SBC Issues

It is surprising to me how many believers go through their Christian life with little or no concern for reaching people with the gospel. In a former church I remember one member, a leader in the church, commented that he really did not have a burden for the lost. He admitted that he had never thought of evangelism as an important aspect of his Christian faith. I am thankful that he was candidly honest about where he was. Unfortunately, this man is not an anomaly. His viewpoint is far too common and in many churches is the norm. Multiply that perspective by 100 church members and you have a … [Read more...] about A Great Commission People

In Part One we explored both the unilateral creation of the task force itself and the selection of its entire membership by our SBC President. We considered the relatively brief nature of their deliberations in light of the historic decision to change our denominational name by introducing a second officially approved term with which it would be forced to compete. We reviewed the confusion of identity this replacement name would cause outsiders and even addressed the questionable use of a term that may prove, in the course of time, to sound "churchy" as it does not resonate with the culture, … [Read more...] about Twenty POLITE Reasons to Oppose GCB (Part Two of Four)

(Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift.  If he's not in your feed, he should be.)   The Great Commission Resurgence. This was the rallying cry of the new SBC 2-3 years ago. Southern Baptists had a task force that met for a year and made recommendations to the convention that dealt with funding mechanisms, an emphasis on church planting, and a suggestion to get more money from state conventions to the International and North American Mission Boards. These are good suggestions, but they weren't exactly the things that would lead to a true, grassroots resurgence of the Great Commission on the … [Read more...] about Whatever Happened to the GCR? (And how we can still have one). (by Alan Cross)

NOTE: I have just released a book which compiles (and edits and expands) these posts. It is called "Disqualified? What the Bible Says about Divorce, Remarriage and Ministry."   It is available on Amazon.com. The Kindle version will be released in the next couple of days - not sure what the hold-up is there. This book reviews the biblical evidence on divorce and remarriage, beginning with the cornerstone in the Old Testament - the twin principles of God's intent of marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman and the understanding of the brokenness caused by sin. It then lays the … [Read more...] about Divorce, Remarriage and Ministry: Paul’s Groundbreaking Teaching – 1 Corinthians 7:10-24

What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet -  Juliet, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet It would seem that Juliet was mistaken, at least in part. While a name itself does not change who we are, names can tell something about who or what we are supposed to be. There is a reason why we call ourselves Christians, believers, and saints; these names all identify some aspect not just of who we are but what we are to be in Christ - Christ followers, those who believe the word of God, those who have been made saints through the blood of Christ. There is a … [Read more...] about Perspectives on the Name Change Proposal (by Chris Roberts)

1 SBC Name Change: What I HOPE Happens Today 2/20 2 My Wife Lucretia 2/20 3 Legally: SBC // Informally: Great Commission Baptists 2/20 4 Observations on “Great Commission Baptists” 2/20 5 The “Great Cop-Out Baptist” Convention 2/21 6 How Nicknames Work 2/21 7 Skirting Southern Sin 2/23 8 Why I Like “Great Commission Baptists” 2/24 9 Informal Descriptor or Officially Approved Optional Replacement Name? 2/24 10 Did the Task Force Violate SBC Bylaws? 2/25 11 The “GCB” Debate: An Apology, a Plea, an … [Read more...] about Sixteen Reasons Not To Read any More Articles on the Name Change (or Why the Lone Ranger Didn’t Ride a Hobby Horse)

Peter Lumpkins posted a provocative piece concerning the SBC/GCB name change proposal that prompted me to opine and pontificate with regard to my posture on this proposition. I'm in favor of a name change because of regional, racial and public relational baggage/issues associated with the current name. However, I agree with you: if the original stated reasons for the name change proposal were valid-and I believe they were-then money is an invalid reason not to change the name. To not change the name for monetary reasons is a borderline insult. Given the convictions, courage, strength of … [Read more...] about THE SBC IDENTITY CRISIS: A RESPONSE TO PETER LUMPKINS By Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr.

It is fashionable these days to suggest that anyone who disagrees with you is sowing seeds of discord, displaying a nasty attitude that is bitter or snarky. In this article I intend to strike a clear, articulate and principled tone discussing only the subject of the name change study process and result while not insulting the personalities behind it. Please note that if my dearest Christian friends in the whole world had been responsible for this recommendation and the way it came about, I would still oppose the idea while preserving the same love, respect and appreciation for them as brothers … [Read more...] about Twenty POLITE Reasons to Oppose GCB (Part One of Four)

“God put Jonah in the midst of a serious situation with seriously broken people, and he slept” –D. Patrick & M. Carter from For the City This one hurt. I’ve been Jonah way too many times.  My excuse has always been the same, “my wife and I are planning to move soon, this is only temporary, no point getting too attached”.  Two years later we end up at the same house still waiting for the next location. Granted our moves (up until the big move to Kentucky) were only across town or at least within 15 minutes.  And we could have certainly continued these relationships had we begun … [Read more...] about Sleeping Away Our Mission Field