Lost in the Fifties: by Jerry Vines

A little known secret in Baptist blogdom are the weekly reflections by Dr. Jerry Vines, past two-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL.  One could say Dr. Vines is "retired" but such a designation is hardly applicable.  Hardly a week goes by he isn't somewhere preaching the everlasting gospel.

Of particular note are his musings on the SBC.  Recently, Dr. Vines spoke of those "boring SBC meetings," some of which, he confesses, he presided over as president! (//link).  Presently, Dr. Vines reflects on the overly used "fifties' mentality" and whether or not the 1950s are the bum cow the critics continue to milk (//link). Vines writes:

In many ways spiritually I'm a child of the fifties. I am fully prepared for a number of reminders at the SBC that we "can't go back to the fifties." I'm sure we can't. Time moves forward, not backward. The methodologies of doing church, like technology, have moved far past those years.

Somewhere I read he would soon post on "Young Leaders & Their Beards." If you have not placed Jerry Vines RSS feed into your reader, I encourage you to do it.  

In times like we're experiencing in the SBC, we need viable, proven, and stable voices weighing in.   Not to mention both a biblical voice and a prophetic voice.  Jerry Vines makes the grade.

With that, I am...
Peter

Comments

[jthomas]

Peter, I think you are correct at least to a degree. I think Dr. Vines has earn the right to have his voice heard, and we as younger pastors (Am I young at 44?) ought to respect and listen to their wisdom.

[peter]

JThomas,

Thanks. I cannot see avoiding their wise counsel.

With that, I am...
Peter