We chastise those who ignore biblical commands about unity, love, and gentleness on social media to speak evil in the name of Christ. This is a real concern but recently I have become concerned about the opposite problem - our tendency to post every act of ministry and every good deed on social media. When we live our lives on social media, when we post our quiet time shots (open Bible and steaming coffee), trumpet how many got saved or baptized at church, rejoice publicly at all the great things happening at our churches and in our lives, there is a danger that we could be violating a command … [Read more...] about Tooting Our Own Horns – Using Social Media for Self-Glory?
Does the SBC Executive Committee President need to be a pastor?
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has not always been a part of Baptist life. For the first several decades of the SBC the business got done through committees, meetings, and workgroups. It was finally decided a central committee was needed to facilitate all the work. The EC can trace its origins to a 1916 proposal by MH Wolfe of Texas “to create one strong executive board which shall direct all of the work and enterprises fostered and promoted by this Convention." The result of that proposal was what we now call the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist … [Read more...] about Does the SBC Executive Committee President need to be a pastor?
The Struggle They Don’t Tell You About
I had a conversation with the son of one of the members of my church last night, and it put me in mind of one of the darkest times in my life, a period no one warned me about. The fact that it coincided with the COVID shutdown didn't help much. I can't remember the exact timeframe, but sometime in early 2019 (I think - might have been 2018), my mom was diagnosed with her second round of breast cancer. At one point, the doctors told us that she would likely have three months to live, and mom went on hospice. Soon after that, my dad went on hospice as well, due to his leukemia and other health … [Read more...] about The Struggle They Don’t Tell You About
Doubts about SBC abuse reform at the national level
Our Grand Convention has the attention span of a toddler. We lurch from one topic/crisis/scandal/issue du jour to another at breathtaking speed, "forgetting what lies behind" and boldly, sometimes recklessly, turning our attention and energies to the next one. Witness the ease with which sex abuse reform was displaced in favor of policing job title vocabulary in local churches. Egad. What lies ahead is a task force on cooperation, one that has considerable possibilities for actual results. I predict that unless the abuse implementation task force moves into something very controversial, … [Read more...] about Doubts about SBC abuse reform at the national level
Scatter Shooting, Part 8
Scatter shooting, while wondering if it will ever rain in Texas. I still need “hot” jokes. It is supposed to be 107 in Fort Worth today and over 100 for the next ten days. Speaking of rain, I took my Texas grandchildren on vacation in northern Michigan. It rained one day, and I had to explain what that water was. Pray for Jerry Rankin. The former president of the International Mission Board had a stroke recently. After several days in the hospital in Fort Worth, he has gone to stay with his son in Waco. Get well soon, Jerry. Both the Barna Report and the Christian Post have … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 8
Scatter Shooting, Part 7
Scatter shooting while trying to find a cool place in Texas. It’s so hot in Texas that people are telling hot jokes to cope. (The high today in Fort Worth will be 106.) Here’s one—It’s so hot; my dream home is any house in Alaska. If you’ve got a good “hot” joke, please send it. We are struggling to cope here in Texas. Here’s a great piece from A. W. Tozer: GLORIOUS CONTRADICTIONS God has revealed so many glorious contradictions in the lives and conduct of genuine Christian believers that it is small wonder that we are such an amazement to this world. The Christian is dead and yet he … [Read more...] about Scatter Shooting, Part 7
Thirty questions on our ecclesiology
If a church has multiple pastors, who is the pastor and how does the congregation express this? Is the fresh-faced nineteen year old summer student pastor the same as his ultimate supervisor? The SBC spent decades with a pastor/deacon model. Those decades were the greatest in our growth. Why is that model so easily discarded? How much of our ecclesiology can be traced to American affluence and liberty? If churches didn't have buildings and budgets would church governance look different? Is it fair to say that Southern Baptists, once megachurches and their celebrity pastors moved … [Read more...] about Thirty questions on our ecclesiology
What Do Only Pastors Do? (Stephanie Jones)
At the heart of the proposed (and first-vote-affirmed) amendment to the SBC Constitution are two doctrinal beliefs held by a majority of Southern Baptists. (Count me among those who hold them. Men and women, while both created in the image of God, were created with different roles to play in both the home and the church. Only men are to be responsible to fill the pastoral role(s) in the church. What, then, does the Bible say that only pastors do? No one seems to be addressing this question either. This is at the root of disagreement between the varieties of complementarians. Is … [Read more...] about What Do Only Pastors Do? (Stephanie Jones)
How Will Churches Respond to a Moratorium on Female Pastors? (Stephanie Jones)
At the Annual Meeting, messengers voted multiple times overwhelmingly in favor of complementarianism. One of those votes included amending Article III of the SBC Constitution with a sixth requirement of churches. The exact wording of that section of Article III would read: “The Convention will only deem a church to be in friendly cooperation with the Convention, and sympathetic with its purposes and work … which: … 6.Affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” If messengers in Indianapolis next year give a second affirmative vote … [Read more...] about How Will Churches Respond to a Moratorium on Female Pastors? (Stephanie Jones)
Could you cooperate with this church?
That is the question. Here's a church: The church has always been SBC, at every level, association, state convention, and national convention. The church supports each of those "levels" of SBC life through contributions. The church is doctrinally orthodox and closely identifies with the BFM although it has not been formally adopted as the church's statement of faith. The lead pastor has two degrees from one of the six SBC seminaries. The lead pastor is ordained by an SBC church, has never been anything other than a Southern Baptist. The lead pastor has started several … [Read more...] about Could you cooperate with this church?