SBC Voices

I am a firm believer in the germ theory, which hypothesizes that some diseases are caused by microorganisms that, although are way too small to be seen with the naked eye, invade the body and cause big problems.  Of course, while this theory was once highly controversial, it’s accepted as absolute fact now because of indisputable scientific proof backing it.  We’ve all become well versed in germ names like Ebola, Influenza, and Streptococcal.  These germs and others get into a body, multiply to the point they cause a disease, and then hope to get passed on to somebody new.  That’s why it’s so … [Read more...] about What Contagion Are You Spreading?

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian author and critic of Soviet totalitarianism.  He had great reason to be a detractor given his years of imprisonment in Soviet gulags and forced work camps after being charged with writing anti-Soviet propaganda during Stalin's reign.  Later in life, Solzhenitsyn captured what it was like to live in those times in a book called The Gulag Archipelago.  Those were very dangerous days when anybody at any time could be arrested and sentenced or murdered for basically nothing.  Here's one haunting story from his book : A district Party conference was under way … [Read more...] about Don’t Ever Stop Clapping for the LGBTQ Community

So, as he noted, while Dave is avoiding lions across the ocean, he asked if I could assume moderator duties for the time being here. For some reason, I said yes. :) I will not be donning any green suits in his absence, but I want to provide a couple of housekeeping notes. Most stuff around here stays fairly civil and decent, even when heated. I will check in as much as possible, but I probably won't scour through every comment. If you notice something inappropriate, email me at mbergman1980 [at] gmail [dot] com, and I will look into it asap. However, I am not omnipresent, and I do enjoy … [Read more...] about Housekeeping (mint for your pillow?)

Second only to baptisms in frequency and hilarity, funny church stories often concern people who fell asleep in church. A man I knew from little Bethabara Baptist Church of my childhood went to church one winter morning. More than the real estate market, wintertime seating in that church building was all about location, location, and location. Too close to one of the Dearborn heaters meant you would roast; too far away meant you would freeze. Crook Hurdle (I grew up there, and the nicknames don't seem strange to me at all) had chosen wisely—optimum range. He sat on the outside seat of the pew, … [Read more...] about Wake Up, O Sleeper!

I hear a lot about the death of blogging. I think it's wishful thinking. Sometimes I would echo that wish. But I haven't abandoned my post. I've neglected the site for the last month or so, and the next two weeks are going to be even worse. I'm leaving tomorrow evening after prayer service for Omaha to catch a flight on Thursday morning to Africa. I'm going to be spending 11 days on an intense discipleship program trying to counsel and assist the good Dr. Bart Barber with some of his personal issues. Actually, I'm sure exactly how much detail to give, but we will be doing evangelism … [Read more...] about Don’t Get Your Hopes Up: SBC Voices Isn’t Dead

Can you remember all of the things you were ticked off about last February? Other than the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, I can’t either. But I bet you were outraged about something. The folks at Slate, which by the way is a quite outrageous site, spent 2014 compiling all the instances of outrage. There was something every day that got us worked up on social media. Some of these were serious issues—others were obviously not worth our outrage. I found this comment from one of the author’s of that piece to be telling: …it’s fascinating to look at how our collective responses skipped … [Read more...] about Missing the Outrage of the Day

William Thornton is the SBC Plodder – this is the third in a series of posts that will go up fairly rapid-fire. That’s because I got busy today and didn’t set them to post when I should have.  Bah humbug! Bad news all around...but...here's my list of the top good news stories for SBCers in 2014: 1. Lottie Moon hits record total, $154.1 million. Southern Baptists may be giving less to the Cooperative Program and less of their disposable income to churches and mission causes, SBC entities may be mired in retrenchment mode because of flat or declining giving, but the Lottie Moon Christmas … [Read more...] about Top SBC “Good News” Stories for 2014 (by William Thornton)

William Thornton is the SBC Plodder – this is the second in a series of posts that will go up fairly rapid-fire. That’s because I got busy today and didn’t set them to post when I should have.  Part 1 is here. While you were reading the latest on Hobby Lobby, the Affordable Care Act, and the new Pope, these are some things of interest to Southern Baptists. You likely will not see these in any summary of the year's top Baptist stories in regular outlets. Florida Baptist Convention Settles $12.5 Million Sex Abuse Case   Background and summary of this game changing sex abuse case may … [Read more...] about Top 2014 SBC News Stories – Part 2 (by William Thornton)