As I spend time in the SBC, at meetings and conventions and gatherings, I have noticed a trend. We are getting to be a negative, pessimistic and critical group of people. We grumble and gripe and complain and whine and pick and poke. We criticize each other, we criticize churches and pastors and theologies and books and teachers and leaders. We point out where everyone else falls short, where everyone else is wrong and how we are doing it better. Sunday School guys don’t like the Small Group guys, Small Group guys don’t think Sunday School works anymore. The home church guys don’t like anything that is done in the traditional church.
My question and concern is where does all this bitterness come from? Why can’t we support each other and encourage each other? Why do we have to destroy each other because of our theology or philosophy? We rip holes in NAMB, we tear apart Lifeway and we gripe about the IMB, forgetting this is part of our SBC family. The Mega-churches don’t value the little churches, the little churches resent the mega-churches.
What about “do everything without complaining and arguing” Phil 2:14. We seem to ignore that, and we know esteem each other highers than ourselves, we don’t consider and love one another. We just take bites at each other. I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I am really tired of all the negativity all the time. It’s no wonder we are shrinking, if Jesus said they will know us by our love, what does the world see? We don’t like the group we belong too, why would they want to join us?
Sure, I know that blogs have to be controversial, or no one will read them. I know that we have differences in opinion and don’t always agree, but can’t we do it with love and grace? We seem to want to draw blood so much, it’s starting to bring me down.