Note: Throughout this essay I will use the term “Black Southern Baptists” anachronistically at times. Therefore, you should take it to mean “Black Baptists from the South” whenever you encounter it referring to Baptists living before 1845. In the first century of Christianity, nobody accomplished more in terms of spreading the gospel where people thought […]
Amando a nuestros vecinos inmigrantes (Howard Harden)
Durante años, la reforma migratoria ha sido un tema candente en los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, nunca ha habido un momento en que el tema de la inmigración sea más controvertido. Probables votantes en las elecciones de medio término recientemente declararon que la inmigración es su principal preocupación. La reciente controversia con respecto a la […]
Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors (Howard Harden)
(This is a translation of the Spanish language post published above.) For years, immigration reform has been a hot-button issue in the United States. There has never been a time, however, when the topic of immigration was more controversial. Likely voters in the mid-term elections recently stated that immigration is their top concern. The recent […]
SWBTS: On the Comeback Trail?
Last year would have to be described as a difficult time for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary by any metric. There were reports of declining enrollment and financial troubles, along with the constant drumbeat of controversy that led to the dismissal of their long-tenured president, Dr. Paige Patterson, an event that also resulted in some of the […]
Guaranteed to give foodies the heebie jeebies
May I modestly offer my humble self as a BBQ connoisseur? Indeed, I am, though some close to me may tweak that term and say that I’m more of a BBQ consumptioneur…but what do they know? I like most any kind of BBQ pork, and even beef if offered it, with most any kind of […]
Worse than an infidel?
In recent days, in response to those calling on Christians to have compassion on needy people from other countries, I have heard or read several people reference 1 Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than […]
Christians, the Government, and the Ballot Box
When it comes to the relationship between Christians and the government of our United States, we want to root our attitudes, ideas, and actions in Scripture. Yet, when it comes to our historical situation, we don’t match the hierarchies in place during Old and New Testament times. As a Democratic-Republic in which supreme power is […]
Are Church Libraries Archaic Institutions? (Joseph Giles)
John Adams said, “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” His wife, Abigail Adams, said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” I am a student. I am an academic. I know I am not alone among the readers and writers of SBC Voices. […]
Ecclesiology…can’t get any respect from Southern Baptists
I’m not the lonely pastor theologian slogging away thinking deep theological thoughts, unappreciated and in obscurity. I’m currently not lonely, not a pastor, and not a theologian and my goal was just to try and hack it on Mondays (thanks, Adrian, for that line). But I do wonder why we stalwart conservative, Bible-believing, inerrantists seem […]
What “Trust the Trustees” Means…and Doesn’t Mean
I heard a story recently that infuriated me. A friend was speaking to a trustee of one of our institutions who told him that one of the things he liked about being a trustee was that he didn’t have to listen to anyone else but the other trustees. And, he said, his only job was […]
Baptists and the Mega Millions Jackpot
There are all kinds of good reasons to oppose the lottery. It is a terrible form of gambling that tends to appeal most to people who can’t afford it. I’ve heard it described as a tax on stupidity – you’ve better odds of being struck by lightning than winning the thing. Then suddenly the Mega […]
A Birmingham Update from the Executive Committee
Greetings SBCVoices readers. My name is Bill Townes and I serve as the Vice President for Convention Finance and Convention Manager for the SBC Executive Committee. I want to thank the SBCVoices team again for the opportunity to help shed some light on this issue. I apologize for the delay in responding, but I needed […]