Criticism of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Role of Discernment Blogs: Part II

Finally, there remains an unexplored possibility to explain why there's so much internet outrage expressed over so-called "discernment blogs" coming from Southern Baptists. Jason Allen hinted at it but did not develop it in his rebuke of Capstone Report. After demanding that the "anonymous blog" retract and apologize for its false report about him, Allen acknowledged the retraction as "a small, qualified victory in a larger struggle the SBC seems to be losing" (Note: as anyone can observe, Capstone Report is not anonymous).

Truth is, it may be that SBC leaders are exceedingly fearful that they are losing the ear of the internet consumer, especially the ear of evangelical Christians. Such a fear could very well explain why SBC leaders have become so vigorously vocal and, in some cases, unreasonably hysterical toward the so-called "discernment blogs." Less than a decade ago,  established blogs by SBC leaders like Al Mohler set the SBC agenda and ruled the information network in SBC circles. But suppose now blogs like Pulpit & Pen, Capstone Report, and some others who are, by and large, critical of the SBC and its stated agenda, rule the internet traffic, perhaps even obtaining the lion's share of SBC internet consumers.

If such a scenario is correct, one can understand why SBC leaders would be so fearful. But, is such a scenario correct?

Consider the following chart which shows the internet ranking of many of the most popular sites by Southern Baptists, sites recognized by SBC leaders as reputable sites, and sites that most SBC leaders would most probably view as "discernment blogs" about which they counsel us to avoid. Rankings are slippery and often different criteria will produce different rankings. However, Alexa, the site from which the chart was produced, remains among the most reputable. Rankings are based upon internet traffic over the last 30-90 days.

Website/Blog	Traffic Ranking--USA	Global Internet Engagement
Al Mohler (albertmohler.com)	83,507	309,545	Less than a decade ago, no blog came close to Mohler's ranking
Russell Moore (russellmoore.com)	183,796	835,454	Unremarkable, especially given Moore's high ranking as an SBC leader.
Denny Burk (dennyburk.com)	N/A*	802,822	Much respect among SBC for Burk's blog—deservedly so. But appears to have a small tight readership
Jason K. Allen (jasonkallen.com)	N/A	3,964,923	Same as Burk
The Pathway--Missouri Baptist Convention (mbcpathway.com)	156,839	691,076	Fair amount of traffic but hardly a high-roller player for wide distribution
J.D. Greear (jdgreear.com)	N/A	595,024	Surprisingly low given Greear's place as top elected SBC officer
Danny Akin (danielakin.com)	N/A	1,280,033	Almost no internet attention
Baptist Press (bpnews.net)	39,722	155,178	Good traffic pattern but hardly a key player for readership
SBC Life (sbclife.net)	N/A	925,699	All but ignored
Baptist News Global (baptistnews.com)	32,601	182,545	Better than SBC wire service (Baptist Press) but still not superior
SBC Voices (sbcvoices.com)	88,833	640,812	SBCV self-promotes as neutral, expressing the "many" voices in the SBC. However, it's heavily promoted by SBC leaders, and almost always supports the stated SBC agenda chewing up all who dissent from status quo leaders. SBCV used to be among the more highly trafficked blogs but has slipped significantly over the past few years.
Wade Burleson (wadeburleson.org)	N/A	1,895,248	At one time, highly frequented but now virtually dead so far as Alexa is concerned
Tim Challies (challies.com)	62,977	125,098	Like Mohler, Challies was in a league by himself less than a decade ago. Now he's not among the top players. Incidentally, Challies may very well be the originator of the evil nature of so-called "discernment blogs"
Baptist21 (baptist21.com)	N/A	4,369,918	How these guys bag a Baptist21 Panel at every SBC may only be explained by the connections they have with SBC elites. Readership is virtually zero
Pulpit & Pen (pulpitandpen.org)	5,716	32,133	Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial blogs and almost certain to be among those blogs SBC leaders include as an evil "discernment blog" no matter how hush-hush they remain about it. P&:P's traffic overshadows all of the most prominent SBC blogs including Al Mohler's. Like it or not, P&P is in the top-tier category for traffic and readership.
Capstone Report (capstonereport.com)	25,477	128,964	Like P&P, CR most probably exists as being on the SBC leader hit list of "discernment blogs" to avoid. Even so, its very high traffic speaks volumes. It too leaves Al Mohler in the dust.
The Wartburg Watch (thewartburgwatch.com)	111,132	553,813	Mostly dedicated to "survivor" stories of sexual abuse, TWW continues to have high traffic patterns and is perhaps in the same category as SBCV.
Reformation Charlotte (reformationcharlotte.org)	8,508	49,154	RC seems to be affiliated (perhaps loosely) with P&P above. Unsure if SBC leaders view RC as a "discernment blog." Since it criticizes the SBC, they most likely advise readers to ignore it. Again, however, telling Christians to steer clear hardly has hurt the traffic since it also belongs in the upper category of most visited blogs.
	*Insufficient traffic to gauge

