SBC Voices

Joshua was devastated.  Thirty-six of his men lay dead and the nascent nation of Israel was defeated and demoralized.  Joshua was confused, clueless and even angry.  Why would God let this happen?  And how could God’s people be humiliated in battle by a little village like Ai? Just a few days before, Joshua was the triumphant conqueror.  The mighty city of Jericho lay in ruins and Israel rejoiced.  Having polished off a walled, armed city like Jericho, a tent village  like Ai did not present much of a challenge. They decided that the entire army was not even needed to tackle Ai and only … [Read more...] about Jericho and Ai: Joshua’s Painful Lesson on Dependence

David W. Jones and Russell S. Woodbridge have served the church well by writing Health, Wealth & Happiness.  It is probably no secret to my readers and those within my church community that I absolutely abhor the prosperity “gospel”.  It’s not just some little error to be trifled with, it’s dangerous heresy that breaks people and churches.  I was even more convinced of this after reading the work of Jones and Woodbridge. One of the most helpful things in their book is in the conclusion they give five questions to diagnose our openness to the prosperity gospel: Why does God exist and … [Read more...] about Are You Prone to the Prosperity “Gospel”?

  William Thornton blogs at the SBC Plodder.  Our wonderful Cooperative Program has done well in funding the panoply of state and SBC missions, seminaries, and entities over the last 87 years. It is not a perfect stewardship vehicle but is has been and is our main channel for cooperation. SBC life as we know it is unimaginable without it. As it stands now, the state conventions keep, on average, about 62% of each CP dollar for their own use, a figure well within the 60 to 65 percent range that is the historic average.  Question: How much of each undesignated Cooperative Program … [Read more...] about Is 60%+ of each CP dollar enough for state conventions? (by William Thornton)

A few weeks ago, a post regarding calling and the IMB hit SBC Voices (found here).  A number of very astute comments were made regarding the nature of calling, and some hard questions came up.  All of that got me to thinking, so I went around and asked a bunch of international missionaries for their perspective.  Enjoy. _____________________________________ We actually began the process with the IMB before I felt 'a call.' Once my husband felt called to serve overseas, he asked me to pray about it. I fervently prayed for 6 months, hoping not to be called to a foreign place. I had … [Read more...] about Is Calling Legitimate?

We are currently spending our grandchildren and great-grandchildren's money to make our lives better today and that is immoral. And no, Republicans, it is not all the fault of the president and the Democrats. It is true that the Obama administration has exploded the growth of the debt in unprecedented ways, but other than the Republican congress right after the "Contract with America" (in 1994 - and, yes, President Clinton cooperated in the effort) there has been little evidence of either party really caring about the debt. So, we have amassed a debt that is over 16 trillion dollars. I … [Read more...] about It is Immoral to Spend our Great-Grandchildren’s Money

Author's note:  It's a joke, folks.  Just being silly.  13.  Heresy: There's an App for That 12.  Biblical Proof that Potato Salad, Fried Chicken, and Moon Pies are Unclean Foods 11.  IMB Announces End to Lottie Moon Offering: "We've got enough money for now...Thanks!" 10.  Baptist Men Sue for Right to Join WMU 9.  Preachers Win Court Case: Can Now Wiretap Your Phone, then Preach Sermons Aimed Directly at You 8.  Lottie Moon was a Calvinist 7.  Youth Directors Resign En Masse; Stunned Parents Now Required to be Involved with Their Youth 6.  Ergun Caner, Richard Land to … [Read more...] about Twelve Headlines That Would Cause a Panic in the SBC

Editor: Joe Blackmon attends an SBC church in Tennessee.  He blogs at Hear God Speak.  You can follow him on Twitter @joe_blackmon_72 The Bible is a simple yet complicated book. It’s simple enough that there is truth that a child can understand yet complicated to the point that men and women have devoted their whole to the study of it and still feel they have barely scratched the surface of what’s there. Because of its simplicity and its profundity, the Bible touches all believers that study it. In fact, I would dare say that no one can truly study scripture, come face to face with the truth … [Read more...] about II Peter 3:17 Four Imperatives of a Forward Looking Faith Part III (by Joe Blackmon)

Jerry Corbaley blogs at Think the Thoughts. I tend to agree with Dave Miller’s post on the ‘extremes’ of the Continuationist/Cessationist discussion. I am not at either extreme. I am not a cessationist. I am a continuationist though I am skeptical at times. I would like to offer the following exposition of several key Biblical passages and offer an application. I would appreciate anyone who can help me see the issues in a clearer way. Thanks in advance. “…do not forbid speaking in tongues.” 1 Corinthians 14:39b ESV To me, that is a very clear statement. It totally prevents me from … [Read more...] about Do Not Forbid Speaking in Tongues (by Jerry Corbaley)

Paul Thompson blogs at The Bridge. (You should know on the front end that this post is heavily influenced by A.C. Dixion, and his "Ethics of the Theater"sermon (1905.) I highly recommend you read that sermon and let your mind consider all that is said. Let me further say that it would be critically important to hear all that he says and all that he doesn't say. It would be easy to conclude that he is saying that all theater is sinful, but he doesn't, he is arguing that the believer exercise caution, and in this post, I'm arguing that the church must seriously and soberly evaluate the use of a … [Read more...] about Drunk with the Fascination of Success (by Paul Thompson)