Some time after Katrina (I’m not sure when. Months maybe. Those early years are a blur to me now) I arrived back to my house from a long day of helping visiting mission teams gut homes. My wife Michelle met me at the door with a big smile. It was hard to smile then and we were very busy. Well, I was very busy. Maybe too busy. But Michelle greeted me with a smile and said, “hurry in and look at what we received today.” There on the kitchen counter was probably the prettiest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen and on the note was something like the following, Dear Michelle and Jay, We know how … [Read more...] about NOBTS Chapel and My Meeting with Dr. Kelley
SBC Institutions & Entities
Evangelism or Compassion?
I'm excited about the recent upswing in public words of affirmation for local baptist associations. I love hearing about the good things happening all around our convention related to the very important (I'd even say pivotal) role that the association can play in permeating the larger local area with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My heart aches for my pastor friends serving areas in which the association does not have the support and strength it could (and should) have. Let me just remind you, pastors, YOU have the power to make the association be what it can be. The New Orleans Baptist … [Read more...] about Evangelism or Compassion?
Signs of a Healthy Church? Lessons from Multiplying Churches in Asia (Don Dent)
In the summer of 2018, I joined five other Southern Baptist theological educators visiting IMB work in a specific segment of Asia. For 9 days we studied and assessed networks of reproducing churches organized in networks - 20,000 new churches in 8 years. One motivation for this assessment was to see whether such movements are producing healthy churches. Frankly, many critics in America simply do not believe healthy churches can develop so quickly. Here are vignettes I witnessed that raise the question of what really is a healthy church. 1. These churches multiply, i.e. churches plant … [Read more...] about Signs of a Healthy Church? Lessons from Multiplying Churches in Asia (Don Dent)
Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President
A few years ago I went to a panel discussion at a large SBC missions conference. It was supposed to be about setting women free to be whatever they can be in the church. I know that the hosts of this discussion had noble intentions from the outset. They could see that women are sadly underrepresented on most of the committees and trustee boards in our convention, and they seemed keen on starting a discussion about how to change that. I was amazed by how many hundreds of women (and a few brave men) packed themselves into the room, eager to get any biblical wisdom about what women should and … [Read more...] about Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President
David Platt & IMB Issue Statement Apologizing to Anne Miller
Late Wednesday night, IMB President David Platt issued the statement reproduced below. You can find the original statement here along with the story in Baptist Press here. Platt apologizes to Anne Miller and announces an investigation of this and any similar situations, as well as an examination of current policies. You may contribute to Anne Miller's Trauma Fund at GoFundMe to help with costs of treatment she's undergoing. Full IMB Statement Printed Below. Link Statement from IMB President David Platt I just returned from the last couple of weeks in sub-Saharan … [Read more...] about David Platt & IMB Issue Statement Apologizing to Anne Miller
10 Predictions for the 2019 Annual Meeting
Dr. Rainer likes to devote a podcast episode or two at the end of the year to predicting current trends and their impact on churches in the coming year. He’s usually correct, and those episodes are some of my favorites. I’d like to take a page out of Dr. Rainer’s book and offer ten predictions for the SBC Annual meeting in Birmingham. 1. The Bailey amendment—I thought about calling this the Osceola amendment, but that’s unfair to the good people of Osceola Arkansas, so it shall henceforth be known as the Bailey amendment. My prediction is that Steve Bailey of Calvary Baptist Church in … [Read more...] about 10 Predictions for the 2019 Annual Meeting
Can a woman serve as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention? (Casey Hough)
Much pontification has been digitally uploaded to this site recently regarding the question as to whether or or not it is appropriate for a woman to serve as President of the SBC. My friend Casey Hough offered his thoughts on this subject at his personal page on Thursday. I asked Casey if I could post his text in full here at Voices in order to offer another opinion on the subject. Now, I must admit that I am not completely convinced by his argument (although the vast majority of it resonates loudly with me) but his tone and congenial tenor draw me in and I completely understand and appreciate … [Read more...] about Can a woman serve as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention? (Casey Hough)
SBC & Politics: Why I Made a Motion to Exclude Politicians from the Annual Meeting (Dr. Marshal L. Ausberry, Sr.)
At the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention, I made a motion that beginning in 2019 the SBC would refrain from allowing elected officials to speak at the Convention. The exception was for the host Mayor or appropriate official to give a welcome greeting and to receive thanks from the Convention for hosting the Convention. The reason I feel it is time for such a position for the Convention is multi-fold. It has nothing to do with Vice President Mike Pence speaking at the 2018 Convention. In my opinion, Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence are good godly people. Though some were calling for the … [Read more...] about SBC & Politics: Why I Made a Motion to Exclude Politicians from the Annual Meeting (Dr. Marshal L. Ausberry, Sr.)
Understanding Diversity and Its Denominational Implications: Unmasking Marginalization as Southern Baptists (Vinh T. Nguyen)
Many memories have been etched into my mind in both the years I’ve spent as a minister and an academic, but one memory stands out in particular. I had just finished my third semester as a bible student at Ouachita Baptist University and was visiting the church I grew up in where my father-in-law was serving as the student pastor. The youth group looked different in at least two different ways. First, it was quite a bit larger than it was when I was a teenager growing up. Second, the room now had just as many, if not more, African-American and Asian teenagers as it did Caucasians. Like many … [Read more...] about Understanding Diversity and Its Denominational Implications: Unmasking Marginalization as Southern Baptists (Vinh T. Nguyen)
And the Next President of SWBTS Is…
Sorry for that clickbait title. No, I have no idea who it will be. I do hear a fair bit of scuttlebutt from time to time but the dust is still settling on the Patterson fiasco and it is too early to start naming names. I don't think the search team has even been formed yet. The dedicated Patterson defenders are still laying down heavy fire in their efforts to undo the decision of the trustees, but their efforts will fail. The Executive Committee will be affirmed by the full board as it was by 98% majority at the convention and we will move on. The Patterson era is over and a new day is … [Read more...] about And the Next President of SWBTS Is…