SBC Voices

We love our systematic theology and our interpretational guidelines. Dispensational. Covenant. Calvinist (or non-Calvinist). Deeper life. Baptist Identity Gospel-centered or Christ-centered. There is a lot to be gained from theological systems. They help us unify and organize our thoughts and see consistent themes in the study of Scripture. They help us link Genesis to Leviticus to Matthew to Romans to Revelation. It is great to have an organizing hermeneutical principle when we are studying scripture. But these controlling hermeneutical principles have some inherent … [Read more...] about The Dangers of Theological Systems

Ready for it? Here it is: The church at Rome did not have Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Take a gander at the list in Romans 12:6-8.  Now look at 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 and 12:28.  Different list isn’t it?  Now we in the 21st century have the advantage of going through all of these various spiritual gifts listed by the apostles and in then compiling a handy list of all the spiritual gifts in the Bible. Once you have the list of these gifts you ask people various questions to find out what they are passionate about and then you match their passions and experiences with the biblical … [Read more...] about One Reason I’m Not a Huge Fan of Spiritual Gifts Testing

William Thornton is the SBC Plodder.  Pastor pay is up! Happy days are here again! Look at it this way. On the first of every month, you go to your church office and are handed a check for $5,064.50. On that day you also can feel good that the church is paying your health insurance along with some contribution to your retirement. It all adds up to $72,840 which does not include cash payments that most ministers receive as accountable reimbursements (mostly for use of their car, calculated by mileage) or for incidental reimbursements for convention, books, etc. Ministers who live in … [Read more...] about 2012 Average SBC Sr. Pastor Pay: $60,774 (by William Thornton)

Do you ever hear something that you know is wrong but you cannot quite put your finger on it?  Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you knew you disagreed but you could not put your finger on what exactly the difference was?  I think I may have figured out what rubs me the wrong way so often in Christian circles.  We have a way of sounding biblical, looking Christian, speaking of Jesus while somehow subverting the gospel. Take for instance notes I found from a conference on tackling fear, worry, and anxiety.  It starts with the basics.  It is theologically sound on who God … [Read more...] about Gospel-Sounding Legalism

Once, I had a friend.  Let's call him Frank T. What a great guy.  Smart.  Insightful.  Hard-working.  Godly.  A goofball.  Wonderfully irreverent sense of humor that sometimes treads right up to the line but doesn't cross it. We were pals, Frank and I.  Our friendship taught me some of his favorite movies (Mel Brooks figures heavily).  It communicated to me his favorite sports to watch.  I know what sport he plays best recreationally because friendship led us to play together.  Ol' Frank collects some sports memorabilia; I know very little about the collecting, but our friendship made it … [Read more...] about Requiem for a Christian Friendship

Part One of this can be read here. Donald sits at the kitchen table in silence, blankly gazing at the back yard. The wisteria are getting a little ragged, and need to be trimmed.  The open window to his left allows in a few bugs.  Hummingbirds rob the feeders and robins snatch up the seed Donald scattered on the flat river rocks at 4;30 that morning.  Iris had a rough night, so he gave up on sleep after 4:00. Silence.  Sip of coffee.  A glance at the worn study Bible in front of him. He wasn’t always a believer.  The late 60’s were filled with skepticism, and it wasn’t until a late … [Read more...] about Just Barely Hanging On

I love watching Bob Ross paint his happy little trees.  However, on occasion Bob will do something that really bothers me emotionally.  What almost killed me was that Ross would paint a very intricate and beautiful mountain, or a bunch of happy little trees on a mountain ridge and then…I’m getting all worked up remember it…he would practically destroy the thing by putting a big fat tree that covers almost everything he just painted.  For a solid 10 minutes I’d sit there shocked and quivering and not able to enjoy my Fruit Loops while I watched this afro-wearin’ painter make something … [Read more...] about God’s Happy Little Trees