So, what’s up with the Trads these days?
The loose SBC political sub-group generally labeled “Traditionalists” has manifestly been in disarray since the late May SBC Today meltdown and severe losses at the mid-June SBC. Please, don’t throw any hymnals at me for saying it.
The Facebook discussion page was jettisoned and has been replaced by another and is a definite improvement. Admin seems to recognize that there are both Cals and Trads who are poison to sensible exchanges among SBCers of differing theological and ecclesio-political perspectives.
In years past I had numerous public and private discussions with the former Connect 316 Executive Director. These were mostly profitable, though more so earlier than later. Prominent self-identified Trads have both posted articles and discussed things here on Voices but not so much lately.
While I haven’t and don’t plan to sign the kitchen table Trad Statement (I’ll stick with the BFM, thank you), I generally identify with the theology. The associated stuff (traditional worship, invitations, SBC today and all the way) I’m right down the line with the Trad brethren but didn’t care much for the thrusts that came to define the group in the recent past. The fringe articles, the difficulty (nay, impossibility) of carrying on a sensible conversation on either the old FB page or the SBC Today site, the ridiculous affection for conspiracies, and the support of what seemed to me to be anyone suing the SBC or any SBC entity, left me cold. Perhaps others as well.
I have no issue with SBC Today picking up pieces like the one from Gerald Harris recently or earlier from Bill Harrell which was of a similar genre. The more serious writings by Leighton Flowers and Ronnie Rogers were well done even though I didn’t buy all of their material. Rick Patrick had some interesting ideas that were good springboards for discussion.
Now SBC Today is mostly inactive with anonymous postings by “admin.” While I understand the desire to avoid that one odd comment or statement that might follow one forever, the idea of trying to interact with someone who wishes not to disclose their identity is off-putting. Folks here and elsewhere have avoided self-immolation in spite of hundreds of articles and tens of thousands of comments. We’re adults. Let’s have a healthy, civil, Christian discussion. We’re also people of inexhaustible opinions. Let’s air them out.
Frankly, I remain wary of some Calvinists for reasons that haven’t changed in the past decade or so. I’d hate to see the field abandoned to them.
While we’re waiting for whatever new and improved versions of organized Trad blogs to get cranked up, leadership here has extended invitations for opposing viewpoints.