SBC Issues

I was reading an article about this today. What would you do? Beulah is 16 and has been coming to the youth group for a while, and recently professed faith and was baptized. Now, word is out that she is going to have a baby. How does the church respond? I have heard two distinct opinions here, and some variations. 1) The church must uphold standards of sexual morality. The church should not have a public celebration if sin. By doing showers and other such public events, we sanction immorality and info our efforts to encourage purity. 2). The church is a place of grace. Sin should not … [Read more...] about Discussion: Do You Have Baby Showers for Pregnant Teens?

Alan blogs at Downshore Drift.  He gave me permission to copy this post and bring it to you here at SBC Voices.  SBC 2012 in New Orleans was a good gathering for a denomination that is known for its ugly fights and petty disagreements. It is easy to dismiss the SBC (and other denominations) as simply an unnecessary organization that has little to do with true Christianity. But, I would disagree. While I don't place my faith in the SBC, it is a group of Christians that are commanded to walk together in unity (as are all Christians). When that happens, it is a good thing. Overall, there was a … [Read more...] about SBC 2012: The Great, the Bad, and the Sad (by Alan Cross)

At the SBC in New Orleans, Lifeway Director Thom Rainer reported that the Lifeway Trustees had reviewed a resolution passed at last year’s convention in Phoenix requesting them to discontinue sales of the 2011 NIV Bible. Since the point of this post does not have to do primarily with the perceived virtues and/or defects of the 2011 NIV, I will not lay these arguments out here. The relevant point is that the Lifeway Board of Trustees, upon consulting with experts and reviewing the reasons given at last year’s convention supporting the resolution, decided to ignore the recommendation of the … [Read more...] about Denominational Democracy, Trusting Trustees, Blogs, and Dave Miller

I have drafted a statement that outlines Woven Theology. The whole document is in work, it's a large task to outline my theological views, and I am finding that this theology is common, but no one has put it down as a written statement. I hope this will help us in our disccusion and bring some unity by finding some common ground. Here is the link. http://jdanbarnes.blogspot.com/2012/06/statement-of-woven-theology.html … [Read more...] about Woven Theology Statement

Some random reflections before bed tonight. 1) This was an historic time, because the SBC took a huge step in racial reconciliation with the election of Fred Luter as president. However, and I may write more on this later, we cannot allow this to be seen as the finish line in the process. There is a lot more work to do.  Maybe one day a black man will be elected and no one will even mention his race.  Maybe, one day black men will be candidates for the pulpits of white churches and be hired to those positions.  One day, maybe we will have a seminary president or entity head who is Asian, … [Read more...] about Reflections on SBC NOLA

I was elected 2nd VP with about 59.5% of the vote. I was shocked. Then, I was confronted by an angry man who called my character and desire for unity in the SBC into question. I am, he said, a fraud. I am a lot of things, folks. I'm overweight, sinful, sometimes self-centered and angry and base and, well, you fill in the blanks. But I will tell you two things. 1) I know that little weight or import attaches to the office if 2nd VP. 2) I will use whatever influence I have to promote a New Baptist Majority, that exalts Christ and revels in the unity we have in him, that emphasizes … [Read more...] about I’m a Little Shocked

There is a little election coming up that has me a little nervous. But 2nd VP is really a minor issue. Todd Littleton is speaking now about his motion calling the convention to take action on the Land matter. It was ruled out of order. We are voting to overrule the chair. The motion failed. We need to somehow demonstrate the we have fully repudiated Land's comments. Not sure how to get it done. The biggest events will be resolutions, many of which have been refused by the committee. Dwight McKissic's resolution will not be reported, but he will likely attempt to bring it out by floor … [Read more...] about Big Doings in the Big Easy

The motion passed, by the margin I expected. There were 4821 votes cast, with 2546 (52.78%) in the affirmative, and 2232 (46.27%) in the negative. The motion passes by what hardly can be called a mandate. … [Read more...] about We are “Great Commission Baptists”

… [Read more...] about “This is the Gospel Project” – A Video

Day one of the convention is in the books and the convention has been great so far. We elected Fred Luter as president - a sense of history was palpable. We dealt with some issues in a Baptist way without going to embarrassing places.  The descriptor debate was pointed, but it was handled well. We talked it over, took a vote, then took a ballot.  Tomorrow, we will find out which side won and we will go on about doing our business. Both Bryant Wright and Frank Page had forceful and (I thought) powerful calls to lay down our arms as Calvinists and non-Calvinists and work together for the … [Read more...] about Baptists on Their Best Behavior