 

Conclusion

The bottom line is, cracking down on internet inaccuracies and falsehoods by arbitrarily creating an evil category of websites to avoid—i.e. "discernment blogs"—is a strategy that obviously has not worked in the past and is not working now. As the chart seems to suggest, those speaking loudest about the evils of "discernment blogs" are the very ones holding the least amount of readership. In essence, they are speaking to a very small constituency who's most likely already loyal to them and hardly ever reads "discernment blogs" anyway.

In addition, on the one hand, publicly complaining about the "cancer" of these blogs that "make a living telling lies" and therefore declaring it's high time we expose them and "call them out," while on the other hand, making vague references without ever naming the enemy one has identified is as absurd as it is and has been unsuccessful.

Get used to it. "Discernment blogs" are here to stay--at least for now.

Finally, whether Jason Allen knew it or not, he actually demonstrated how to ultimately conquer falsehood, error, mistakes, misrepresentations, lies, innuendo, etc. Not by banning readers or websites any more than by banning movies or certain books. Only frustration driven by emotional reaction offers inadequate answers like these. Besides, SBC leaders just don't have the internet traffic muscle to do it. They're lagging way behind in overall readership, preaching to the choir, so to speak.

Instead, like Allen, show the goods. Post the proof. State the evidence. Then, let interested readers decide. In short, Jesus had the answer all along. Knowing the truth, you will be set you free (John 8:32). Most of us (hopefully) have enough sense to see through the flimsy claim based upon hearsay not hard evidence.

An old, long-forgotten Baptist line used to be, "Trust the Lord and tell the people."

Maybe it's time to revive it.

 

Note: some may wonder why I did not place my blog in the listing. Was I ashamed my score might be embarrassing? Simple. I've been virtually inactive as a blogger over the past three years. From Feb 2017 until today, I've posted a total of 20 times. Hence, it's hardly a fair picture to include my rankings. Even so, for the record, my present Traffic Ranking USA is 92, 614 while globally it's 642,668. I'm virtually neck-and-neck with SBC Voices--not bad since I've been sitting on the bench for a hefty spell. So no, I'm not embarrassed, but I am quite surprised! 

Part I is here.   

Comments

[W King]

Don't forget SBC Voices not only called Capstone a discernment blog but a "hate blog" in their ironically titled post "thou shalt not lie" in which they make two false statements.

[peter lumpkins]

SBCV has a tendency to charge blogs it doesn't like and/or agree with as mean-spirited, hateful, and trollish. It seems almost personal with those guys.

[Lydia]

I am stunned at your ranking considering how little you post. Maybe you need to rethink that. (Wink)

[Lydia]

SBCV were praising Driscoll and Mahaney just a few years ago until they switched to the social justice warrior meme following Russ Moore. I can't keep up with the who's in and who's out brain gaming.

[W King]

I tried to post on their site pointing out the factual errors, and that comment has not been posted yet for some reason, yet others have been.

Don't forget you can always look like a genius if you moderate out counterpoints!

[Michael Cox]

Thanks for posting Peter! You have routinely proven yourself to be insightful.

[peter lumpkins]

Thanks all for the feedback!

[Mary]

PETER!Hello old friend! Hope you are well! Good to "see" you and our friend Lydia!

I'm wondering??? How is Al Mohler able to run for President of the SBC when he was such a defender/protector of Mahaney? Is NO ONE going to mention that inconvenient truth you think?

