May 31, 2021 J.D. Greear President Southern Baptist Convention The Summit Church Durham, North Carolina Dear J.D., As I said to you the other night, you have my prayers as you go into your last Southern Baptist Convention meeting as president in a historically long—and even more historically accomplished—presidency. One of the great joys of the last eight years has been working alongside you on issues of monumental importance for the witness of the church. Some of the letter below is almost verbatim what I said to my own board officers last February. … [Read more...] about Russell Moore Letter to SBC President on the Current Crisis in the SBC [Full Text]
Cooperative Program
Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 2) by Jon Canler
See part 1 here, where Canler discusses the first two areas of concern. There he said: My concerns revolve around three aspects of the plan, two of which I’ll highlight in this post, and the third I’ll discuss in part two: Reservations Regarding Escrowing Cooperative Program (CP) Funds and Entity Reporting Reservations Regarding Trustee and EC Nominations Reservations Related to Sole Membership, Ascending Liability, and Seminary Accreditation What is Sole Membership and Why is it Good for Southern Baptists? Sole membership is the legal way the Southern Baptist … [Read more...] about Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 2) by Jon Canler
Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 1) by Jon Canler
Consider my two posts an open letter to the Executive Committee (EC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and to SBC legal counsel where feedback and clarity are welcomed concerning the current text of the revised and updated SBC Business & Finance Plan (BFP) being brought before the messengers of the 2021 SBC annual meeting in Nashville, TN. For reference, you can find the current BFP on pg. 25 here and the proposed plan to be voted on in Nashville here. First, know that I am certainly for business and financial stewardship, accountability, and transparency among the SBC and its … [Read more...] about Significant Concerns about the New SBC Business & Finance Plan (Part 1) by Jon Canler
Why I am voting for Ed Litton to serve as the President of the SBC
A shift has taken places as it has to do with the Presidency of the SBC regarding the old saying, “You don’t seek the office, the office seeks you.” Not that the saying was ever actually true to begin with. There have been plenty of guys who sought the office over the years with a growing and much more open campaigning effort happening more recently. Election websites and open campaigning have become the norm. So be it, whatever, I’m honestly not concerned about that "shift" as much as I am the implications. The point is, there are candidates who are clearly and now openly “seeking the … [Read more...] about Why I am voting for Ed Litton to serve as the President of the SBC
What Kind of Report is This? The EC Task Force Report on the ERLC (Mike Miller)
I’m writing this the day after the ERLC Study Task Force released its unanimous report of its work and findings. The Task Force was charged with reviewing the “past and present activities of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission” to determine whether its actions are proving to be detrimental to Cooperative Program giving. Their conclusion is that the ERLC and its president Russell Moore have indeed negatively affected the Cooperative Program bottom line. Giving First, the report goes to great lengths to prove that the actions of Moore and the ERLC have caused some to stop giving to … [Read more...] about What Kind of Report is This? The EC Task Force Report on the ERLC (Mike Miller)
Open Letter to R. Albert Mohler, President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Rev. Joel A. Bowman, Sr.)
Examining the Work of EC Chairman Mike Stone
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It (Chris Gordon)
I can tell you the batting average of Dale Murphy from his 1983 NL MVP season rose 21 points from his 1982 MVP season(.281 to .302). Much to the chagrin of my poor wife I might add, I am a statistical nerd. It’s true I hated Statistics in college though. No not stats, but Statistics, Probabilities & such. I don’t care if you roll a pair of dice 2909872 times you might not ever get six on both at the same time, but I digress. This isn’t a post about my abnormal LOVE for statistics, the measurable ones at least, it’s a post about the recent kerfuffle we as SBC folk have found ourselves in. … [Read more...] about If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It (Chris Gordon)
The SBC Deserves Better: Another Executive Committee Faceplant
The purpose and most basic task of the SBC's Executive Committee is "to act for the convention" between our Annual Meetings. Can we pause and think together about what that means – that the EC should act for the convention? There are multiple definitions of the word "for" but only one of those really makes sense in this case. The EC is supposed to work "on behalf of" Southern Baptist messengers when the convention is not in session. Can we make a basic assumption together? If the EC's duty is to work on behalf of the convention's messengers, doesn't it follow that it shouldn't act against … [Read more...] about The SBC Deserves Better: Another Executive Committee Faceplant
The EC and the ERLC: A Dangerous Overreach
First, the disclaimer. I’m on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) Leadership Council. Which by the way, and contrary to the belief of some phone calls I have received, has no authority or power at the ERLC but is a group of about 80 people who were nominated / chosen to “receive intentional investment from the ERLC and serve as ambassadors for the organization.” You can read more about the Leadership Council HERE. I suppose it should be said that I have come full circle in my appreciation for the ERLC as I once argued it should be dissolved. I no longer think it should and you … [Read more...] about The EC and the ERLC: A Dangerous Overreach