Like many of us, I have been watching closely the coronavirus. Further, I have seen all the memes and social media posts stating that this is something that China has engineered to take America out or something Democrats have cooked up to undermine Trump’s presidency. We have been told this is simply the flu by Facebook experts and have been reminded that only the “old and vulnerable” are the ones that are going to be threatened with death. As a pastor, I have sat back all week watching schools close, events cancel, and even NCAA sports cancelled. Further, many states are calling for … [Read more...] about Coronavirus and the Art of Judgment (Adam Wyatt)
This Hardheaded Old Codger Is STILL [NOT] Going to Africa*
*barring further developments! **Further developments happened. In discussing this with the missionary in Senegal, he thought it best if we postpone. Go ahead, call me stupid. That will be one of the nicest things I've been called on social media recently! I am scheduled to leave for Senegal next Saturday, March 21, long before the sun comes up, for my 10th trip to minister to a UUPG - the Essing - in the Casamance. I have been especially excited for the opportunity to speak this time at a regional men's conference in which as many as 150 men are expected to gather. God … [Read more...] about This Hardheaded Old Codger Is STILL [NOT] Going to Africa*
The rise of cremations and the demise of funerals with caskets and bodies.
Presiding at a funeral last week, I followed the usual protocol of leading a short procession from the hearse to the gravesite. The hearse parked close to a tent that had been erected. The body had been cremated and there was no stand for a casket nor a big pile of dirt thoughtfully covered by a dignified piece of funeral home carpet. "That's the spot," I thought to myself. I headed in that direction leading the lone urn-bearing funeral home employee. There were no pall bearers. Fortunately, I glanced behind after a few steps. I was headed to the tent. The urn was headed in another … [Read more...] about The rise of cremations and the demise of funerals with caskets and bodies.
The Narcissism of Small Difference & the SBC
“I am not being melodramatic when I say that people from Eagleton are snobby and evil and would most likely exterminate everybody who isn’t from Eagleton if they weren’t so busy being obsessed with themselves.” — Leslie Knope Leslie Knope, of Parks and Recreation fame, abhorred folks from Eagleton. That’s what people from Pawnee did. It was part of an ongoing feud. But the writers of he show include a couple of entertaining story arcs. One is that viewers find out Leslie Knope was actually born in Eagleton. It creates a funny story. Another arc has the two towns attempting to unify. The big … [Read more...] about The Narcissism of Small Difference & the SBC
Bob Allen, top reporter on abuse in Baptist churches leaves Baptist New Global
Before the Houston Chronicle did their series on sex abuse, long before the metoo movement, before Christa Brown, Dee Parsons, or any of the others started writing on the subject, and way back when neither Baptist Press nor any of the state Southern Baptist newspapers and news would report on abuse in SBC churches, reporter Bob Allen was reporting early and often on sex abuse in Baptist churches. I first saw his stories on Associated Baptist Press and then on Baptist News Global. He has hundreds, hundreds of stories of abuse of children and women in Baptist and other churches. He is leaving … [Read more...] about Bob Allen, top reporter on abuse in Baptist churches leaves Baptist New Global
An Appeal to the ERLC Study Task Force
There are two things you ought to know about me that have influenced what I will write in this post. By a tutelage difficult to forget, I have come to understand that those who serve on our boards and committees deserve some level of deference. They are always in a position to know a little more than we do about matters that come before them. That level of deference is not infinite, and showing deference does not mean remaining silent about important things. It just means striving to maintain some charity and some humility when differing with a board or a committee. I have also come to … [Read more...] about An Appeal to the ERLC Study Task Force
I’m at the point of dropping out, I’m afraid.
Sometimes you get fed up. Sometimes you get bored. Sometimes you just feel that it's time to move on. Sometimes you recognize that this just isn't the place for you. I'm not talking about the SBC, about blogging, about Voices, or about my current church but I'd guess that there are many parallels in the experiences with all these. When I retired a few years ago, I expected to take interim jobs, maybe fill in a modest number of Sundays but not be as tied to the church as I had been as pastor. For all the decades that I served fulltime churches I could count on being tied up on Sundays and … [Read more...] about I’m at the point of dropping out, I’m afraid.
Resolution 9, CRT/I, and an Appeal to Trust (Kris Sinclair)
Much has been said regarding Resolution 9, Critical Race Theory, and Intersectionality (CRT/I) since Birmingham. Some are in agreement and some are in disagreement, but from my interactions with others actually aware of the debate, most are indifferent and confused. This is something I understand because I’m just as confused about all the nuances of CRT/I as the next guy. So upfront, the argument of this piece is not to air my opinions of CRT/I because I’m far from an expert on the matter (I’ll make my appeal in a moment). I’ve read as much of the dialogue regarding these issues as my brain … [Read more...] about Resolution 9, CRT/I, and an Appeal to Trust (Kris Sinclair)
Pray for #SBC2020
Over the past few years, I have been challenged in my own life to "pray the Scriptures" more for people and situations, and also just for worshipful prayer. God's word is a breath of life for our souls as God speaks to us, so why not use it to shape and fashion or prayers back to God. (BTW, side note: D.A. Carson has a good study on this topic called Praying with Paul and Don Whitney has an excellent, and short, book called Praying the Bible.) Although #SBC2020 is still several months away, there has been a lot going on in recent days concerning it, and sadly, that includes a lot of … [Read more...] about Pray for #SBC2020
