The last couple of weeks have been momentous in the life of our beloved convention. Southwestern Seminary is still dealing with financial issues, exacerbated by the COVID-19 shutdown. Departments were reorganized and we understand there were some personnel reductions. Of course, the biggest news was their dealings with the fraudulent Dead Sea Scrolls scraps purchased by the Pattersons. Southern Seminary also made some significant budget cuts. Of course, what created the stir was that they laid off three professors due to the financial crisis and possibly a fourth is heading in that … [Read more...] about A Pandemic of SBC Controversy
Let’s have a conversation about Ridgecrest being sold
Our flagship conference center, Ridgecrest, is for sale trustees have decided. Just 21 months ago I wrote on this site What's the reason for the Ridgecrest renaissance? I've always been relatively close to Ridgecrest while living and serving in South Carolina and Georgia. I would estimate I've stayed there a couple of dozen times. My kids always enjoyed going there ("Indian Day Camp" back then; wonder if they got all politically correct and changed the name?). Ridgecrest saw more attendees that year, 2018, than in a generation. Things were looking up. From the LifeWay Q&A: Unlike … [Read more...] about Let’s have a conversation about Ridgecrest being sold
Our little SBC world – upside down now.
One might think that our six seminaries are the safest and most secure of all SBC entities. The combined revenue streams of tuition, Cooperative Program, private gifts and other income sources would insulate the schools from disaster. After all, no hurricane would reach Louisville. Now, the pandemic has shut off tuition revenue. Southern seminary announced a staggering $16 million budget reduction - from $53.2 million to $37.2 million. Tuition accounted for close to one-half of Southern's income. The Cooperative Program, around 19 percent. Southeastern has announced that they plan to apply … [Read more...] about Our little SBC world – upside down now.
The SBC, Pastors, and Politics: Nailing My Theses – Part II
The first set of ten was more background and these get a little more specific, and possibly more offensive to some. I am not hopeful anyone will follow this, but we've had a couple of posts recently where we discussed political things. I would love it if we stuck to these points for our discussion. Again, I realize that is a bit of a lost-cause request, but miracles happen. Again, my comparison of what I am doing to Luther's 95 theses is tongue-in-cheek. His confrontation of the Church instigated a reformation. Mine is more likely just to irritate some folks. Part 1 of this series can be … [Read more...] about The SBC, Pastors, and Politics: Nailing My Theses – Part II
Some COVID-19 vignettes from the hinterlands
In my part of Georgia we've been locked down for weeks. The last in-person church service I attended was March 15th. Here are a few things I've noticed. You can add yours in a comment. If you think about it, it's absolutely amazing that the populace has responded quickly and cooperatively to the crisis. Almost all churches immediately stopped having physical gatherings. I don't know of an SBC church in my area who blithely continued with in-person services. I don't know how typical my 12 year-old church is but the congregation is doing well while not congregating. Giving for the five … [Read more...] about Some COVID-19 vignettes from the hinterlands
There’s a new, independent database for Baptist clergy abusers and alleged abusers
The longtime goal of some abuse victims and their advocates is for the SBC to fund and manage a database of convicted, confessed, and credibly accused clergy abusers. The Executive Committee of the SBC has long declined to take this step. The concrete proposals I have seen call for the Executive Committee to create and fund an independent panel of abuse experts that would receive and investigate reports. The panel would also maintain records of reports received. Some hierarchical churches utilize this system. I don't know of any organization of autonomous churches that does this. If you know … [Read more...] about There’s a new, independent database for Baptist clergy abusers and alleged abusers
The SBC, Pastors, and Partisan Politics: Nailing My Theses on the Wall
I believe that the 2020 presidential election season has the potential to be one of the final nails in the coffin of the SBC. If we continue on our current course we may well see this as the point at which the die was cast and our fate was sealed. (Let me see if I can work another cliche or two in there). I hope the reader doesn't misunderstand my use of the concept of Luther's 95 theses. I realize, first of all, that my political meanderings do not compare in any way to the Reformation inducing insights of Dr. Luther. I was gathering a list of insights about politics and thought of his … [Read more...] about The SBC, Pastors, and Partisan Politics: Nailing My Theses on the Wall
So, Al Mohler will vote for Trump?
Mohler, somewhat long winded, in his own words, here. The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., one of the key leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, plans to vote for President Trump in the fall, a reversal of his position in 2016 when he argued that support of Trump risks destroying evangelicals’ credibility. One of the country's best religion reporters, Sara Pulliam Bailey, in The Washington Post yesterday. Trump formerly "The Great Evangelical Embarrassment" (Mohler's phrase in WAPO, 2016), is now his guy for 2020. Boom! One might say that he just blew up his credibility but more likely, … [Read more...] about So, Al Mohler will vote for Trump?
Our Church: A COVID-19 Update
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how our church was coping with the pandemic and its effects on our church. I thought I would give you an update and invite our readers to share their experiences, also. We have now presented our Sunday morning worship online for four Sundays. We’ve posted our worship videos on Facebook and Utube, and we’ve also posted them on our church’s website. Our viewing audience has increased each week. It hard to determine exactly how many people watch the whole service, but we estimate that 685 people watched on Easter Sunday. We’re confident that many more people … [Read more...] about Our Church: A COVID-19 Update
Safety and Liberty are Not Mutually Exclusive (Joel Rainey)
Today, I am writing two letters. The first is to our county Sheriff, thanking him and his deputies for stellar service during our Easter “drive-in” services yesterday. Since we held our last “in-person” worship service on March 15, our church had gone almost completely online—live corporate worship at 5 online channels, small groups meeting via Zoom, and social distancing and other protective measures instituted for any on-campus ministry (food distribution and a coming “lunch to go” for the unemployed) necessary for meeting the needs of our community and region—all under the advice of … [Read more...] about Safety and Liberty are Not Mutually Exclusive (Joel Rainey)