SBC Voices

VIII. The Lord's Day The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10. FBC … [Read more...] about Sunday Night Church: Blessing or Burden?

I have offended more than one of my good friends by my unwillingness to address certain topics, issues and people through the years. Some have wondered if I lack conviction or am afraid of confrontation. The first is seldom true - I'm a pretty opinionated man, more often described by those who know me as dogmatic (even belligerent) than wishy-washy. The second is a possibility. I do not enjoy conflict and I think the tendency to avoid conflict, while generally a good thing, has been one of my biggest struggles as a pastor. But I do not believe that my unwillingness to address certain issues … [Read more...] about It’s NONE of My Business!

It was a terribly sad Sunday. As I stood before the people, preparing to pray with them, I was met with many saddened faces. And yet a few seemed to have a cheery disposition, as if a great victory had been one. I knew what was going on. Clearly our church was divided by the latest controversy launched on the internet. They, like me, had read the scathing article on Friday evening exposing Pastor Celebrity. And so, I knew that the smiling faces were those excited that the latest celebrity pastor had been exposed. Likewise, I knew the frowns were indicative of the sorrow one feels when … [Read more...] about On the Latest Controversy

I haven't written anything on my idea of Woven Theology in a while, and I have watched the Calvinist/Traditionalist debate continue to roll.  I want to through this out today, most of the argument is based on "what" and I find it disturbing.  While the Calvinists have a stronger scriptural argument, the Traditionalist have some points that cannot be overlooked and ignored.  Both of these things fit together, but I am not so interested in "what" but the "why" that drives me. It's never been enough for me to know that something works, I want to know why it works.  When it comes to Salvation, I … [Read more...] about Looking for Why, A Woven Thought

In 2006 I told every blogger-friend who would listen to me, "Of course you realize, by blogging today we are guaranteeing that we'll never work as or be elected to anything in Southern Baptist life, and it might even be very difficult to move from one church to another." Some of us chose to blog anyway, for a number of reasons. Foremost among them would have to be (a) we thought what we were doing was important, and (b) we weren't sure any church, denominational entity, or voting body would ever be terribly interested in using us whether we blogged or not! That's one of the reasons why Dave … [Read more...] about On Being a Blogger-Officer in the SBC

I am really angry about something. No, it has nothing to do with anything here at SBC Voices or with any of my social media interactions. Those sometimes raise my blood pressure, but usually only for a moment. The specifics of my anger are unimportant and will remain secret. In general terms, some people I thought were my friends did something that hurt me pretty deeply and made me realize that they evidently did not share the respect I had for them. Sometimes, I will start stewing about this, and my blood pressure rises until I think it is going to boil over. I think about whether I should … [Read more...] about Anger: A Growth-Killing, Soul-Chilling Sin

Yesterday Paul Crouch, founder of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), died at the age of 79 (New York Times). Begun as a single Christian TV station in California, TBN is now a family of more than 20 television networks the span the globe. By the way, the Barber family has neither cable nor satellite television, but even our plain over-the-air TV antenna picks up at least five TBN-related channels. It is only barely an overstatement to claim that Paul Crouch founded an empire. The pervasiveness of his influence, the opulence of his lifestyle, and the particulars of his theology necessarily … [Read more...] about FBC and TBN: What Paul Crouch’s Life Tells Us about Southern Baptists in the Twenty-First Century

I scan his body looking for a cape. Shocked that I don’t see one I assume that he’s one of those superheroes that doesn’t actually need a cape to fly. He just gets stuff done. The superhero I’m talking about is Super Dad. Suddenly his passionate preacher voice draws me away from cape gazing and back into his talk. “If we don’t disciple our children we are worse than unbelievers. Listen guys, I know that its tough. I know that you are busy. But what do you gain if you gain the whole world but lose the souls of your children?” his voice now rivaling that of a Seahawks home game. Looking … [Read more...] about A LITTLE HELP FOR FAMILY DEVOTIONS

One of the signs of advancing age is growing nostalgia. I no longer ridicule those who say, "back in my day" since I'm often now the one saying it. Oh, I'm not anti-technology, nor do I automatically think that things were better back in my day. But I am convinced that there was one thing dramatically better back in my day. Thanksgiving. We would have a large gathering of family and friends; the meal started around noon. Turkey. Dressing. Mashed potatoes. All the expected delicacies! Grandma made ambrosia with fresh Florida oranges  and shredded coconut. After the food came the football. … [Read more...] about “Black Thanksgiving”: It Is Time to Draw the Line