I love the news that a significant early letter of Lottie Moon was recently donated to Southeastern Seminary. Lottie Moon letter donated to SEBTS displays Moon's courage, influence WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – Earlier this month, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) received the donation of an letter written by Lottie Moon, lifelong missionary to China in whose memory Southern Baptists receive their annual Christmas offering for international missions. Dated July 22, 1878, the letter is a remarkably preserved example of Moon’s correspondence and offers a glimpse into her early … [Read more...] about Lottie Moon, letter writer extraordinaire and giant among Southern Baptists. Would she be canceled or excluded today?
Questions about Forgiveness
Counterfeiters do not spend a lot of time printing fake bills from failing economies. They seek to reproduce the US Dollar, perhaps the Euro or the Pound – stable currencies. They counterfeit what is real. There is nothing more real, more powerful, than forgiveness. My entire soul hangs in the balance with the reality of Christ’s forgiveness of me, and according to Scriptures – not just one or two, but many – my walk with Christ and the success of my Christian life depends on my obedience to Christ’s commands to love my enemies, return good for evil, and to forgive those who have sinned … [Read more...] about Questions about Forgiveness
Scatter Shooting
The late Blackie Sherrod was the sports editor for the Dallas Morning News for many years. Every Saturday, he would publish a column of his observations and reflections on the sports world during the past week. I don’t plan to publish my Scatter Shooting as often, but it provides me with the opportunity to share thoughts, opinions, and observations that do not merit 600 words in a post on Voices. Scatter shooting while wondering where Bart Barber gets his hair cut. It’s all about grace. I earned a PhD at Southwestern Seminary, served in the ministry for 50-plus years, and taught in … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting
Jesus Revolution: A Primer in Quenching Revival
My wife and I took a stroll down memory lane on Saturday evening, headed down the street to the Carmike to watch the movie, "Jesus Revolution." I would encourage each of you to go see it, though if you didn't grow up in the 60s as we did, it might not have quite the nostalgic impact it did for us. It was a well-made movie, with good acting. It tells the story of Greg Laurie's conversion, and also the beginnings of the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s, in which many hippies, who had "turned on, tuned in, and dropped out" but found the promises of the flower child lifestyle failing began to turn … [Read more...] about Jesus Revolution: A Primer in Quenching Revival
Reflections on the EC Controversy
Due to life circumstances, I am not nearly as involved in SBC life as I used to be. I am content, since the SS SBC is being piloted by the capable hands of the good Dr. Bart Barber. Still, recent actions by the EC have stirred up quite a response on social media. The information in Jay Adkin's "explainer" was tremendously helpful but I thought I'd engage in the conceit of opining on the topic, and related issues. My views have been forged since my first SBC convention meeting, in 1979. Yeah, I'm old. 1. The Convention has changed drastically in the last 50 years. (Duh?) Back in my … [Read more...] about Reflections on the EC Controversy
A Helpful EC Meeting “Explainer” for the events of Feb 20-21, 2023
What follows has been assembled by some folks “in the know,” regarding the events that took place at the EC meeting dated February 20-21, 2023. The attempt here is to share pertinent facts related to procedural issues, primarily. There is a bit of commentary in this explainer but for the most part, the material here is simply presented to posit factual and procedural elements to help answer a number of questions which have been offered in the intervening time. I was at the meeting in Nashville, and I find this material particularly helpful and wanted to share it with you. This article is … [Read more...] about A Helpful EC Meeting “Explainer” for the events of Feb 20-21, 2023
The Book of Acts Reprised?
I taught missions in Bible college and seminary for forty years. As you can imagine, I taught the book of Acts many times. Every time I did, a student would ask, “Why don’t we see the events of Acts in our churches today?” I always answered the same way, “We don’t pray the way they prayed, and we’re not filled with the Spirit as they were. (“They” referring to the believers in Jerusalem.) Why did I answer in that way? Prayer Several passages in the early chapters of Acts tell how the believers in Jerusalem prayed together in groups: Acts 1:14--All these with one accord were devoting … [Read more...] about The Book of Acts Reprised?
Conservative or Liberal: What is the ideal position for Southern Baptists?
James Sullivan was the longtime leader of the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, from 1953-1975. He was considered an expert on Baptist polity and wrote on it extensively. His book "Baptist Polity As I See It" is a great resource for those wanting to learn more. But one part of the book caught my attention, as he asked what was the ideal position for the SBC in regards to conservatives and liberals. He seemed to accept that there would always be some Baptists who were more liberal than others, and that historically the SBC has been made up of centrists. He also encourages … [Read more...] about Conservative or Liberal: What is the ideal position for Southern Baptists?
Historic low for clergy trust but you need not concern yourself about that
My colleagues and I are at an historic low in regard to being considered trustworthy by the public. Notable Ratings for Clergy, High School Teachers, Police The Gallup poll puts the beloved man-of-the-cloth above lawyers, bankers, and journalists but below nurses, doctors, and accountants. Alas, when I started out in the 1980s we were, as a group, ranked high in trust. Now, we're in the toilet and swirling downward. Gallup tracked the downward movement as beginning early in this century, around the time of the Roman Catholic clergy sex abuse scandals. Lifeway Research takes a look … [Read more...] about Historic low for clergy trust but you need not concern yourself about that
Every church should take these steps to make tomorrow easier
The phone rang repeatedly, and I awoke from a dead sleep and mumbled an answer. The church member on the line sounded frantic and said, “has anyone called you yet?” I managed a “no” before he interrupted me and said, “The church is on fire. You need to get down here." It was about 5 a.m. when I pulled up at the church and saw flames shooting out the top of the roof. The fire department was already there, along with a growing crowd. Even in the morning, people had come out to see the spectacle on Main Street. I felt helpless as there was nothing to do but watch. We have separate buildings, … [Read more...] about Every church should take these steps to make tomorrow easier