peterlumpkins.com

A helpful visual image demonstrating the influence of a single man in the Southern Baptist Convention

Thanks to Dr. Adam Harwood, the helpful visual below shows how powerfully influential one man can be in a convention of churches like Southern Baptists. In itself, the image is neutral. That is, the visual only depicts what is without necessarily suggesting what ought to be. Hence, while my inference from the visual might produce alarming concern, a concern the reality of which I see inevitably leading to top-down, centralized authority going against the grain of free church tradition, another's inference might suggest an appreciation--or even inspiration--about how God uses certain people. Indeed, it's quite possible it might produce both of the above or neither of the above while yet producing another inference.

Larry Wynn leaving North American Mission Board for new position at Georgia Baptist Convention by Peter Lumpkins

UPDATE: a chart courtesy of The Christian Index concerning The Georgia Baptist Convention's restructuring plan is available to the public. Included is the position Larry Wynn will fill as he so soon leaves the North American Mission Board...(09/12/2012/3:17pm)

==========================================================  

Sources indicate Vice-President of Evangelism, Larry Wynn, is apparently leaving the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in Alpharetta and headed to Duluth to serve as Vice-President of Church Revitalization* for the Georgia Baptist Convention. Wynn was senior pastor of Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, Ga for 33 years before being recruited by NAMB president, Kevin Ezell in Feburary, 2011. Of Wynn's role, Ezell then said, "Larry will work closely with state Baptist convention leaders and staff as we seek to lead and equip Southern Baptists in the area of evangelism..." (//link). Evidently, Wynn will now carry on his Kingdom service exclusively with Georgia Baptists--a win for us but a loss for NAMB.   

*the title may not be fully accurate. It does serve to frame Wynn's apparent new work at the GBC, however

Big, big $$$$ to attend Send North America Conference by Peter Lumpkins

It could very well be me I confess. I have not attended missions conferences sponsored by either NAMB or IMB in a long time. Even so, I cannot recall a time when I did that they desired a fat fee to attend what we send money for them to do--educate people on the significance of missions both in North America and the world   >>>

Mark Driscoll, Liberty University, Mitt Romney, Richard Land, Lifeway, Andy Stanley: a bit of potpourri by Peter Lumpkins

Since the Liberty University fiasco with Mark Driscoll began a few weeks ago, a lot of interesting things grabbed my attention but I just couldn't let go LU's disastrous invitation to the controversial pastor  >>>

Former attorney and New Mexico pastor asks riveting questions concerning Liberty University and Mark Driscoll by Peter Lumpkins

Cool, hip extremism is extremism just the same: 'snake handling vs 'seeing things' by Peter Lumpkins

Below are two videos. Both are nutty. Both are extreme. Both miserably represent the Christian faith. Both display Scripture abuse. Both claim biblical authority. Both reveal perversion. Both have representatives in evangelicalism. There is at least one difference. One is rejected as extreme nuttiness by virtually every sector of the Christian church. The other is accepted by a large portion of evangelicalism--including many Southern Baptists--as hip, cool, and doing a great work for God. Guess who is hip and cool and who are considered nuts  >>>

Award winning journalist questions Mark Driscoll's 'obsession with sex' while telling Liberty University 'it's time to wake up' by Peter Lumpkins

UPDATE: another news service asks "Why has Liberty agreed to bring Mark Driscoll to teach on sex?" See the link to the full story below...

David Kupelian is an award-winning journalist, managing editor of WorldNetDaily, and author of two books: his best-selling book The Marketing of Evil and his newest book How Evil Works  >>>

Lifeway responds to Christian Index editorial on "encroachment of Calvinism" by Peter Lumpkins

Update: especially note footnote #2 since I failed to account for a third public response from Marty King in the critique below   

In light of Al Mohler's recent encouragement to Southern Baptist editors to "cover Calvinism," I find it interesting that when Gerald Harris, editor of The Christian Index, placed his view in print, he was side-swiped by other entity-heads and leaders for describing an "encroaching Calvinism"  >>>

Danny Akin, Kevin Ezell, and other SBC leaders: Is Mark Driscoll the kind of leadership model Southern Baptists need? by Peter Lumpkins

Only recently, Mark Driscoll's new book on marriage landed him in controversy. Though advocating what can only be described as hedonistic underpinnings for human sexuality, Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, found himself defending yet once again his relationship with the hip Seattle pastor. Akin fully endorsed Driscoll's book but questions arising from the book's contents apparently pressured him into explaining (and qualifying) his curious endorsement of a monograph containing such provocative views like the moral acceptability of a___ s__  >>> 

NAMB employees under new gag rule? by Peter Lumpkins

The history of "gag rules" begins in our country over the issue of slavery. Between 1836 and 1840, a series of congressional resolutions were passed which effectively tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery, a congressional move obviously intended to shut down the voice of the abolitionists. More recently, the term gag rule has been applied to presidential regulations banning abortion counseling by employees of family planning clinics that received a particular type of federal funding (//link).  In most cases, the term gag rule seems to indicate an authoritative prohibition of expression effectively producing a non-negotiable order of silence  >>>

UPDATE: Please note Mike Ebert's contribution in the comment thread and my response. I'll swiftly and properly deal with this when I have more information. 

Is Baptist Press a religious version of CNN? One lawyer-turned-pastor thinks it is by Peter Lumpkins

New Mexico pastor Howell Scott has a post worth your time. "Baptist Press: the CNN of the Baptist World!" is an enlightening commentary on a piece composed by Erin Roach, assistant editor of Baptist Press  >>>

William Birch on Gerald Harris: Calvinists are here and have been: a response (part II) by Peter Lumpkins

UPDATE: tragically and sadly, William Birch's blog has been removed from the internet. One may find the obvious reason here.

In part I of my response to William Birch’s rebuttal to The Christian Index editor’s editorial opinion, I focused on what I believe to be insignificant quibbling over issues not germane to Gerald Harris’ piece  >>>

Gerald Harris: WANTED: DEAD or ALIVE (mostly dead) by Peter Lumpkins

Last Thursday, The Christian Index editor, Gerald Harris became a hunted man. His literary crime was posting his personal opinion concerning what he perceives as an unusual rise of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention and to do so--gulp, gulp--in his personal opinion editorial column of The Christian Index  >>>

The Calvinists are here: a guest editorial by Gerald Harris

UPDATE: the word is LifeWay is preparing a detailed response to Gerald Harris' essay and is scheduled to post this evening on Baptist Press. I'm anticipating precisely what facts in the essay LifeWay intends to dispute.

=======================

Below is the current editorial in The Christian Index, the Georiga Baptist Convention's state paper. Dr. Gerald Harris has served as editor of The Christian Index since May 2003. We happily publish by permission Dr. Harris' latest editoral, "The Calvinists are here"  >>>

SBC Tomorrow welcomes Gerald Harris as guest contributor*

Tom Ascol on Gerald Harris by Peter Lumpkins

I called to get permission to post Gerald Harris' latest editorial on SBC Tomorrow. The Christian Index graciously gave me permission to do so. It was scheduled to publish at 5:15 A.M on Friday. The reason for permission is two-fold: a) plain, old-fashioned courtesy; b) at the bottom of the editorial page there is a clear indicator I needed to get the permission. It reads: