SBC Voices

How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee

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Last night after watching the debacle that was the Executive Committee (EC) meeting and then seeing so many pastors suggest they might lead their church to leave the convention or escrow their giving, I posted the following to Twitter. “Friends, please don’t leave the SBC. Too many good things happening. If anything, consider temporarily redistributing CP & GCG funds away from the EXComm until we get to Anaheim & we radically redefine the work of the EC & reformat the allocation budget commensurate w/the change.” In short order I was asked how such a redistribution might be … [Read more...] about How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee

Seminary Presidents Speak Out on Executive Committee Failure

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We are used to the entity leaders supporting one another or at least staying silent about one another. The actions of the Executive Committee last year were so egregious that the seminary presidents actually sent a representative to speak out against the power-grab by the CBN-led officers whose new business plan would have upended our polity and essentially given the EC control over the other entities. That plan failed nearly unanimously. Now, seminary presidents are speaking out against the failure of the Executive Committee to follow the will of the messengers of the 2021 Annual Meeting … [Read more...] about Seminary Presidents Speak Out on Executive Committee Failure

Letter from Southern Baptists to the SBC Executive Committee

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Members of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, As faithful members of Southern Baptist churches across the United States and messengers to the 2021 annual meeting in Nashville, we write to express our frustration and disappointment with the recent actions of the Executive Committee. In June, over 15,000 messengers spoke with near-unanimous clarity by adopting the “Motion to Investigate the SBC Executive Committee.” The messengers were clear when they moved, “that the task force agree to the accepted best-standards and practices as recommended by the commissioned … [Read more...] about Letter from Southern Baptists to the SBC Executive Committee

Reconsidering the “Nuclear Option”

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I have heard a lot of people advocating for what I have called the nuclear option - a vote in Anaheim to remove EVERY SINGLE trustee at the EC who votes to oppose the will of the messengers and refuses to support an agreement to give full support to best practices for the Sexual Abuse Task Force. I wrote an article last week saying that such was not a good idea, for three primary reasons. First, last week's meeting was preliminary - the final decision wasn't made yet. Second, there is another way. We can be patient and slowly replace trustees, year by year.  Third, once we open this … [Read more...] about Reconsidering the “Nuclear Option”

A Twitter Thread YOU Need to Read

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Rob Collingsworth posted a Twitter thread for the ages today. I wish I had time before the Executive Committee meeting to ask him to make it into a post for you to read here, but there isn't time. He explains the issues comprehensively. I would encourage you to read the entire thread.   Time for an explainer on the issues within the Southern Baptist Convention, conflict among the Executive Committee, and our looming polity crisis. Buckle up. Where to begin? Let's start in 2000. 1/ — rob collingsworth (@rcollingsworth) September 28, 2021 Ronnie Floyd has worked to scuttle … [Read more...] about A Twitter Thread YOU Need to Read

Why the Executive Committee Didn’t Do the Right Thing (by Dave Pittman)

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Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee met in Nashville to vote. This was supposed to clear the way for an investigation into sexual abuse within the SBC. So, what on earth happened? As Liz Evan, an attorney and SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force member so accurately stated, “They (The SBC Executive Committee) have flagrantly defied the overwhelming will of the Messengers. A few dozen folks in Nashville decided they know better than the 17,000 Messengers appointed by the churches. Waiver of privilege was not something the Messengers delegated to the EC to consider in … [Read more...] about Why the Executive Committee Didn’t Do the Right Thing (by Dave Pittman)

Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract

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At last week's Executive Committee meeting there were a lot of terms and concepts involved that represent unfamiliar territory for most of us as Southern Baptists. This Q&A is designed to address the most pressing questions we face as the EC Officers and SA Task Force work this week for an agreement on how to proceed. 1. Why is it important for the Executive Committee to waive privilege? Attorney-client privilege is a legal rule that allows the clients of attorneys to keep confidential any legal advice that their attorneys provide them. First, it is important because the motion that … [Read more...] about Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract

The Future of Southern Baptists Hangs by a Thread (by Malcolm Yarnell)

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I first noticed William Lane Craig refashion divine eternity and then adopt a heterodox Christology. Now Craig argues Genesis 1-11 is “mytho-history, not to be taken literally,” denies Genesis 3 records the first sin, and says cherubim are “fantasy.” He admits the genealogies give the early text an historical aura, but dismisses them as “artificial symmetry.” While there are certain denominations which allow for non-literal interpretations of Genesis 1-11, the Southern Baptist Convention has historically taken a strong stand against treating the Bible as “myth,” especially in the sense of … [Read more...] about The Future of Southern Baptists Hangs by a Thread (by Malcolm Yarnell)

Speaking Words That Build Up: A Dying Practice

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Do you speak words that build up or tear down? In his letter to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul wrote: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29) ESV Sadly, whether on social media, texts, phone calls, emails, or in personal conversations, too many of us speak words that tear down rather than build up. Our conversations are not salted with the grace of the gospel (Colossians 4:6). We do not represent the love, patience, gentleness, humility, and … [Read more...] about Speaking Words That Build Up: A Dying Practice