Of course SBC Pravda(Voices) is still and always Pravda so I can't imagine they would have the integrity to mention Mohler/Mahaney connection since in all the alleged "integrity" they declare themselves to have they went right along protecting Mahaney if anyone dared whisper his name.

Has Dave Miller EVER apologized for defending Mahaney and praising God for Mark Driscoll? I mean he seems to be declaring who is and isn't a credible voice in the SBC these days! But then again we know, to paraphrase, "All Voices are equal and Some Voices are more equal than others!"

[peter lumpkins]

Hello Mary!

Haven't seen hide nor hair of you for ages. Glad to know you're still Kicking high!

Yes, I do recall the good old days, as it were. And love the Animal Farm pun, "All Voices are equal and Some Voices are more equal than others!"

Hopefully I'll continue to have enough time to post fairly often.

Lord bless,
Peter

[peter lumpkins]

BTW, Mary. Interesting you should bring up our old buddy, Dave Miller.

Voices has a post upon me presently entitled, "He's baaaack. Peter Lumpkins and those pesky discernment blogs." https://sbcvoices.com/hes-baaaaack-peter-lumpkins-and-those-pesky-discernment-blogs/#comments Fellow Georgian William Thornton posted it. A fair piece I judge, and I appreciate it.

Frankly, it took a double-washboard belly to post a neutral piece about me in their rather closed-minded environment. Thus, it's not surprising the comment thread is a mixed bag. But like Jerry Falwell, Sr used to say, "I don't care what they say as long as they spell my name correctly" (haha!)

In the comment thread, old Dave writes, "I would pretty much NEVER post an article referencing something Peter Lumpkins says because I believe his past lies in defense of Ergun Caner have disqualified him as a voice in the SBC. That is my opinion"

Apart from whether good old Dave could, in a thousand searches, find a single "lie" I uttered in defense of my good friend (hence, neither apology nor regret necessary), I'm wondering how the Apostle Paul could be referenced in good old Dave's article for all the lies he told about the poor, defenseless Christians of Jerusalem, not to mention his murderous rampage.

Whatever the case, you summed it up well about good old Dave's rip-roaring defense of both Driscoll & Mahaney.

Of Driscoll, good old Dave insisted,

"THANK GOD FOR MARK DRISCOLL...I don’t like everything Mark Driscoll says nor the way he says it. Not my style...But I know this, the more I listen to him instead of just to his critics, the more convinced I am of this: We’re on the same team!... he preaches the same gospel we do, believes the same Bible we do, serves the same Savior and seeks to glorify the same God. And, for the most part, he does it very well. He is a theologically-sound proclaimer of God’s truth" https://sbcvoices.com/thank-god-for-mark-driscoll/ (and there's tons more of that gushy praise with good old Dave's name all over it!)

As both you and I tried to warn many, many times, Mary, good old Dave & others like him were dead wrong about Driscoll.

What is more, I'll even give good old Dave the courtesy of being mistaken rather than judgmentally & self-righteously tossing him with the rest of depraved humanity's deceptive liars into the Lake of Fire. Too many times, we hurriedly assign moral blame without thinking more than a quarter-inch deep. I fear that applies to Dave.

So, maybe, just maybe, good old Dave will learn one day to overcome his high-horse, I'm-holy-you're-not type of virtue-signalling and dwell down here with the rest of us lowly peasants.

Lord bless you and your family, Mary.

Peter

[Lee]

I Peter 3:15 provides instruction to those persecuted Christians defending their faith to do so with gentleness and respect, but I guess discernment blogs have decided they can ignore that when making judgements about the spiritual life of those they criticize and especially in the choice of words and tone of their language.

[Lydia]

“I would pretty much NEVER post an article referencing something Peter Lumpkins says because I believe his past lies in defense of Ergun Caner have disqualified him as a voice in the SBC. That is my opinion"

Oh. My. Word. From the keyboard of a man that vehemently went after anyone who disagreed with him about Driscoll or Mahaney and all the other big cheeses that protected Mahaney. Unbelievable. What a manipulator. And I bet no one dares disagree with him over there. Miller has a short fuse.

Mary, I sure miss your common sense and humorous comments!