SBC Voices

Early on in my ministry (both writing and in the local church) I felt the need to respond to every criticism. Now I do not. Awhile back I spent some time thinking through how to determine whether or not to respond to a critique. Mostly, this is dealing with online discussions but it has application with a few minor tweaks to local church ministry as well. These three categories have helped me, perhaps they will help you as well. I find it helpful to categorize comments into three categories. First, comment types of which I will never respond. Secondly, comment types of which I might respond … [Read more...] about Should I Respond To This Comment?

I've seen it in churches. We have certainly seen it in blogging. And we are currently seeing the phenomenon as the crisis plays out at Louisiana College. None of us likes to be criticized. It is uncomfortable, painful, frustrating and infuriating. And in today's "everything has to be positive," "never admit a problem," "sweep it all under the rug" Christian world, we see the unfortunate response that we are seeing at Louisiana College. Never admit or address the problem. Attack the people who identify the issues. If you have blogged very long, you've seen someone in power respond to … [Read more...] about Leadership 101: Fix the Problems, Don’t Attack Those Who Identify Them

Andy Hynes is a PhD candidate at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Follow him @ABHYNES on Twitter. Have you ever thought about the difference between “knowing about God,” and “being known by God?”  There is a vast difference between the two.  When the information about God is transformed into a relationship with God, a life change occurs.  Is it possible to know a great deal about God and not be known by Him?  Could our churches or even our pulpits be filled with individuals who have never had a genuine encounter with the true God of the Scripture?  Maybe they have conjured an idea of … [Read more...] about Encountered by God (by Andy Hynes)

Contra our beloved editor and illustrious 2nd Vice-President of the Southern Convention of Great Commission Baptists, this post will reference Calvinism. Please, feel free to ignore the substance of the post and keep bickering over whether the lost people in your neighborhood are saved by grace because they believed because the Spirit moved when you told them or whether they are saved by grace because the Spirit moved when you told them and they believed. My dog in that fight is this: are you telling them? Because I think we cannot escape that we are commanded to do so. I am going to tell you … [Read more...] about Please, Spit in My Eyes

Bart Barber has published a post, "A Statement of Southern Baptist Soteriological Unity." It contains, if my count is correct, 33 affirmations, acknowledgements and denials concerning how Southern Baptists can find common ground in the Soteriological wars. I only have one problem with the document: I wish I'd written it.  Go, read Bart's statement and think about it. Do we not all agree on these issues? Can we not unite around these things. Is there anyone within the SBC who cannot affirm that document? Doesn't it show that we have MUCH more in common than we do in distinction, even in … [Read more...] about An Important Post from Bart Barber: A Statement of Southern Baptist Soteriological Unity

Editor: Mike is away from his computer - I don't think its fatal, but perhaps we should pray for him? - and gave me permission to post this. I'm planning to, after this post, return to my commitment, which I wish I had not strayed from, to avoid any discussions of Calvinism! This post was originally published at Mike's site, Borrowed Light. If it is not in your feed, put it in immediately! Because I said so! Earlier this week I explained why this discussion on Calvinism matters. Now I’m going to explain in what way this discussion doesn’t matter and why I wish we’d spend our efforts … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons a Calvinism Discussion Doesn’t Matter

(Not that Dr. Hankins needs my defense! He works at academic heights and I am more of a blue-collar guy. But I want to defend his right to forcefully state his views, as he did today at SBC Today.) I did not sign the Traditionalist document last summer for a simple reason - I don't agree with some of the theology expressed in it. In addition, I believed that some who promoted and supported the Traditionalist document came from a mindset that threatened to divide and destroy our denomination. I perceived a definite anti-Calvinist bent within many, especially those who blogged about it, in the … [Read more...] about In Defense of Dr. Eric Hankins and SBC Today

I am in the wonderful position of receiving a ton of free books from publishers in exchange for a review.  Lately I have read, or at least skimmed, a good number of books on missions in a “post-Christian” world.  Many of these books are written by guys that are ministering in a bigger city.  They are encouraging us to stop trying to do ministry as if we still live in a “Christian” world.  Just as Dorothy woke up in Oz and discovered that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore, so also churches need to wake up and realize “we aren’t in Kansas anymore”. That is really good advice.  Helpful.  … [Read more...] about What If Toto IS in Kansas?

A few years back at our annual pastor's conference I was sitting around a circle talking to a bunch of young guys. (I shouldn't mention that the circle was the hotel hot tub, because our readers might not want that mental picture.) I had a sudden moment of realization  sitting in that circle. I was now the old, established, voice of experience doling out advice to these young pastors. When did that happen? So, I'd like to invite you young whippersnappers to my virtual hot tub today to give you a little unsolicited advice. Some of you are old codgers like me - you can take the day off or … [Read more...] about An Old Codger’s Unsolicited Advice to You Young Whippersnappers