SBC Voices

When Did the Trinity Become Non-Essential Doctrine?

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NOTE:  I still have not seen any statement, though I assume that one is forthcoming.  But the link to Potter's House and the bio for Jamar Jones have been removed from the Pastor's Conference website. Two items for your consideration: 1) Ed Young, Jr has been trumpeting his "EXC3ED" conference which just wrapped up. Now, I'm going to put aside my old-fogey ennui about hip spellings of words. There's a church in my town called Riverz Edge. Good church.  That z replacing the s is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! But, as I said, I'm going to put the misplaced (annoying) 3 aside … [Read more...] about When Did the Trinity Become Non-Essential Doctrine?

Is the Megachurch a Tool of the Devil?

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Now I admit, my title may be a little over the top, but I want to ask a serious question.  Who's idea is the megachurch?  I admit the megachurch has done some great things, but is the price that we paid worth the work?  I think I need to back up and start from the beginning of my train of thought, and then you can decide if I am off the track. Where I live in Iowa, they have decided that it's better to remove the community schools and build big monstrous schools and bus kids in.  It looks like in a few years my kids will be bussed to one of these big schools.  I am not crazy about the idea, … [Read more...] about Is the Megachurch a Tool of the Devil?

Holy Kitsch! (by Jim Collins)

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(One of the things I'm learning is that there are a lot of really good bloggers out there.  Jim Collins blogs at "Viewed Skewed" and has a great perspective on things.  Here's one of his recent posts.) I have not forgotten the Reformation adage of showing unity in the essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and charity in all things. But I wonder if all things means literally everything, or does this apply only to theological matters? I hope it is the latter, because I have trouble being charitable toward some things. De gustibus non est disputandum. There is no accounting for taste. When … [Read more...] about Holy Kitsch! (by Jim Collins)

What the World Needs to See (by Bob Cleveland)

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(Bob is a frequent commenter on this blog, and always has a wise perspective to share.  This is a repost from his blog "Eagles Rest." Enjoy) While all the multitasking bloggers were typing the live blogs at the ID Conference in Jackson, I was making notes of ideas. Dad always said to use all the brains I had, and all I could borrow, so I'm usually on the lookout for ideas I can steal. Let me put it this way: I have ELEVEN pages of ideas I want to write about. I figure, all in, I got about 15 cents apiece in them. BIG bargain. But the idea I want to wax warm about, now, has nothing to do … [Read more...] about What the World Needs to See (by Bob Cleveland)

Making the Case Against Sunday Alcohol Sales in Georgia (by William Thornton)

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(William Thornton is the "SBC Plodder" and shares his perspective on SBC and cultural issues.  This post seemed like one that SBC Voices readers might like to discuss.  Discuss amongst yourselves!) Would someone with above plodder intelligence please make a cogent case for or against Sunday sales of alcohol here in Georgia? At the moment the legislature in our fair state is in session, always a dangerous time for freedom-loving, sensible and hardworking taxpayers, and will probably pass a bill making Sunday sales of alcohol a local option, allowing a county or municipality to put the … [Read more...] about Making the Case Against Sunday Alcohol Sales in Georgia (by William Thornton)

NAMB and Disaster Relief: If It Ain’t Broke, Let’s Fix It?

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As an Iowa Baptist, I can tell you that there are two Southern Baptist ministries that really make a difference in our neck of the woods.  No one here cares a lick about who is elected president of the SBC, or about the NAMB restructuring or the IMB search committee.  If you offered a million dollars to anyone in my church to name the president of the SBC or NAMB, no one except the three staff pastors and our DOM would have a chance to collect.  If anyone in my church knows who Tom Eliff is, I would be shocked.  Iowa people, with the fewest of exceptions, simply don't care about what is going … [Read more...] about NAMB and Disaster Relief: If It Ain’t Broke, Let’s Fix It?

Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee

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Tom Eliff is going to be the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, and I'm not sure exactly what to think about that.  I have no problem with Tom Eliff.  I just don't know that much about him. Tom Eliff's father was the pastor of the church that sponsored the church my dad planted in Cedar Rapids in the 60s, so the Eliff name has been familiar to me all of my life.  But in reality, I know very little about him.  I know he was the president of the SBC and pastor of FBC Del City, Oklahoma.  I've never heard anything negative about his life, character … [Read more...] about Tom Eliff: IMB Presidential Nominee

Who Do You Pay Attention To?

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Pop quiz: Can you remember the name of the security guard at the place you worked at fifteen years ago?  How about at where you work now?  How about the name of the cleaning person? Strange questions, right?  Well, not really.  As Christians, especially if we are ministers of the gospel, we are supposedly interested in all people.  Too often though, we are only interested in the “-ful” people—beautiful, successful, powerful…  If we are honest, we don’t often fare any better than Samuel did when he went looking for Saul’s replacement (1 Samuel 16).  The Lord still has to remind us that “man … [Read more...] about Who Do You Pay Attention To?

Someone Switched the Price Tags

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(This was originally published last Friday at sbcIMPACT) My mom and I were shopping at K-Mart back in my much younger days.  I was not easy to shop for - I was both very tall and unnaturally thin (trust me, it used to be true).  Finding pants my size was not easy.  That waist just doesn't come in that length very often.  But that day we found a pair, and at a price that amazed us.  We snapped them up and headed to the cashier. The younger whippersnappers who read this may not remember what price tags looked like in the 1970's.  There were no computer printouts with bar codes.  There was a … [Read more...] about Someone Switched the Price Tags