This strong language in an1885 postcard from James Bruton Gambrell editor of the Mississippi state paper, The Baptist Record, to Georgian Patrick Hues Mell. I have a few postcards of historical interest to Southern Baptists. These days, we Tweet about technical legal terms like “waiver of privilege” and what kind of ice cream we like. […]
Questions for “the Prince of Parliamentarians”
That Prince would not be Barry McCarty, nor my favorite parliamentarian, Amy Whitfield, but Patrick Hues Mell (1814-1888) who was SBC president longer than any other man, two terms totaling 15 years. I’ve been to a lot of SBC meetings, the big annual meeting, state conventions, and associational meetings. I’ve presided over lots of church […]
I discovered a cache of 19th Century SBC correspondence: Gambrell, Graves, Mell, Robertson et al
Some years ago my father bought an old Victorian house near downtown Athens, Georgia. It was once a grand place but had been rental property for some time. Before he sold it I went with him through the house and among the discarded items was a box of old correspondence. I kept the items and […]
Ronnie Floyd did what he had to do
Last night Ronnie Floyd announced his resignation as president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. You can read the Baptist Press article here. The article contains the full text of Floyd’s resignation letter to EC trustees and Southern Baptists. Floyd attributed his resignation to “decisions made on Tuesday afternoon, October 5, in response to […]
Live at Peace With Everyone
The Apostle Paul’s admonition to the church members in Rome to “live at peace with everyone” is a message of truth we desperately need in our culture and as Great Commission Baptists. Too often on social media, in churches, and recently on committee Zoom meetings, we witness people in conflict speaking inciting words in an […]
On My Motion Regarding Our Lawyers and a Conflict of Interest
Much has transpired since my visit to the Executive Committee (EC) meeting in Nashville last month. I originally wanted to get this article written and published earlier but it became clear that the Sexual Abuse Task Force’s work and the response of the EC was a far more important issue (although I would argue these […]
If churches are SBC headquarters, then look to see what HQ is doing on international and North American missions
In our dual approach to funding denominational causes, cooperative and societal, the bulk of missions money comes through the two offerings dedicated to international and North American missions. Those would be the two named offerings: Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. They are both at record levels reflecting the true interests and goals of Southern Baptist […]
Take in the good news that Lottie Moon hit a record $177.6 million for 2019-2020
Back in 2009, an era ago, the Lottie Moon goal was set at $175 million. The receipts fell short by $26 million, $29 million, $30 million, $28 million…years on end proving that it was an unrealistic goal. Even in the post voluntary retirement year where 1,100 missionaries left the field, the receipts were far under […]
The inevitable resort to weaponizing money in church and denominational conflict
Happens every time. It’s in our DNA as Southern Baptists. In those periodic times when there is dissension and conflict in our Grand Denomination the cry goes out, “Don’t send them your money!” That’s seldom appropriate and seldom effective. I daresay that every pastor of an SBC church has been in the place where individuals […]
Third time’s the charm? (by Dave Pittman)
“Third time’s the charm”, that’s what we’re told, right? On their third attempt to honor the wishes of Messengers, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee voted 44 to 31 to waive attorney-client privilege (albeit in a VERY limited manner) and agree to the contract with Guidepost to begin the investigation on sexual abuse. But let’s […]
In any SBC drama and conflict the Cooperative Program takes a hit
…and these last weeks have been more drama since the hot years of the Conservative Resurgence. I have observations and opinions but perhaps the investigation will prove beneficial in the long haul. No one knows. One might note this significant change in the Baptist Press policy on reporting abuse: Baptist Press will continue to report […]
Confessions of a Cynic
I’m a cynic, or at least I tend towards cynicism. This weekend, our association hosted a mission team from International Commission. They are currently unable to have many international mission trips because of Covid restrictions, and they decided to try their approach in North America. We were the first association in our country to host […]