SBC Voices

Editor: If Baptist Blogging had a Hall of Fame, Marty Duren would certainly be enshrined there.  He still blogs at martyduren.com and always has something worthwhile to say.  I was thrilled when Marty offered this article originally published at his site.  Enjoy! Part of this post deals with the terrible situation at Penn State University that broke in recent days. Because my website crashed and was down for several days I was unable to write a full post and was limited to expressing my outrage on Twitter and a few Facebook status updates. Suffice it to say that I am thoroughly disgusted with … [Read more...] about When injustice is enough justice: Parsing theology into nothingness (by Marty Duren)

While the Penn State scandal is a wake up call to all organizations--civic, government, commercial, educational and religious--it is especially a challenge for churches, which provide predators an environment of naively trusting children and adults interacting socially--exactly what they need to commit their crimes. Many Measures Protect the Organization In the aftermath of such a tragedy, people with good intentions often recommend a wide variety of measures which we assume will help reduce the risk of abuse and protect the children.  Sadly, although these measures may help somewhat, … [Read more...] about No Child Left Alone

In my current ministry, I do a lot of work with Discipleship, with Sunday School and Small Groups, and I look at a lot of curriculum. Some we do in house, much of it we purchase. In all my shopping for material, I tend to lean towards Lifeway, and I think it's the best choice. Let me tell you why I use it and why I think you should too. 1. Lifeway takes time to understand what we are doing beyond the desire to sell us stuff. Lifeway does research, they are involved in education, mission, support and development. They take time to work with churches, be involved with churches and be in the … [Read more...] about Why I use Lifeway (and I think you should too).

The story I am about to share with you is over two years old.  Of course, you only have my word for it, but I would put my hand on a stack of Bibles or get hooked up to a lie detector and tell you that I have not made up a single word.  I recently had an "experience" I am trying to make sense of and it got me thinking of this story - originally published at sbcIMPACT in June of 2009. I can tell you two things - I still don't know what to think about this, because it doesn't match my theology of the demonic. Secondly, the young man the story is about is now married, studying for the ministry … [Read more...] about An Encounter with the Demonic in America Today

All week long, my car ran great. Here and there, across town and back, up hills and down; no problems. I turned the key, the engine fired and I was on my way. Then, suddenly, on Friday, a terrible thing happened. I was cruising along when it coughed a couple of times, sputtered, harrumphed, and then quit. Nothing. It would turn over, but not fire. I was stranded. Being the master mechanic that I am, I walked around the car and gave all four tires a firm kick. I opened the hood, jiggled a few wires, pulled and twisted stuff and burned my hand on something hot. But no matter what I did, the … [Read more...] about Living the “Car”stian Life – A Modern Allegory

Thom Rainer posted an article last week called "When Great Churches Fail."  It was an intriguing examination of once great churches that had lost their grip an begun to struggle and dwindle.  He identified three key elements that seem to be common elements in these declines. Hubris. The word means pride or excessive self-confidence. Here it refers to church leaders who have seen great days at their churches, and who are convinced that their churches are the models for others to emulate. They talk about the methods they used, instead of the biblical principles and passions behind the methods. … [Read more...] about Rainer, Why Churches Decline, and the Future of the SBC

This morning I read through a really interesting piece by Walt Harrington on George Dubya Bush.  The whole thing is worthy of a read, but this particular sentence stuck out to me: His only remark about Barack Obama was, as I recall it, “No matter who wins, when he hears what I hear every morning, it will change him.” This reminded me of a comment that John Newton made to John Ryland, Jr., wen the latter found himself in the middle of a very difficult controversy.  Here Newton mentioned the benefit of being a minister in the church of England as opposed to a minister in of an Independent … [Read more...] about Bush on Obama, Newton on Baptists, and SBC Name Changes

Christians today seem to find a way to argue and even divide over just about everything, don't we?  There is a growing rift in some churches and between some Christians over the decision that parents make about how to educate their children. Our four children went to Christian schools, public schools, and even homeschooled a little.  We tried it all.  We found a system that worked well for us - the Miller System of Edumacation!  We put our kids in Christian schools through eighth grade to get a solid foundation, then put them into the public schools where there were educational and … [Read more...] about Educating Our Children and Dividing Our Churches?