SBC Voices

“Lord, we pray that you put a hedge of protection around this family.” I’ve had something similar prayed over me before. And I really appreciate it. But I have a confession to make. The phrase “hedge of protection” makes me laugh. You see, I’m a child of the 80’s and 90’s. When I hear the word hedge I don’t think of a row of thorn bushes–I think of Sonic the Hedgehog. So what I hear when someone prays for a hedge of protection is a group of angry hedgehogs watching out for me like my own personal line of attack dogs. That is one reason, to my knowledge, I’ve never once prayed a hedge of … [Read more...] about Why I Don’t Typically Pray For a Hedge of Protection

How would you respond if asked, “What does Dr. Pepper taste like?” It’s hard to answer, because Dr. Pepper’s taste is the result of a blend, a marvelous blend mind you, of 23 flavors. And while the blend of flavors for this “DP” is outright amazing, there is another “DP” whose blend of flavors is downright stressing. I’m talking about what I like to call the “Deacon-Pastor,” a completely fabricated term, but a totally realistic thing, although it shouldn’t be. You’re probably asking, “What is a Deacon-Pastor?” A “Deacon-Pastor” is an unbiblical hybrid position that merges the biblical … [Read more...] about THE UNBIBLICAL CALLING OF THE PASTOR

Dr. Eric Hankins is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Oxford, Mississippi. He is the author of the much-discussed Traditionalist Statement and was central to the Calvinism Task Force appointed by Dr. Page, which reported at the Houston Annual Meeting. Part 1 can be found here.  In my first post responding to Nathan Finn’s essay on the Traditional Statement (TS) in the Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry, I addressed the things with which I agree. This post will focus on what I consider to be perhaps the most significant area of difference for further discussion. Again, Nathan … [Read more...] about Response to Dr. Nathan Finn, Part 2: Who Can Respond? (by Dr. Eric Hankins)

Recently, I was reading through some of my old posts here, especially those right after I assumed the official position of Chief Mugwump of SBC Voices on September 13, 2010 (my birthday!). My philosophy and commenting policies have gone through quite a bit of (shield your ears) evolution over that time. I've never completely figured out how to corral this herd and have sometimes let things go too far and have perhaps at times come down too quickly and too harshly. In my defense, I'd only suggest you try this job (you can have my salary too) for a week and see how you handle it. I was very … [Read more...] about A Word about SBC Voices: Why Did You Post That? Why Do You Let HIM Comment?

Apparently, if I were a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle I would be Raphael. Yep, you guessed it, I got sucked into one of those ridiculous quizzes on Facebook that I’m certain is some form of a ponzi scheme. Thankfully, I was able to restrain myself and not take the quiz which would have identified which Golden Girl I am. Though now as I write this my curiosity is growing… I just lost. I’m Sophia–that’s which Golden Girl I am. At least I think. Truth be told, I didn’t understand half the questions. So maybe I’m really closer to Bea Arthur. Why in the world is my Facebook feed filled with … [Read more...] about Why I Care Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle I Am

The NCAA Bracket Challenge has come and gone for another year. This year's winner is Karl Mealor. Ben Stratton made a strong run through the "Trail of Blood" in the Final Four, but Karl would not be denied. He picked three of the four Final Four teams correctly. However, he did not see the Connecticut train a-coming, picking Virginia instead. He picked Wisconsin over Kentucky (and barring a ridiculously evil, wicked and horrifying 3, he'd have been correct) and he picked the Gators to win out. In spite of picking both Final Four games wrong, he had a big enough lead by landing 3 of the Final … [Read more...] about SBC Voices NCAA Tourney Challenge: Congrats to Karl Mealor

Joshua Breland is a graduate student at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. We are surrounded by people. I think baseball should officially be retired as "America's Favorite Pastime." Surely "people watching" is our real favorite pastime. Our lives are filled with daily interactions and experiences with people. How would you answer if asked, "Who are the greatest people in your life?" Would it be family, friends, maybe people you don't personally know but who inspire you through their writings, radio and television programs, or other media? Are the greatest people in … [Read more...] about Who Are the Greatest People in Your Life? (by Joshua Breland)

Dr. Eric Hankins is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Oxford, Mississippi. He is the author of the much-discussed Traditionalist Statement and was central to the Calvinism Task Force appointed by Dr. Page, which reported at the Houston Annual Meeting. We look forward to this series of articles.  Over the next few weeks, I will be offering some responses to Nathan Finn’s essay “On the ‘Traditionalist Statement’: Some Friendly Observations from a Calvinistic Southern Baptist,” which appeared in the most recent edition of New Orleans Seminary’s Journal of Baptist Theology and Ministry. … [Read more...] about A Response to Dr. Nathan Finn (by Dr. Eric Hankins)

It was a cold Friday morning. As a bi-vocational pastor, Friday was my day off. The kids were in school & my wife was at work. I like to do two things on my day off: fish and hunt. Hunting season wasn’t in so I headed to the Suwanee river. I don’t have a boat so I’d be fishing off the bank. I would get to the river by passing through a church members private property and then driving down a trail in the woods. My spot was very secluded and very quiet. Just the way I like it. My wife had already told me I shouldn’t go fishing. She is a city girl. She believes that one day I will get … [Read more...] about Why I Don’t Quit (by Unappreciated Pastor)