SBC Voices

For the third time that night my chattering teeth woke me. You’d think I could have defended myself. My foe was barely 40 pounds, but that little dude could grip a blankie. On and on this battle waged through the night. I would awake and re-steal the covers. I would warm up and drift into a comfortable sleep. As if he could smell my security, the little minion would slowly pull the massive blanket over his tiny frame, uncovering his poor daddy in the process. Every time I thought I had myself covered, secure, and able to finally get a little peaceful sleep I’d wake up, cold, shivering, … [Read more...] about Fighting for Cover

Scott Slayton blogs at the eponymous "Scottslayton.net." He offered me this post a while back (well, November) and being forgetful, I forgot to post it. I thought it was good. So, here it is, three months late.  I've often thought of what I might say if asked to speak at a Pastor's Conference. this would make a good start. Scott is a pastor in Alabama, but we will not hold that against him. This post has been stirring in my heart for a couple of years.  It’s not in response to any sermons that I have heard lately, but rather is something that has been eating at me since a sermon I heard at a … [Read more...] about If I Were to Preach at a Pastors’ Conference (by Scott Slayton)

In my family, we often relate by teasing each other. We actually get along pretty well, but if you saw a transcript of some of our conversations, you might not think so. It’s how we do. As we rag on one another, we often use the verbal equivalent of emoticons in our exchanges. “No offense,” says the one doing the teasing. “None taken,” says the one who is taking the shot. There is a similar phrase I've come to enjoy and employ when giving my siblings or my children the business. “Of course, I say this only in the spirit of Christian love.” That’s my family – it’s how we roll. It might not … [Read more...] about For the Love of God, Please STOP!

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in1 the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:16-20 “How are we going to do discipleship?” It’s a question that I think gets … [Read more...] about Discipleship is life…

In the 1st century the newness of the Christian faith led to various attacks. Pagans, Jews, and the Romans all sought to destroy the “new” religion. They didn’t realize the faith was not new, just rounding in form. (The Christians saw their heritage lifted out of the OT Judaism in the person of Jesus Christ.) They also did not realize that persecution and attacks were nothing new to Christians. However, with the turn of the century, new attacks came from intellectual philosophers. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries men like Celsus and Porphyro sought to demean and squelch the new Christian faith. … [Read more...] about God’s Hand in the Rise of Early Critics and Apologists

“…since Genesis 3, legalism (self-salvation) has always been our biggest problem. And this problem does not shift to something else when the cultural mood shifts–it just takes one of two different forms.” –Tullian Tchividjian. (Quoted from Church We Have a Problem) Tchividjian has argued quite forcefully that legalism and lawlessness aren’t two ditches for us to fall into. Instead they are two different responses to the one problem—legalism. One person attempts to save himself by his good works (legalism). Another person attempts to save himself and find freedom and life by breaking the rules … [Read more...] about Is Legalism the Problem of the Hour?

I saw a link yesterday to a January 8 article in Christianity Today about a question that is becoming increasingly significant in the modern media age. The article describes the problem, "Who Owns the Pastor's Sermons?"  That used to be an insignificant issue. It was hard to get a book published or get a radio ministry that produced income. But with the explosion of self-publishing and podcasts and monetized internet options and PayPal, there are a lot of ways for pastors to make a little income from their messages and writings. But hold on a second, preacher! You may be taking profits … [Read more...] about Do You Own Your Sermons?

Many people groups around the world are what ethnologists term oral learners.  As the Orality Strategies website defines orality... "'Orality' refers to reliance upon the spoken, rather than written, word for communication.Orality is an ancient phenomenon that continues to the present. Before writing was developed, cultures passed along their cultural traditions, including their history, identity, and religion, through their stories, proverbs, poems, songs, riddles, etc. These are all oral art forms; that is, they are spoken, sung or chanted. They were (and still are) often woven into … [Read more...] about The Character of God in Five Stories

WHERE BLACK HISTORY AND ISRAEL’S HISTORY INTERSECT: “OH MARY DON’T YOU WEEP” Celebrating the Commonality of Black American History and Israel’s History by William Dwight McKissic, Sr. The two most persecuted people-groups in the history of mankind are the Jews and Blacks. This has been a major point of identity and bonding between these two groups. Jewish Americans strongly supported the Civil Rights Movement more so than any other ethnic group. They often marched with Civil Rights Leaders to provide a shield of protection and support. The most celebrated African-American preacher … [Read more...] about Where Black History and Israel’s History Intersect – “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” (by Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr)

Different strokes for different folks, And so on and so on and Scooby dooby doo-bee. (Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone, 1968) I get it. You are more than capable of making your own decisions concerning social media. Because I am profoundly committed to the idea that you possess free will, you do whatever you want. As for me, my aversion to Twitter has developed into full blown bitter contempt—a loathing born not from its requirement for brevity, which I admire, but from its mode of expression demanding abruptness, inspiring haste and facilitating the clandestine spread of … [Read more...] about Don’t Fritter Life with Twitter Strife!