For as long as I can remember, I have been looking for a tribe, a group, a place, from the halls of Jr. high waiting to see if I made the spirit squad to staring at the walls of my public university wondering if anyone else was crazy enough to sign up for that 8AM lecture. I’m well past those moments of wonder but these last few weeks I’ve wrestled, struggled, and prayed through the tension of “Who are my people? Where is my tribe.” I’ve tasted the goodness and fruit of all God is doing in the SBC, from surrendering my life at the local Girls in Action camp as a young girl to serving women … [Read more...] about I’m an SBC Woman & I Have a Vote (Jacki C. King)
SBC Annual Meeting
6 Ways the SBC Needs to Grow in Light of Our Recent Failures
I am deeply grieved by what I am reading online about the crisis at my alma mater, Southwestern Seminary. It is devastating to me learning of the women who have been hurt through this crisis. I have been a Southern Baptist (SBC) my whole life, all 44 years. Born and raised in a Southern Baptist church (baptized at age 7). I attended a Southern Baptist university for 4 years (BS degree), attended a Southern Baptist seminary 4 years (earned Master of Divinity degree in 2001), full-time pastored Southern Baptist churches for 5 years, bivocational preacher for scores of Southern Baptist churches … [Read more...] about 6 Ways the SBC Needs to Grow in Light of Our Recent Failures
A Resolution for #SBC18: “On Repudiating Predatory Behavior”
I have submitted the following resolution, On Repudiating Predatory Behavior, to the SBC Committee on Resolutions for their consideration. I am hopeful that this will be reported out by the committee to the messengers gathered at this year's annual meeting in Dallas as it is, or in hybrid form combining any other similar resolutions on this subject. I believe the significance of this resolution lies in the full scope of its application. Predatory behavior includes domestic violence (sexual, physical, and psychological), child abuse (sexual, physical, and psychological), sexual predation, … [Read more...] about A Resolution for #SBC18: “On Repudiating Predatory Behavior”
Southern Baptists, This Is a Time for War
I guess you know, this means war. How many times did Bugs Bunny utter those words to one of his antagonists in the cartoons of my youth? I believe the words are apt today. We are at war. The Southern Baptist Convention, its entities, its churches, and its people are at war. It is a long and brutal war and it will not end until the day we see Jesus face to face. A state of war exists in the SBC, but it is a war that we are fighting badly. We are fighting the wrong war against the wrong enemies using the wrong weapons. Paul warned the Corinthians of just such a problem when he gave … [Read more...] about Southern Baptists, This Is a Time for War
What Is Happening in the SBC: Helpful Thoughts & Reflections
It's been a little quiet around here since Tuesday evening. We closed comments temporarily and thought it was best to allow things to settle some before jumping back into the conversation. A lot has happened on social media and these articles have been widely shared. I think all three are really helpful in thinking through and absorbing what has transpired over the last month and especially this week. Each one is well worth your time. The Wrath of God Poured Out — The Humiliation of the Southern Baptist Convention by Al Mother. Available at Mohler's website and Christianity … [Read more...] about What Is Happening in the SBC: Helpful Thoughts & Reflections
Possible Outcomes of Tuesday’s SWBTS Trustee Meeting
Tomorrow the full trustee board of Southwestern Seminary will meet to discuss what action, if any, will be taken in light of the recent controversy surrounding the seminary’s president, Dr. Paige Patterson. No one knows what to expect. The Baptist Press story linked above indicates that Patterson himself requested the meeting. The trustees’ decision will likely have deep and far-reaching consequences regardless of what conclusion is reached. Opinions on this issue have been strong, and no doubt will continue to be. My purpose here isn’t to argue the merits of one choice over the other, but … [Read more...] about Possible Outcomes of Tuesday’s SWBTS Trustee Meeting
Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
In the preface to Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “That part of the line where I thought I could serve best was also the part that seemed to be thinnest. And to it I naturally went.” We see a need in the Southern Baptist Convention, and our desire is to provide a means to strengthen that weakness. The SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative is designed to be a networking tool that helps open channels of communication within our convention. We are receiving nominations of ethnic minority leaders and women who may be available, interested, and willing to serve the SBC in leadership … [Read more...] about Announcing the SBC Leadership Diversity Initiative
So you want to get a resolution passed? Here’s the process…
There's a presumption rolling around among SBCers that the Resolutions Committee has what they want to do in mind before the convention and sloughs off or dismisses all resolutions that get submitted from individual SBCers. Not so. Those individuals who properly submit a resolution according to the provisions of By-Law 20 will be properly considered. Here's what the By-Law says is necessary for a properly submitted resolution: Be submitted to the Committee no earlier than April 15th and no later than 15 days prior to the annual meeting. Be addressed to the Committee on Resolutions … [Read more...] about So you want to get a resolution passed? Here’s the process…
Why I Am Voting for J.D. Greear to be the Next SBC President (K.V. Paxton)
K.V. Paxton is Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Quinlan, Texas. He's a Palestinian-American, graduate of Criswell College, Midwestern Seminary, and a veteran of the United States Air Force. The Southern Baptist Convention is at a crossroads. We may not be battling for inerrancy like we did during the often-referenced “Conservative Resurgence,” but the future is no less at stake for our convention. Millennials and minorities, both inside and outside of the SBC, are watching what we do next with great interest on a host of topics. And though I am often given to hyperbole, I do not think it … [Read more...] about Why I Am Voting for J.D. Greear to be the Next SBC President (K.V. Paxton)
SBC Resolution On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians
Guest post by K.V. Paxton, Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Quinlan, Texas. The following resolution “On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians” will be submitted to the Resolutions Committee to be considered at this year’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. Allow me to share the heart behind this resolution, then you can read it for yourself. Last year at the annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, I submitted a resolution I titled, “On Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem”. The intention of that resolution was to bring attention to the fact that we have brothers and sisters in Christ … [Read more...] about SBC Resolution On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians