Social media interaction can be revealing. I retweeted a tweet by a friend - an observation about the tendency of Christians to justify any failures on "our side" (politically) by pointing out that "their side" is worse. The nearly immediate and sadly predictable response was that this man (a rock-solid conservative) must be a Hillary supporter. Naturally, if you are not 100% in support of the GOP and everything they do, you are a Democrat-lover! I have watched the response to a tweet I sent out a while back with some amusement. Trump. Comey. Russia. Schumer. Pelosi. Ryan. Impeachment. … [Read more...] about Whither Nuance? The Disappearance of Thoughtful Subtlety in American Politics
Resolution for the 2017 SBC Annual Meeting – Condemning the Alt-Right & White Nationalism
Resolution On The Condemnation of the "Alt-Right" Movement and the Roots of White Supremacy Submitted to the Resolutions Committee for the SBC Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, June 13-14, 2017 by William Dwight McKissic, Sr. WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that from one man God made every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation (Acts 17:26); and WHEREAS, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the day when the Lord would judge between the nations and render decisions for many people (Isaiah 2:4); and WHEREAS, … [Read more...] about Resolution for the 2017 SBC Annual Meeting – Condemning the Alt-Right & White Nationalism
Offering for the ERLC – SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017
Jared Moore has asked us to remove his posts. There are a handful, like this article, which we’ve turned into a summary and left the comments section posted. On May 25, 2017, in the midst of controversy surrounding the ERLC, Jared Moore advocated a special offering taken up specifically for the ERLC: The church I pastor, Cumberland Homesteads Baptist Church in Crossville, TN, is planning to take up an offering for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) on June 4, 2017. I want to encourage your church to do the same (Add it to your … [Read more...] about Offering for the ERLC – SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017
Would You Pray for Our 2017 Pastors’ Conference Speakers?
We have been meeting by video conference with the 12 men who will be speaking at our Pastors' Conference on June 11-12 in Phoenix. Each of these men is a capable, committed, and Christ-centered expositor of the word of God. I have loved hearing them share overviews of their messages. They will be a blessing to you. Would you consider helping us by praying for these men? Specifically, would you pray for one or more of these men daily between now and the beginning of the conference? I would love to know that a group of people is lifting up our speakers in prayer - that they might accurately … [Read more...] about Would You Pray for Our 2017 Pastors’ Conference Speakers?
In Defense of Study Bibles: Why Dave Could Be Wrong
So, we have a good discussion going on about the pitfalls of Study Bibles over at this post. I did chime in on the pitfalls that I found, for me, when preaching out of a Study Bible. My first pastorate I had a tendency to chase rabbits, even in the pulpit, and given my restricted prep time as a bi-vocational pastor, there were weeks that my outline was so skeletal that He-Man would have taken pity on it. At times, I would preach out of my NASB Study Bible and see notes that I hadn't caught before, and then go off on that tangent---then I learned better. Now, I transfer all the rabbits into my … [Read more...] about In Defense of Study Bibles: Why Dave Could Be Wrong
SBC PC: Mark Dever Speaks about John Onwuchekwa
As you know, each of the speakers for this year’s SBC Pastors' Conference in Phoenix, AZ was nominated by someone. I asked each speaker’s nominator to answer a few questions about the person they nominated, and we have been posting their responses here at SBC Voices over the last few months. John Onwuchekwa is one of the speakers for the conference. He will be preaching Sunday evening from Philippians 1:12-26. John is the pastor of a church plant in Atlanta, GA called Cornerstone Church. He was nominated by Mark Dever. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Mark Dever about John, … [Read more...] about SBC PC: Mark Dever Speaks about John Onwuchekwa
Confessions
The scripture tells us that we need to confess to one another, that it brings healing. If you look in our world, in our nation, our churches, and our lives it's clear we need healing. I want to encourage you today to confess by taking some initiative today. I'm going to put myself out there and confess a few things today. First, I know that my priorities as a Christian should dictate, but I have to admit. I didn't care for Chick-fil-A. They are a great company and do great things, but I just don't care for it. I don't like it. I'm so ashamed. I don't enjoy golf. I have played, I own … [Read more...] about Confessions
About that lawsuit against NAMB
I'd guess that most reasonably informed Southern Baptists are aware that our North American Mission Board is being sued by a former state convention executive. Baptist Press reported the suit here and summarized the allegations against NAMB: - NAMB leaders made "false and libelous" statements about McRaney in 2014-15 as NAMB and the BCMD attempted to work out details of a partnership agreement. -- In late 2015, NAMB posted McRaney's photo at the welcome desk of its Alpharetta, Ga., headquarters, communicating implicitly "that he was not to be trusted." The posting, the suit alleges, was … [Read more...] about About that lawsuit against NAMB
Just Preach the Word
This past Sunday was Mother's Day. I preached on The Beauty of Biblical Womanhood from Titus 2:3-5. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Titus 2 is one of those passages that has been largely forgotten in the Western Evangelical Church. Pastors don't preach it. Church members don't practice it. And many … [Read more...] about Just Preach the Word
Recovering the Heart of Southern Baptist Church Life
I spent Mothers Day with my Mom. It was a great chance to spend some time with her, and we're both at the ages to know that those chances are a finite set. Talking with Mom these days involves a lot of reminiscing about the past. We talked about my childhood (none of those stories will be a part of this post), milestone events along the way in our family, people we loved who are no longer with us, and HER childhood. I've loved hearing more and more about when she was younger. The other day in passing she said something, a reflection about her father. Alsia Yancey Carter went by the … [Read more...] about Recovering the Heart of Southern Baptist Church Life