SBC Voices

During the Clinton scandals of the 1990s, we heard a relentless refrain from the big media outlets - personal behavior and character do not really count in job performance.  They beat the drum that Clinton's all-too-evident personal failings did not affect his ability to do his job well.  I call that nonsense. I remember a young pastor I knew who was being touted as "the next Chuck Swindoll" - a great pastor, great preacher, with a growing church and unlimited potential for the future.  All of that was true right up until he appeared on the evening news for all the wrong reasons.  His … [Read more...] about Bobby Petrino bears witness: Character Counts!

This will be the last installment in this series.  Hopefully it has been helpful. One of the greatest critiques that has come to this series is the title.  Why in the world would I have titled this Angry and Divisive Calvinists if the real issue is not about Calvinism?  Why bother with the potential vitriol that could come from people on either side of the issue?  There were three main reasons why I wrote this series and titled it the way that I did: First, I wrote this series for angry and divisive Calvinists.  There really are angry and divisive Calvinists.  Yes, there are those that … [Read more...] about The Root of Angry and Divisive Calvinists: Part Seven

You probably have a “Mark” in your life.  We want to be living in the epilogue and not in the beginning of the story.  Here is how to help the “Marks” in your life.  If “Mark” is not a Calvinist but is carrying some other doctrine in an angry and divisive manner I think the advice could still pertain. Also keep in mind that I’m a Calvinist who sadly used to be a little too close to Mark.  These are some of the things the Lord used in my life—both from Calvinists and non-Calvinists to help me walk more faithfully in step with the Spirit and not be “Mark”. Calvinists helping … [Read more...] about The Root of Angry and Divisive Calvinists: Part Six

I walked into the room where the webcast for the Gospel Project would be filmed.  The extremely cordial workers from LifeWay had told the bloggers that were there to find the cables that had been provided, hook up and go to town with our blogging, tweeting and facebooking. That's when I noticed the "reserved" signs on several of the tables.  I started to move away and then I realized something - they were reserved for us! It was surreal.  I am used to hearing luminaries of the SBC railing against us, using generalizations that sometimes seem unfair.  We can all remember the "bloggers in … [Read more...] about A Novel Idea: Respect for Bloggers!

Epilogue: What Continued Happening to Mark Angry and divisive Mark is no more.  Next month Mark will be returning to Podunk Baptist Church.  This time as a new man.  He still has his beard, he still holds to much the same doctrine, but he holds it differently. It had been eight years since his disaster of a revival service.  Mark left the people wounded…and truth be told Mark left wounded as well.  His desire to “set his old church straight” came from a mostly good desire—though Mark will admit that it was mixed with a good deal of pride and bitterness. A good part of Mark thought … [Read more...] about The Root of Angry and Divisive Calvinists Part 5

It’s Saturday on the calendar today, and it’s the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. It is a day that there is very little written of in Scripture. The only thing in the Gospels about Saturday is the request of the chief priests and Pharisees to put a guard at the tomb, Luke references that the women who had accompanied Him rested as was the commandment, and we do not see any information on the Eleven. We see the Crucifixion end with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking the body and laying Him with about 100 Roman pounds of myrrh and aloe. So they buried Jesus. Mary, Mary, Joanna, … [Read more...] about No More Saturdays!