This post was originally posted at hiswordhisglory.wordpress.com
I am a proud Southern Baptist and have spent the last 3 days at our annual meeting. There’s been plenty of negativity surrounding our annual meeting, but I’m going to stick those aspects of the annual meeting for which I am thankful. Here are my top ten reasons to be thankful for SBC2018
- We continue our belief in the inerrancy of scripture–There was no debate over Biblical interpretation, and there was nothing done that moved us towards a more liberal theology. while other denominations continue their liberal slide, we stand firmly rooted in the Word of God.
- We saw a generational leadership change–I believe we saw the beginnings of a generational leadership change which was overwhelmingly supported by the messengers. The election of JD Grear as our president, the restoration of Mr. Anderson to the board of the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission, and the refusal to dismiss the executive committee of the board of trustees of SWBTS were all votes that fell along generational lines. What I mean by generational lines is that votes to dismiss Mr. Anderson, and dismiss the executive committee of the SWBTS trustees seem to come from older messengers. I am thankful there were plenty of older messengers who restored Mr. Anderson and defeated the SWBTS trustees motion. I do believe this was the beginning of a generational leadership change.
- My parents and in-laws kept our children–I am grateful that our parents, all four of them, kept our children, giving my wife and I some needed time to ourselves.
- I’m thankful for Mike Pence–No, I did not hear his speech, and I do not think he should have been allowed to address
our meeting, but what’s done is done, and I am thankful we have a man of faith in his position. - I’m thankful for JD Greear–I believe JD Greear will be a great president for our convention. I have nothing but respect for Ken Hemphill, and the work he has done on behalf of Southern Baptists, but I’m thankful JD Greear was elected by an overwhelming majority.
- I’m thankful I got to spend time with my wife–My wife and I are annual meeting geeks. We go every year and plan to continue going as long as we can. I love spending time alone with my wife. We saw an old friend of mine at the convention and he said we should rethink our definition of vacation, but we love Southern Baptists and we love spending time together. The annual meeting is our definition of a vacation. The only request I have is that we have a convention on the beach sometime in the future.
- I’m thankful for the works MBTS is doing–We went to the “For the Church” luncheon and the “Midwestern Seminary Friends and Alumni” luncheon. In both luncheons we heard about the incredible work Midwestern is doing, and we also heard men of character stand strong in their beliefs. I’m sure the other seminaries are excellent, but if I had to recommend a seminary, MBTS would be at the top of my list. They are strengthening our local churches.
- I’m thankful for Bart Barber–I didn’t think anyone could steal MVP of the convention from the red-haired boy who made the motion Tuesday afternoon, but Bart Barber showed everyone why we call the governing bodies of our institutions trustees. It may be early, but can you say Bart Barber for SBC President in 2020? We need to make this happen. Integrity and character matter in our leaders and Bart showed himself to be a man of immense integrity and sterling character and gave us an appropriate ending to the business proceedings of our convention.
- I’m thankful the drama was at a minimum–There were some tense moments, but social media overhyped everything prior to the meeting. I am thankful the drama was kept to a minimum and the spirit of unity pervaded our deliberations. There will always be grown men who act foolish both behind the scenes and at the microphones, but thankfully, those instances, at least at the microphones, were kept to a minimum.
- I got to meet William Thornton–I’m thankful I got to meet one of my favorite blog writers, and Voices realist on all things SBC, William Thornton. I really was in awe of the man, the myth, the legend. In all seriousness, I am thankful for Dave Miller, Brent Hobbs, Jay Adkins, Scott Gordon and others who made this new contributor feel welcome.
There’s much work to be done, but I encourage all of us to step back and thank God for our blessings. god has lavished His grace on our convention, and we move forward in a spirit of humility and thankfulness. To God be the glory.
