(This is a translation of the Spanish language post published above.) For years, immigration reform has been a hot-button issue in the United States. There has never been a time, however, when the topic of immigration was more controversial. Likely voters in the mid-term elections recently stated that immigration is their top concern. The recent controversy regarding the detainment of children at the border has added fuel to the fire. Many Christians are asking what, if anything, Scripture says to guide us. Our first question when examining any issue should always be, “What does the Bible … [Read more...] about Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors (Howard Harden)
SWBTS: On the Comeback Trail?
Last year would have to be described as a difficult time for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary by any metric. There were reports of declining enrollment and financial troubles, along with the constant drumbeat of controversy that led to the dismissal of their long-tenured president, Dr. Paige Patterson, an event that also resulted in some of the more dramatic convention moments we have witnessed in a while. Whatever your take on the troubles, I think we can agree that it was not SWBTS' best year. I am not closely involved with what is happening at the school but have been … [Read more...] about SWBTS: On the Comeback Trail?
Guaranteed to give foodies the heebie jeebies
May I modestly offer my humble self as a BBQ connoisseur? Indeed, I am, though some close to me may tweak that term and say that I'm more of a BBQ consumptioneur...but what do they know? I like most any kind of BBQ pork, and even beef if offered it, with most any kind of sauce. But pork ribs are the best, which brings me to the bane of foodies: Just in time for Halloween, McDonalds has reintroduced their magnificent McRib sandwich, and... I. Love. It. Had one last night as a matter of gastronomical fact. "But that's a fast food restaurant," you sniff. Doesn't matter. In fact, … [Read more...] about Guaranteed to give foodies the heebie jeebies
Worse than an infidel?
In recent days, in response to those calling on Christians to have compassion on needy people from other countries, I have heard or read several people reference 1 Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” In this same context, some have said things like, “As long as we have poor people here in the USA, or as long as we are not taking proper care of our veterans, we should not give one red cent to help those from other countries.” While some have limited the scope of their comments … [Read more...] about Worse than an infidel?
Are Church Libraries Archaic Institutions? (Joseph Giles)
John Adams said, “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” His wife, Abigail Adams, said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” I am a student. I am an academic. I know I am not alone among the readers and writers of SBC Voices. I value knowledge. I value the ability to learn and the tools that aid us in acquiring knowledge. I love a good library. My own library grows weekly. However, a church library is a different story. The church I grew up in had a library. It still does. Whether anything new has been added … [Read more...] about Are Church Libraries Archaic Institutions? (Joseph Giles)
Ecclesiology…can’t get any respect from Southern Baptists
I'm not the lonely pastor theologian slogging away thinking deep theological thoughts, unappreciated and in obscurity. I'm currently not lonely, not a pastor, and not a theologian and my goal was just to try and hack it on Mondays (thanks, Adrian, for that line). But I do wonder why we stalwart conservative, Bible-believing, inerrantists seem to care so little about ecclesiology. We've got elders-ad nauseum in our churches these days, a sea change from forty years ago, back when I knew everything as a seminary student. The Baptist Faith and Message Statement doesn't even contain the term … [Read more...] about Ecclesiology…can’t get any respect from Southern Baptists
What “Trust the Trustees” Means…and Doesn’t Mean
I heard a story recently that infuriated me. A friend was speaking to a trustee of one of our institutions who told him that one of the things he liked about being a trustee was that he didn't have to listen to anyone else but the other trustees. And, he said, his only job was to help the president of the entity enact his agenda. Wow. I wrote an article the other day opposing the idea of publishing entity president's salaries and advocating that we "trust the trustees." Some people seem to have a very different idea of what it means to trust the trustees than I do, evidently. What I mean is … [Read more...] about What “Trust the Trustees” Means…and Doesn’t Mean
Baptists and the Mega Millions Jackpot
There are all kinds of good reasons to oppose the lottery. It is a terrible form of gambling that tends to appeal most to people who can't afford it. I've heard it described as a tax on stupidity - you've better odds of being struck by lightning than winning the thing. Then suddenly the Mega Millions (is that the right one?) jackpot reaches an estimated 1.6 billion (yep, that's with a b) for the next drawing and suddenly even a Baptist preacher like me who has never played the lottery in my life finds myself tempted to buy a ticket. Sure, I know the one-time payout on the 1.6 billion might … [Read more...] about Baptists and the Mega Millions Jackpot
A Birmingham Update from the Executive Committee
Greetings SBCVoices readers. My name is Bill Townes and I serve as the Vice President for Convention Finance and Convention Manager for the SBC Executive Committee. I want to thank the SBCVoices team again for the opportunity to help shed some light on this issue. I apologize for the delay in responding, but I needed to do a lot of research to fully understand the issues that we were experiencing over and above some of the obvious challenges related to housing in Birmingham. Our Convention planning team left for Birmingham around 6:00 am this past Monday and just returned to Nashville last … [Read more...] about A Birmingham Update from the Executive Committee
Should Entity Head’s Salaries Be Made Public?
I noticed a comment in William's philippic (see, William, I learned a new word) yesterday that called for something that has been called for many times before - that the leaders of SBC entities should make their salary packages public to all Southern Baptists. It was recommended as an accountability measure. This has never been an issue for me. If an entity is run well I don't care what they pay the president. If he is running it poorly, then the issue is performance, not pay. I would make the following observations. 1. Because of Baptist polity, the "constituency" of the entities is … [Read more...] about Should Entity Head’s Salaries Be Made Public?