Search Results for: like about calvinists

I have to say this at the very beginning of a post like this. I am an inerrantist and about as conservative as a person can be. In my church, the primary offices are reserved for men. I am not sure of the terminology but I believe the Bible teaches a complementarian relationship between men and women. Equal at the cross and in value to God, we have different roles and responsibilities at home. I am comfortable with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 statement on the doctrine. I am sick and tired of complementarianism, paternalism, egalitarianism, and such matters dominating the discussion … [Read more...] about Is Anyone Else Tired of Complementarian Food Fights?

If you travel through the country side of Oklahoma, and prob other places too, there is one thing you can be certain to see. They go by different names depending on where you live. I've seen them called stone cribs, corner posts, or the ever descriptive "rock piles."  Every so often at the corner of a property there is a pile of rocks, 4 or 5 feet tall, with fencing wrapped around them to hold them together.  Some of these rock corner posts have been there for generations.  It was easier to stack rocks than dig holes in the ground, and provided a good place to pile up the rocks that littered … [Read more...] about Fences Aren’t For Sitting

There is a lot of room under the banner of Great Commission Baptists for people who do not see eye to eye on many issues. Some among us seek to narrow the fellowship of Southern Baptists, or Great Commission Baptists, according to their own preferences. If you do not do as they do, prefer what they prefer, vote as they vote, think as they think, you are not a true Southern Baptist. We are an odd and ill-defined fellowship with an ill-defined identity, and so this kind of claim to Southern Baptist identity becomes possible. Boiled down, though, there are three basic aspects that identify … [Read more...] about “Great Commission Baptists” Have a Big Tent

I have had discussions with friends recently who asked that question. Many younger Southern Baptists wonder if fighting the fight against the established powers who resist progress on racial issues, who protect sex abusers instead of exposing them, who think our solutions lie in the 1950s and 60s, more than in the NT, is worth it. Why not cut bait and move on? I have seen discussions among minorities who, seeing the way Southern Baptists fawned over a man like Donald Trump, wonder if the SBC has any  real passion to correct its racist past. At times, I wonder too. Of course, those … [Read more...] about Why Should I Remain Southern Baptist?

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

People sometimes declare themselves to be 4 point Calvinists, or 3 1/2 point Calvinists. I'll describe myself as a 4 point Jurkovichist. That is, I'll fully take three of Jurkovich's five points listed under "our purpose" and half of two others making me a four-pointer. Shoot, I'd join the group but you have to give assent, check a box, about "affirming" the CBN purpose. At this stage in life, I'm all for capital preservation, not wild risk-taking and I'd hate to be tied to every statement that comes out of Brad Jurkovich's mouth. He is the only leader of this group at this stage. Plaudits … [Read more...] about I don’t think I’ll join Brad Jurkovich’s secret group with undisclosed funding

Another new Baptist network has formed, purporting to represent the grassroots majority of Baptists who have been disenfranchised somehow (since all our meetings allow open voting) that is going to lead us away from a drift into "woke" theology and liberalism. The networks have formed - some made a big splash and others barely a ripple - and generally faded away. What will happen to the "Conservative Baptist Network" announced today is yet to be seen. The network is a little nebulous at this point, still revealing itself, its structure and leadership, its purposes and tactics. Who knows … [Read more...] about Conservative Baptist Network: Reflections

I haven't been writing much. Thanks to William and others for holding down the site during my unscheduled, sort-of sabbatical. It's been intense at the church and a time of family crisis (both of my parents have rounded the final turn and are headed for the finish line), plus some stuff I can't talk about, but to be honest, I have been burned out, discouraged, and disillusioned with blogging and social media. I have been mulling in my own mind whether it still has value and what my place is here. Last week I had two conversations, one with one of our contributors here and another with a … [Read more...] about Why I’m Struggling with the Value of Blogging (And Social Media)

These are in order from the most popular. Doctrinal Concerns of Southwest Baptist University Alumni. SWBU Alumni. This and the one below were of intense local interest. Not on my radar and not of much impact to the SBC as a whole. This follow-up article added to the controversy but was not as well read here. I look askance at the use of anonymous websites aimed at damaging any individual. We can handle things better. Too much of the worst of the old Conservative Resurgence in this brouhaha. Southwestern Seminary: Painful Recalibration. Dave Miller. Judging from attention or lack thereof … [Read more...] about Top Ten Voices Articles for 2019

I do not deal with comments nearly as much as I used to, for several reasons - some noble and others not so much. In the "not so much" category, I find myself tiring of answering the same questions and responding to the same criticisms over and over again. So, I am putting together a post answering some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or Frequently Made Criticisms (FMCs) with my answers. I may make this a permanent page and then I can just link people to it, or copy/paste answers. I know, first of all, that I am sometimes impatient with people. You may be making a criticism or … [Read more...] about SBC Voices is BIASED: Some FAQ (FMC?) about SBC Voices