Until the Reagan presidency, Evangelicals often shied away from activism. Activism is defined as “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action, especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” It can help bring about justice as well as social, economic, and political change, yet the word itself evokes […]
Pastor, be ready to believe (Keith Myer)
As awareness of Ravi Zacharias’ sins and abuse spreads on the internet, there have been a number of reactions. There has been a great deal of disgust and anger (and properly so). Some have offered opinions (“I never liked him anyway” or “I’m throwing his books away.”) Others have shared guidelines like the Billy Graham […]
Jesus Doesn’t Want Us to be Hated For Being a Jerk
1 John 3:13 states, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” In a wonderfully bold statement, John reminds us that we should not be surprised or startled if the world hates us. To hate expresses here an emotion of loathing coupled with malice. Some languages render it by a phrase such as, “not to […]
British Royals, Protecting Institutions, and the SBC
You probably haven’t heard, because they’ve pretty much kept it out of the news, but there was a little interview given by a couple of formal British Royals named Harry and Meghan that created a bit of a stir across the pond. I am not an expert in the royal family and cannot speak to […]
Our oldest and most important entity, IMB, is doing OK
Some of the SBC alphabet is under constant internal attack. The ERLC always has critics that are loud, dedicated, tireless, and often senseless. Witness the recent Executive Committee ERLC Task Force report, generally characterized as a throwaway item, as in ‘no action needed,’ ‘no action taken.’ NAMB is a big, red bullseye target. Church planters […]
Fences Aren’t For Sitting
If you travel through the country side of Oklahoma, and prob other places too, there is one thing you can be certain to see. They go by different names depending on where you live. I’ve seen them called stone cribs, corner posts, or the ever descriptive “rock piles.” Every so often at the corner of […]
One Reason the SBC Is Divided
There is much more that could be said here. And I’ll preface this with saying I’m an idiot on much of this stuff. However, I do believe I’m making a correct observation here. In the book Coddling of the American Mind the authors note two types of identity politics. One, the way of MLK, seeks […]
What about the 40% of SBC churches that gave NOTHING through the Cooperative Program?
Ronnie Floyd threw a bunch of tables and graphics at us in his relaunch of the Vision 2025 message to the Executive Committee. You can view the message here. I’m picking a single item, the last one, number five from his list of five strategic actions: Increase annual giving through the Cooperative Program to surpass […]
No action on ERLC Task Force report
The Executive Committee’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Task Force presented their report to the EC today. Task force chairman Mike Stone gave the presentation on behalf of the task force. He gave a brief explanation concerning the creation of the task force. He then went on to describe the work of the task force. […]
J.D. Greear’s Powerful Message to the SBC Executive Committee
Last night SBC President J.D. Greear brought this message to the Executive Committee meeting in Nashville. It’s well worth watching in its entirety, but here are a few key excerpts in case you don’t have time for the full message. More coverage is available at Baptist Press. Key moments: 3:40 Greear said he had no […]
We Don’t Need Ronnie Floyd for Revival
Allow me a moment to defuse that flashy title. Nothing I’m about to write is meant as an attack on Ronnie Floyd. In fact, my hopes would be that if he read this article he’d give it a hearty amen. We also must acknowledge that we are at a watershed moment within the SBC. Who […]
Are Southern Baptists in for more Executive Committee surprises?
It’s been a year since the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee last met in-person. It was at that meeting that the Executive Committee voted to usurp the authority of the duly elected Pastors’ Conference President by giving him an ultimatum regarding the program. It was also in February 2020 that the EC took on the […]