In a stunning but welcome turn of events, last night Trinity Baptist (Ashburn, GA) pastor Rodney Brown released a statement in the Georgia Christian Index apologizing for his handling of a situation with a staff member accused of sexual abuse. Brown apologized and asked for forgiveness from a number of different people during the course of his statement: David Pittman and the other victims, SBC President J.D. Greear, the entire SBC, and the Georgia Baptist Convention. The situation at Trinity Baptist gained attention when J.D. Greear listed the church in his address to the SBC Executive … [Read more...] about Trinity Baptist Pastor Rodney Brown Seeks Forgiveness, Apologizes to SBC, Greear, Victims of Former Staff Member
Perspectives from a Seminary Wife: Spiritual Growth, Academics, and Where the Church Falls Short (Rachel Reeves)
When it comes to involvement in ministry, church attendance, and overall biblical knowledge, I would venture to say that I would land with the majority of churchgoers, and many (specifically in the Bible Belt) would likely share numerous experiences with me. I was raised in church. My parents ensured that I attended, they were involved as leaders in a variety of ways, and they taught me to value and hold fast to my faith. They did what any good Bible-believing parent would do: they instilled in me the importance of the Church. They taught me these things, which was new territory for them, … [Read more...] about Perspectives from a Seminary Wife: Spiritual Growth, Academics, and Where the Church Falls Short (Rachel Reeves)
The Church, the Gospel, and the LGBTQ+ Community
Following the special called General Conference of the United Methodist Church, Adam Hamilton, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, held a discussion with his church about the future of Methodism. In the hour-long video Hamilton argues that the Bible contradicts itself on many issues and that it promotes views of marriage and sexual ethics that conservative Christians in our culture would find deviant, especially polygamy. He also argues that certain passages of the Bible prove harmful to certain people, and we should question such passages in light of modern understandings. When asked if … [Read more...] about The Church, the Gospel, and the LGBTQ+ Community
Precedent, Inquiries, and the EC Bylaws Workgroup
The issues surrounding last week’s response to the sexual abuse controversy are incredibly complex. I know a lot has been written already. Yesterday I tried to give an overview of where things currently stand. In addition, there are so many details that deserve to be traced out to fully appreciate how we could have responded and where we go from here. One objection we’ve heard from a number of places (just for an example this comment on a recent post) is that the bylaws workgroup wasn’t equipped or ready for the task they were given. Almost as if it was J.D. Greear’s fault for placing on … [Read more...] about Precedent, Inquiries, and the EC Bylaws Workgroup
Bylaws Committee Statement: Update and Where Things Stand
Last week we saw a considerable outcry against the statement issued by the Executive Committee's Bylaw Workgroup. Several of our writers took issue with the statement, as well as other notable voices like Rachael Denhollander and Ed Stetzer. We've seen responses from a number of people involved, and here are some of the notable developments. First the good and then the ones that aren't so... Several Executive Committee members have responded with support for Greear's 10 Calls to Action and other steps to hear from victims and/or push back against the Bylaws Workgroup statement. EC … [Read more...] about Bylaws Committee Statement: Update and Where Things Stand
Disagreeing Baptists
Baptists disagree. We started out disagreeing with the Reformers over baptism, over state churches, and over the restriction of religious freedom. In the 70s and 80s, we began to dissent from the leftward drift in our institutions and entities, and a swelling tide of leaders expressed those concerns publicly. Perhaps, with hindsight, we would modulate our tone a bit, but men stood and spoke, saying the direction of the SBC was not what it should be. Dissent from our leaders is at the heart of Baptist life. It still is today. I am a loyal Baptist, a lifelong Southern Baptist and I want our … [Read more...] about Disagreeing Baptists
Georgia Baptists See Leadership in Action from Thomas Hammond
Last week, I posted an article about the problems at Trinity Baptist in Ashburn, Georgia. In that article, I mentioned that the pastor of that church, Rodney Brown, claimed to have received support from not only the Executive Committee staff, but from the Georgia Convention and from his association. This was upsetting, that Baptist entities would support a church that had a known pedophile openly serving in leadership. The Christian Index published a statement from Thomas Hammond, the new Executive Director of Georgia Baptists, that demonstrated real leadership. He admitted that he had … [Read more...] about Georgia Baptists See Leadership in Action from Thomas Hammond
Lost in the noise: positive things about the SBC and abuse
Good intentions may go awry and it's tough to label the past week as much other than a debacle in spite of good men doing what they thought was prudent and appropriate. (Yes, part of the problem is likely the heavily male-dominated makeup of the Executive Committee but more on that later). But it may be helpful to review some of the things that are positive, particularly in comparison with a year ago: The question of sex abuse in churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention is receiving serious attention and that not just from abuse victims and their advocates. Our current … [Read more...] about Lost in the noise: positive things about the SBC and abuse
The SBC’s New Castle and the Wall
It’s been 31 years since Joel Gregory’s famous “The Castle and the Wall” sermon at the 1988 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). As the illustration goes, Lord Londonderry owned a castle in Ireland with fine stones that the local villagers began pilfering in order to rebuild broken roads and buildings. Prior to an extended trip, Londonderry gave orders to his agent to enclose the castle with a well-coped wall, six-feet in height. Londonderry arrived several years later to find his castle had disappeared. In its place was a large wall enclosing nothing. Londonderry sent for his agent to learn … [Read more...] about The SBC’s New Castle and the Wall
The EC Bylaws Committee Investigation Cannot Stand
A little more than a day after receiving information from J.D. Greear on the 10 churches named in the Houston Chronicle’s series of articles, the Bylaws Committee of the Executive Committee issued a wholly inadequate response that called for further inquiry into three of the churches, absolved six of them by saying that no further inquiry was needed, and pointed out that one of the churches was not SBC-affiliated. (The offender in the non-SBC church moved from an SBC church after committing the offense, so it is easy to see how the Chronicle did not figure that out.) This report cannot … [Read more...] about The EC Bylaws Committee Investigation Cannot Stand