SBC Voices

Throughout the entire story of redemptive history, the children of Abraham were, are, and always shall be the only and singular chosen people of God. The Bible starts with a rapid succession of events spanning from creation to sometime after the flood.  While in the first two chapters everything is good and very good, from chapters 3 to 11 the main event seems to be the extent of sin’s corruption.  During this time God did not so much work through a people but through families—the family of Adam, the family of Noah, and the family of Terah in particular.  In fact, as the story of the flood … [Read more...] about Something Old, Something New (a theological discussion on the relationship between Israel and the church, and why it matters)

God saves a wide variety of people from a wide variety of backgrounds.  He then places in us his Holy Spirit to guide us in the process of becoming like Christ and preparing us for eternal glory.  One day, all who have truly repented of their sins and trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord will be completely like Jesus. In the meantime, we are different.  We start at different places and grow at different paces.  We are headed toward the amazing eternal unity of the saints.  In the meantime, we disagree.  We disagree about the so-called “doctrines of grace.”   Some of us like big churches, some … [Read more...] about Putting a Splint on a SPLINTERED SBC!

I have read and heard about Rick Warren as much as most of you have. I have read the Purpose Drive Life, The Purpose Driven Church, done The 40 Days of Purpose, see Celebrate Recovery, I have Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods and we use the 101-401 material. I am familiar with Rick Warren, and I had my opinions about him. I read all about the PEACE plan, I even met his Director for International Initiatives in Seminary. He was working to eradicate malaria in Rwanda. How'd you like to have that on your resume. In all this, I heard the critics and I agreed with some of what they said. … [Read more...] about How Rick Warren changed my opinion of Rick Warren

King David wakes up from his royal slumber.  The dreary-eyed David checks his email. 14 new messages. After deleting all of the male enhancement products, requests from Nigerian princes, and chain letters about loving Jesus and America Israel he reads this gem: ----- Subject: You Stink! Dearest King David, I heartily disagree with your theology.  RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT, a few true statements, A COUPLE STABS AT YOUR CHARACTER, bless your heart. Sincerely, Joe Troll. ----- Now what happens in our day? King David hits reply and plays some serious … [Read more...] about If King David Blogged In Our World

When a great tree splinters, it loses the strength to stand and eventually it crashes to the ground.  Is that the future of the Southern Baptist Convention? There can be little doubt that the SBC is splintering.  In a Baptist Press article yesterday, Gary D. Myers referenced a series of articles by Steve Lemke, the provost of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, which were published recently at SBC Today.  The articles explored the doctrinal and stylistic divides that are pulling Southern Baptists apart. I wrote an article last October at sbcIMPACT that touched on many of the same … [Read more...] about SPLINTERED! Can Anything Stop the Fall of the SBC?

Confession of the day—I tend to be a natural cynic and a pessimist.  Okay, that’s really not a confession to those who know me.  Once when I worked as an administrator at a private school I ate a Dove chocolate and found an “inspirational” message I actually enjoyed—“A pessimist is simply an optimist with experience.”  If you ask the question, “Is the glass half empty or half full?” I respond by drinking what’s left in the glass and tell you to stop asking silly questions. And again: this is my natural tendency—my fleshly one… so that means it’s not good.  It also means that I tend to have … [Read more...] about Joy… a struggle, a hope, and what I learned from a piece of chocolate

Stay in missions long enough and you’ll hear the stories, accounts of faraway events.  Somewhere, a missionary has discovered the Grail, the Promised Land, and the Ark of the Covenant all rolled into one.  Yes: it’s a church planting movement. I’ve been working in missions for about 10 years.  I’ve seen the work in 5 countries among various people groups.  I have yet to see, experience, or begin a church planting movement.  In fact, from what I have heard, only people in certain far-off inaccessible parts of the world get to see this elusive goal; you know, places I’ll never get to see, … [Read more...] about The Other Guy’s Church Plant

(William Thornton, the SBC Plodder, shares another of his articles with us.) Our wonderful CP, an eminently sensible concept, is shrinking and churches have dropped from over ten percent to the CP to around six. One complaint about the CP is that state conventions keep too much of each CP dollar. SBC Executive Committee statistics show that the percentage of CP dollars kept by the states is around 63% and in the last 50 years has ranged between roughly 61% and 67%. There seems to me to be a growing criticism that more of each CP dollar fails to get out of the states. Bryant Wright … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program Confusion (by William Thornton)