SBC Voices

Sometimes, I wish I was He-Man. Nine words. That’s all he needs. Nine words…and a magic sword to hold aloft. By the Power of Grayskull, I HAVE THE POWER. And with those words an effeminate looking dude becomes the most powerful man in the universe. Not only is he changed but so is his cowering pet, Cringer. Changed into the mighty battle cat. Magic words. I wish I had them. I’ve got junk in my own life of which I wish I could just hold aloft a sword and shout some gibberish and then all would be well. Besetting sins would disappear as quickly as Prince Adam’s pretty … [Read more...] about Why I Can’t Be He-Man

I'm going off grid for about a little more than a week. I'm leaving first thing in the morning for a BCI Pastors' Tour to the Holy Land, with a group of (wait for it) BCI Pastors and their wives. Jenni is traveling with me this time - I promised her last year after I got to go to Israel that I would take her. Anyway, the blog is wide open. Normally, I publish the posts according to a schedule. But for the next 9 days, it is "fire when ready." If you have a post ready to go, put it up. You are on your own for a week, fellas. A Few Guidelines 1) Be ye kind and considerate of the … [Read more...] about SBC Voices Contributors: Fire When Ready

In 2 Timothy 1:5-14, Paul exhorts Timothy to be bold in the gospel and guard this good deposit entrusted to him. In the middle of this passage it is as if Paul sets before his protégé two options. One option is to fan into flame the gift given to him even if it leads to suffering. The other option is to let this gift grow cold and just kind of get by. Such an option will lead to less outward suffering but I’m convinced that it’d wreak havoc on Timothy’s soul. You can’t hold such a fire within your bones. As I thought through Paul’s exhortation to Timothy I applied his exhortation to my … [Read more...] about 9 Ways to Preach Like a Chicken

(Okay, I apologize for that title.) I'm preparing for a BCI Pastor's trip to Israel next week, but I saw this infographic that buttressed something I've been saying for about 267 years, and I thought I would write a few brief thoughts for you to discuss.  I don't really have time for this, and this will likely be my last post (unless its not) until after I return on October 29th. Here's my thesis. I like simple weddings. More than that, I think they are healthier, better, and maybe even more honoring to God than expensive, complex weddings. I know that it is very easy to … [Read more...] about I Like Simple Weddings (And I Cannot Lie!)

I wonder what Asaph’s prayers sounded like when he was in the midst of his brutish ignorance. Asaph is the guy from Psalm 73 that was envious of the arrogant and almost lost his faith by fixing his eyes on the prosperity of the wicked. At root, dude was covetous. And so I wonder what his prayers sounded like during that terribly dark season. I wonder if they sound anything like my own. With envious eyes Asaph peeks at the luxurious living of his unbelieving neighbors. They’ve got prime rib and he’s eating a Jewish version of a Salisbury steak TV dinner; which, of course, is closer to … [Read more...] about Why Your Prayers Might Not Be Answered

A massive humanitarian tragedy is developing in Liberia and Sierra Leone. I'm not talking about the epidemiological tragedy, which will continue to unfold over the next several months. I'm talking about the inevitable state of these two nations after the virus has run its course and the epidemic comes to an end. Between now and then, the United Nations projects that 10,000 new cases of Ebola will emerge weekly, mostly in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and that, at this phase of the epidemic, those numbers will increase exponentially. At present the fatality rate in this epidemic has been around … [Read more...] about Why Southern Baptists, Above All Others, Must Stand Ready to Aid Liberia

Here is a copy of the resignation letter Mark Driscoll sent to his elders yesterday.   October 14, 2014 Michael Van Skaik Chairman, Board of Advisors and Accountability Mars Hill Church Dear Michael: By God’s grace I have pastored Mars Hill Church for 18 years. Today, also by God’s grace, and with the full support of my wife Grace, I resign my position as a pastor and elder of Mars Hill. I do so with profound sadness, but also with complete peace. On August 24th I announced to our Mars Hill family of churches that I had requested a leave of absence from the pulpit … [Read more...] about Mark Driscoll Resigns from Mars Hills Church

I've been busy trying to get caught up on some work before I head out of the country next week - won't be writing much. But since this discussion broke out on another comment stream, I thought I should put up a forum for discussion of the issue here. According to the Houston Chronicle, it seems the series of events is (at least loosely) as follows: 1) The Houston city council, led by the mayor, an open lesbian, passed a "non-discrimination" ordinance. 2) Christian groups opposed the ordinance based on some of its provisions and possible consequences. I've not read the ordinance and … [Read more...] about Houston’s Mayor and Religious Freedom

The SBC Plodder is back with his customary incisive analysis of all things SBC. LifeWay and Baptist Press do a good job this time of the year in researching and writing about clergy salaries. BP's story about pastor salaries not keeping pace with inflation is a good example. According to LifeWay's 2014 Clergy Compensation Survey, pay and pay package increases for full-time senior pastors are going up at a rate less than the rate of inflation. This means that, as a group, senior pastors are slightly losing ground in their income considering the cost of goods of services. Any senior pastor … [Read more...] about Sorry, but that MDiv is not a paying investment (William Thornton)

Paul Thompson blogs at the Bridge. Unfortunately, evidently he also needs his mouth washed out with soap! The childhood fear of having my mouth washed out with soap haunted me this evening as I was responding to some push back from mycolumn this morning in the Times-News. I’m thankful for the opportunity to write a regular column for the Times News. They are kind to publish my 500-700 word column in a rotation with 5 others in the Magic Valley. Today’s post generated a small amount of discussion via www.magicvalley.com (the online version of the Times-News). In my attempt to dialog with … [Read more...] about “Your Comment Contains Profanity” (Paul Thompson)