SBC Voices

If you're just joining us, you'll want to read part 1 of this little series here. We'd all like the approval and support of our families, right?  We all want to make hard choices, especially about missions, confident that our parents and siblings will be right there with us every step of the way.  We want to be Samuel, given to the Lord's service by grateful parents.  We'd like to be Samson, brought into the world with the understanding that Mom and Dad would prep us for ministry.  Heck, we would even accept Gideon's fate, supported by an idol-worshipping father who at least stood up for … [Read more...] about Call to International Missions, Part 2: Familial Approval

The appeal for unity by Southern Baptist Calvinists makes perfect sense to me. Let's put our differences behind us for the sake of our witness and cooperation in the gospel. We may have slight differences in soteriology, but we agree that Jesus is Lord, the Bible is inerrant and God wants us to tell a dying world about Him. Fine. Really. The suggestion by Southern Baptist Calvinists that Traditionalists may believe in heresy is much more troubling. Traditionalists who affirm Total Depravity reject Total Inability. Traditionalists who affirm our sin nature in Adam nevertheless reject that we … [Read more...] about Of Unity and Heresy

Is it possible that in our passion as Southern Baptists to defend the veracity of the Bible we have ignored one of its most powerful teachings? We battled and struggled to defend sound doctrine and the perfection of Scripture, but perhaps many of us forgot that the Bible we love proclaims the importance of unity and love in the Body of Christ. To desire and seek unity is not evidence of a lack of biblical conviction, but a desire to obey God’s commands. We must always be vigilant against the false teachers the Bible promises would come in our midst; the wolves who would walk among the … [Read more...] about Unity and the Heart of Jesus: John 17

There is no question that there are differences between Calvinists and non-Calvinists - it would be foolish to attempt to make the argument that those differences do not exist. But the differences may not be as stark as we sometimes try to make them. In the last few weeks, there has been a rather forceful debate on the "Sinner's Prayer."  Lots of heat has been generated by these debates, and often little light. I think you may see in the Sinner's Prayer debate an example of why we have such a hard time with the Calvinist/non-Calvinist debate in the SBC. This is something of a tempest in … [Read more...] about The Sad Effect of the “Sinner’s Prayer” Debate

And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till … [Read more...] about The Path of Seduction, Or How You Ended Up Gutted Like a Deer in a Tree

“Ahh, it’s wonderful!  Magnificent!  Heart-warming and soul-inspiring! “The call of God on the life of a Christian to go to the world and preach His name!  To give up America and its comforts, its air conditioning, its Walmart and Moon Pies!  Oh, how sweet to give our all, knowing God will reward our sacrifices by giving back to us much more than we ever gave up! “Who?  Grandma?  No, she won’t be giving up anything.  She’s staying here in the US.  We’re the ones leaving, not her.  She and Grandpa will be fine.” Yeah, right. Eventually, all missionaries must admit their call and … [Read more...] about Call to International Mission, Part 1: Familial Rejection

… [Read more...] about Could This Soteriological Innovation Save the SBC?

I was reading an article about this today. What would you do? Beulah is 16 and has been coming to the youth group for a while, and recently professed faith and was baptized. Now, word is out that she is going to have a baby. How does the church respond? I have heard two distinct opinions here, and some variations. 1) The church must uphold standards of sexual morality. The church should not have a public celebration if sin. By doing showers and other such public events, we sanction immorality and info our efforts to encourage purity. 2). The church is a place of grace. Sin should not … [Read more...] about Discussion: Do You Have Baby Showers for Pregnant Teens?

Alan blogs at Downshore Drift.  He gave me permission to copy this post and bring it to you here at SBC Voices.  SBC 2012 in New Orleans was a good gathering for a denomination that is known for its ugly fights and petty disagreements. It is easy to dismiss the SBC (and other denominations) as simply an unnecessary organization that has little to do with true Christianity. But, I would disagree. While I don't place my faith in the SBC, it is a group of Christians that are commanded to walk together in unity (as are all Christians). When that happens, it is a good thing. Overall, there was a … [Read more...] about SBC 2012: The Great, the Bad, and the Sad (by Alan Cross)

At the SBC in New Orleans, Lifeway Director Thom Rainer reported that the Lifeway Trustees had reviewed a resolution passed at last year’s convention in Phoenix requesting them to discontinue sales of the 2011 NIV Bible. Since the point of this post does not have to do primarily with the perceived virtues and/or defects of the 2011 NIV, I will not lay these arguments out here. The relevant point is that the Lifeway Board of Trustees, upon consulting with experts and reviewing the reasons given at last year’s convention supporting the resolution, decided to ignore the recommendation of the … [Read more...] about Denominational Democracy, Trusting Trustees, Blogs, and Dave Miller