SBC Issues

It is February 20 and over the next two days the Executive Committee of the SBC is meeting in Nashville.  One item of business at that meeting will be the report of the Task Force appointed by SBC President Bryant Wright to examine the potential name change.  I don't know when in the agenda of the meeting the name change will be dealt with, but sometime today or tomorrow we should finally know what we have been arguing about for the last five months. My guess is we will be talking name-change a lot over the next couple of days.  There are several issues that we will be examining. What … [Read more...] about SBC Name Change: What I HOPE Happens Today

There has been a constant wave of news recently that has led some to opine that America is seeing a "war on religion" - that the current administration and liberal politicians and educators are seeking to limit the influence and power of religion in American culture.  More to the point, the assumption made is not that "religion" is the problem, but conservative, evangelical religion. Is there any evidence to support this charge? Well, several recent events have been marshaled in support of this theory. 1)  The New York Schools exclude churches In June of 2011, a federal appeals court … [Read more...] about Is There Really a War on Religion in America?

If you have followed our discussions here at SBC Voices, it will come as no surprise that I have a significantly different view of recent SBC events than my friends and fellow-contributors, Howell Scott and Rick Patrick.  I thought the GCR, while certainly not perfect, was an important and necessary step in refocusing our convention on our real purpose - to bring the gospel to the world.  Howell and Rick are (let's just say) less enthusiastic about the GCR. Howell has consistently expressed concern about what he styles as a "radical redefinition" of the fabric of the SBC.  Rick has been … [Read more...] about Hey Howell and Rick: I Agree with You (Sometimes)!

The SBC Plodder comes out of retirement to bless us again with his insights! Sixtysomething retired micropastor Plodder and thirtysomething megapastor J. D. Greear see the Cooperative Program in remarkably, or frighteningly, similar terms. Greear, something of a rock star among younger SBCers has a blog article up on Southeastern seminary’s blog site Between The Times: Our Church, The SBC, and the Cooperative Program Greear states plainly that he appreciates the Cooperative Program but identifies the main problem with it as being the reality that “so much of what is given to the CP … [Read more...] about Eye-to-eye with J. D. Greear on the Cooperative Program (by William Thornton)

It is odd that humor, something that is so much a part of our lives today, is talked about so little in the Bible.  There are some who have deduced from that fact and the awesome holiness of God that humor is somehow inappropriate in Kingdom work.  Some have advocated that humor should not be a part of preaching, that it is somehow offensive to God and destructive to his glory. But we live in a culture in which humor is ever-present: late-night talk shows, TV, movies, - it is everywhere.  In fact, humor has become a moral value in America.  I have heard a program or movie that is sexually … [Read more...] about Defining Godly Humor

The Southern Baptist Convention must restore the practice of traditional congregational polity, especially when it comes to the creation, staffing and reporting of our leadership structures. With each passing year, we have grown more complacent in our commitment to congregational polity, having practically surrendered to a style of church government more suited for elders and bishops than congregationalists. In each example below, I will first state a principle of leadership I consider to be consistent with traditional Baptist practice. I will then offer one example to show how this … [Read more...] about Restoring Southern Baptist Polity

Sometimes we are told that we cannot come to Christ unless the Father draws us, that without Christ we can do nothing, and that if we live, it is not we, but Christ who lives in us.  Now these views tend to hide pride from man, to create a diffidence of ourselves, and to center our hopes and dependence on Christ; but lest the slothful and wicked servant should make his impotence his excuse, we are called upon to turn and make ourselves new hearts; we are exhorted to ask and we shall receive; and we are assured that God will give the Spirit to them who ask Him…(John Jennings, Christian Pastor’s … [Read more...] about The Danger of Not Letting the Text Speak

As a pastor, one of the greatest encouragements is to hear the words “I’m praying for you.” Truly, one of the great blessings of being a pastor is knowing that prayers are being lifted up on your behalf. Often, people ask how they can be praying for me. While there are particular needs that I have from time to time, here are some prayers for pastors that are always in season: Pray that we stay vitally connected to the Lord in our personal devotion. Like everyone else, the tendency is for people is to drift. Pray that we would maintain a constant fellowship with the Lord, day by day, hour by … [Read more...] about How to pray for your pastor

I have been reading a lot of blogs, and I have been reading a lot of opinions on Calvinism, and it seems to me, most people tend to despise what they hear and don't really get.  I don't mean to sound condescending, but I think it's becoming a prejudice, we all band together to despise something we don't understand.  It's sort of human nature.  I have come to the point that I have stopped describing myself as a Calvinist, because people automatically make assumptions about me.  That I don't do evangelism (I wrote a book of evangelism) and that I don't want to do church plants.  I don't share … [Read more...] about Maybe we hate Calvinism because we don’t understand it.