Guest post by K.V. Paxton, Lead Pastor at Grace Baptist Church, Quinlan, Texas. The following resolution “On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians” will be submitted to the Resolutions Committee to be considered at this year’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. Allow me to share the heart behind this resolution, then you can read it for yourself. Last year at the annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, I submitted a resolution I titled, “On Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem”. The intention of that resolution was to bring attention to the fact that we have brothers and sisters in Christ … [Read more...] about SBC Resolution On Praying for the Plight of Arab Christians
Why Good Trustees Don’t (And Shouldn’t) Blog About Their Business
I'm the one guy who contributes here who sits on the board at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm the one guy who contributes here who has had nothing whatsoever to say about recent controversies at the seminary. At the end of this post, those two things will still be true. But I aspire someday to be a full-fledged SBC polity wonk, and it seems to me that this is an opportune moment for us to think together about the way that our polity works. Why haven't I put to writing my thoughts about these important matters? A superficial answer would be this: I wish to end my term as a … [Read more...] about Why Good Trustees Don’t (And Shouldn’t) Blog About Their Business
From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 3:1-4 – “Distracted by Mystery”
Passage: For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. (Ephesians 3:1-4 CSB) Expositional Devotion: In my preaching, friends at my church have noted that I tend on occasion to have 'squirrel moments,' like the dog from the movie "Up." I'd like to say that I'm not alone (I hope so), but to use this … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 3:1-4 – “Distracted by Mystery”
A Concern with Paige Patterson’s Apology
Editor: This article was originally posted at Mike’s website, Borrowed Light, on Friday, May 11. I really don’t want to write this. It is going to be seen as dog piling or as harboring bitterness and unforgiveness. I pray if those charges are leveled that they don’t have truth in them. I pray that my motives here are completely pure. Yesterday Paige Patterson issued an apology to God’s people. And it’s not sitting well with me. And, honestly, I feel it puts into a precarious position the women who signed the letter to trustees and have expressed concerns about Patterson. Allow me to … [Read more...] about A Concern with Paige Patterson’s Apology
From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 2:11-22 “Tear Down This Wall”
Text So then, remember that at one time you were gentiles in the flesh—called the “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made no effect the law consisting of commands and … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most – Ephesians 2:11-22 “Tear Down This Wall”
The Case of the Missing Missionaries and the Local Church
I've already written about how to get an IMB missionary to come to your church; basically it boils down to requesting someone to come. Today, I'd like to examine what might possibly have led churches to stop requesting missionaries and why missionaries, for their part, don't seem to aggressively pursue venues in which to speak. A disclaimer: please, no blame-game discussions. We can seek causes without vilifying those attached to them. The goal behind a search for causes should always be to ameliorate the effects. As well, I'm painting with broad strokes here and as such there will be … [Read more...] about The Case of the Missing Missionaries and the Local Church
God Save the SBC – a Plea to Fervent Prayer
My heart has been heavy since I read something Ed Stetzer tweeted. Having been in a plethora of denominations he observed that (I paraphrase) the dysfunction in the SBC is not normal. Our anger and in-fighting is more than just a family fracas. A sense of call, a burden has been growing within me to do what I do today. I realize that many will call me a fool. Many willl dismiss it. Some will even be angered. But I believe this is what I must do. Anyone who has been around a while has to realize that what we are seeing this year is not normal. It not a harmless internal battle or a blip … [Read more...] about God Save the SBC – a Plea to Fervent Prayer
When Apologies Don’t Mean Much… And When They Do
Because of the grace of Jesus, we are invited to forgive over and over again. 70 times 7. We are invited and enabled to forgive even before someone apologizes. We can even forgive if they never apologize. We can forgive not because of who the other person is or what they have done, but because of who Jesus is and what He has done in forgiving us. When we do wrong, we are to apologize and we are to apologize when we have caused pain, hurt, and loss. We are to try to make amends and to make things right. An apology doesn't take away what happened, but it does show that we agree that offense has … [Read more...] about When Apologies Don’t Mean Much… And When They Do
The Radical Remedy: Ephesians 2:1-10
“It is a failure to recognize this gravity of the human condition which explains people’s naïve faith in superficial remedies…A radical disease requires a radical remedy.” -John Stott So what do you think is needed in order to provide change? What will it take to change the world? Your life? Are you thinking of circumstances? If so, then your change will be superficial—actually, probably non-existent. You will simply wait for the circumstance to change. And you will probably be discontent and even tempted to blame God or others until your circumstance changes. Are you thinking of … [Read more...] about The Radical Remedy: Ephesians 2:1-10
Breaking News: Patterson Issues Another Statement, “An Apology to God’s People”
This afternoon Southwestern Seminary released another statement from Dr. Paige Patterson. This follows an April 29 statement from him and a May 1 Statement on Abuse from Patterson and the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee. It also follows a widely-circulated open letter to SWBTS trustees from SBC women and a more recent, similar letter from SBC men. The full text of today's statement is copied below. An Apology to God's People Pastoral ministry that occurred 54 years ago, repeated as an illustration in sermons on more than one occasion, as well as another sermon illustration used to … [Read more...] about Breaking News: Patterson Issues Another Statement, “An Apology to God’s People”