture. Some of the Founders stuff is teetering on the edge of that as well.
You need to be aware that the SBC is infected with a LOT of fake news.
I hear that the Russians are planning to hack the 2020 SBC and get Jr. elected president. #fakenews
“I do think the day is coming soon where the sleeping SBC members will wake up to the reality that the SBC leadership is more concerned with the SBC leadership than the SBC.”
Hello Steve!
May that day come quickly. From your keyboard to God’s ears.
Probably no one cares, but let me rewrite my post since my pronoun “the same ones” confused people:
Well, here’s hope that the national SBC leadership will do better than these foolish Founders. For the record, I know very little about the Founders, and quite frankly do not care about them. They have no influence over me or anyone I know. I’ve only heard of them because of SBC Voices.
While people pine away about how bad the Founders are, the SBC leadership have committed several ridiculous errors. They claim the main reason abuse has been hidden all this time in the SBC is that “we just didn’t know abuse was bad”… and we need the CareWell program to educate us. This is what JD Greear has said repeatedly, covering up the guilt of people for decades who knew better than to hand waive crimes and abuse.
Also, these same guys (the SBC leadership) look a blind eye to youth pastors dating multiple 18 year olds and taking Las Vegas vacations… because it was a “youthful indiscretion.” “Look at all the good he’s done since then!” This is reference to Wes Feltner, an up and comer in SBC leadership. Have you heard a peep from leadership? Nope. The guy just vanished with no condemnation and no correction to the church that covered this up.
These are also the same ones who apparently think Critical Race Theory has something to teach us about race relations and missionary work. Yep, these heroes will save us! Yep, they love CRT at SEBTS apparently.
Dr. Mohler did put out a statement regarding the credible accusations that were brought to light around Feltner and suspended him from SBTS. Feltner has now since resigned from his church
Mike
I tend to have similar sentiments to the ones expressed here my Steve, Mark, Lee, and possibly William. That sentiment might best be expressed as “the emperor has no clothes”. Those seeking to lead and influence seem to be inadvertently or willfully disconnected from functional reality. They seem to be prolific in knowledge and commentary, but have a complete lack of self awareness. There are definitely dishonest members of the gang, but some seem to honestly blind to their own juxtapositions as they eloquently articulate those of others. There’s too much increasing of man when man should be decreasing.
Dr. Mohler seems both the embodiment and progenitor of the current arrogance and blindness. Though I may be wrong, I tend to believe that Mohler is honest about what is completely known and intellectually discerned. He’s a gifted systemist and nuanced communicator, but seems confounded by the unsystematics working it out and nuance of character. I believe that he was genuinely surprised by the things he missed with Mahaney, Sills, Feltner, and the SBC in general; but why was he surprised and? Did those failures drive him to humble self reflection or did he virtuously disassociate, comparmentalize. He made a pint to publicly announce that he had broken up with CJ Mahaney. Did his failures make him a more humble and better leader or did they just give him another opportunity to increase?
I understand why people revere leaders like Mohler, Greaer, Akin, etc. as they champion the right causes and say the right things. They have done some commendable things that really help people, but they have I don’t believe that most of them have done so without a wet finger in the air. I sense lots of calculation in the articulation these days.
I agree, Mark – except that I am associated w/the Founders men, so not as unbiased as you are – and ‘foolish’ is as far from what they truly are as you can get. But you’re right – and as Grandma Pyle used to say, “Fool me once – shame on you. Fool me twice – shame on me.” Unless you like being fooled, that is.