SBC Issues

Here's the way he puts it: 5. Operate in the Light – The SBC should be the toughest place to hide corruption, abuse, and poor stewardship, operating at the highest level of integrity and accountability. We must eliminate organizational tools, structures and processes that help hide wrongdoing and abuse. The SBC and its entities should end the use of, and recall, all remaining Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). We must not hide corruption and we will not protect predators at the cost of harming victims. There must be transparency in how we make decisions and how we spend money. Records should … [Read more...] about Randy Adams’ good idea for the SBC: transparency and openness in all entity matters

Randy Adams is the second person to be a declared candidate for SBC president. Baptist Press had a story on him on January 15th. I'm pleased there is more than one candidate (Al Mohler) and there are some things Adams has written that I like. The idea of remote voting for the SBC Annual Meeting bubbles up every year and is one that I don't like. It's a bad idea. For a little background on the idea of remote voting take a look at EC not going to waste missions money on remote SBC voting... Satellite SBC meetings and remote voting: the best, terrible idea around More about satellite … [Read more...] about Randy Adams’ bad idea for the SBC: remote access to SBC annual meeting voting

We often declare that all Southern Baptist churches strive to be true New Testament churches. I don’t disagree with that aspiration, but I wonder if we give sufficient thought to what that means. It seems to me that we often idealize the New Testament church. That is, when we speak of the “New Testament Church,” we have a perfect, first-century congregation in mind. A careful reading of the New Testament reveals churches that struggled mightily, much like the imperfect churches we serve today. Note the problems in these churches mentioned in the New Testament. Jerusalem. The members … [Read more...] about So You Want Your Church to Be a New Testament Church?

The continuing rancor triggered by Paige Patterson's invitation to speak at a church in Florida makes me ask this question: Has the SBC while in annual session, the SBC Executive Committee, any of the 41 state conventions affiliated with the SBC, or any of the 1,146 local associations of Southern Baptist churches ever blacklisted an individual minister? I don't know that any of these ever have taken any formal action to do so, the Convention at every level relating to churches not ministers. If any employees of these entities speak to the matter, they speak they speak as individuals, just … [Read more...] about Has “the SBC” ever blacklisted ministers?

...that can't get any respect. I can't think of the last time I heard a pastor say anything positive about the fact that he lived in the parsonage. Maybe never. I don't see data on it but church-owned housing seems to have been declining for a long time. Younger pastors are aghast at the idea of being tied to the church by living in a house owned by the church. Each of the churches I pastored had a parsonage and my family and I lived in it because that was the only option available. For the two rural churches I pastored the only way the pastor could live on the church field, where his … [Read more...] about Behold, the lowly parsonage…

Dr. Susan Codone is an "SBC Voice" - an active and supportive Southern Baptist. Her approach to this issue has been direct but it has honored local church autonomy. The church in question is free to do as it chooses, but she is also free to dissent and to put public pressure on that church when it does something that violates her conscience. Susan is a professor at Mercer University, an abuse survivor, a powerful voice within the SBC on issues of sexual abuse, and has spoken at ERLC and other SBC events. Here is Susan's story. Timothy Pigg, pastor of Fellowship Church in Immokalee, Florida, … [Read more...] about Suspended & Silenced by an SBC Pastor (Dr. Susan Codone)

NOTE: One of the chief offenders in spreading lies in the SBC is the Capstone Report, which anonymously publishes a string of half-truths and falsehoods, without conscience. They recently made up a story about Dr. Jason Allen that was related to his involvement with "Soros-funded EIT" and to everyone's surprise, had the common decency to retract the story when it was demonstrated to be false. They stand by their lies about the EIT and ERLC and show absolutely no integrity or Christianity in any other area, but at least they had the decency to correct this lie. It is a start.  I have heard it … [Read more...] about Thou Shalt Not Lie: The ERLC, EIT, and George Soros (EDIT – Concerning Retraction by Hate-Blog Capstone)

Here are a few reasons why: We'll elect a new SBC President in sultry Orlando in June. It was announced back in November that Al Mohler will be nominated for SBC prez. The early timing of the announcement was an eyebrow raiser. Mohler quickly responded that he would accept the nomination. Hey, I'm just glad he didn't say that he would accept the presidency. Ordinary SBCers get to vote. He'd get my vote if I decided to attend the meeting and swelter it out in what used to be a perfectly good swamp. Surely, someone else will also be nominated. There's an announced candidate for 2nd Vice … [Read more...] about Already? 2020 and it looks like a very interesting year for the SBC