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The SBC and the Nicene Creed Featuring Malcolm Yarnell & Steve McKinion along with Matt Emerson and Luke Stamps: A Brief Response

Four Baptist scholar-historians (two seminary professors and two university professors) plan to move at the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention that The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message be amended to include a brand new article of faith—Article XIX: The Creed. Many have wondered why now, and why this Creed. In the minds of those wondering why now, they undoubtedly are thinking about the confessional history of Southern Baptists themselves. For Southern Baptists, there appears to have always been a significant issue even if not very troubling issue that ultimately called for... Read more →

I Vote No: 2022 Southern Baptist Convention, Anaheim, California

The 2022 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) scheduled in Anaheim, California is about to be underway. I'm not going. But if I were, I would unequivocally vote No on the proposed recommendations by the Sex Abuse Task Force (SATF). Not that I would be opposed to any and all reform efforts to better inform and resource churches and entities associated with the SBC about sexual abuse. Being associated with and supportive of the SBC since I was converted in 1977, and having served SBC churches as volunteer, church planter, lead pastor,... Read more →

Does voter suppression in 2021 look like voter suppression in 1961? An Answer to Bill Leonard

Last week, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary research professor, Karen Swallow Prior, made a socio-cultural analogy between the systemic social consequences of the 1960s sexual revolution in the United States and the systemic racism in the United States we allegedly observe today according to Critical Race theorists. As I showed in my reply, Prior's analogy simply collapses in on itself making it far more difficult to accept her claim of systemic racism (via CRT) rather than easier. This week, a reputable Baptist historian makes yet another analogy from almost the same... Read more →

Theological liberalism in the SBC? A Brief Response

Baptist Press recently published a First-Person article entitled "Theological Liberalism in the SBC?" by Rhett Wilson, freelance author, bivocational pastor, and a senior writer for The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Wilson also blogs and, in fact, blogs well. I read several of his pieces and without qualification commend them. He is a superb writer. On the other hand, I think Wilson misses his target completely in his estimation of what's going on the the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Allow me to explain. As the title of his piece in Baptist... Read more →

2020 SBC Pastors' Conference President responds to questions raised on social media about some platform personalities

Only hours after questions were raised on social media as Baptist Press released the list of platform personalities invited to the 2020 SBC Pastors' Conference held June 7-8 at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, did David Uth, the pastors' conference president, respond back on Baptist Press. "Uth's remarks followed social media comments both opposing and supporting the selection of Wong in particular, although many posts also mentioned the non-Southern Baptist pastors." Accordingly, Uth and the staff will continue "monitoring social media to determine whether sentiments are voiced that would endanger... Read more →

Are leaders of 2020 SBC Pastors' Conference making a statement with the platform speakers in Orlando?

The SBC Pastors' Conference is an inspirational event traditionally held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Usually, the speakers are well-known in Christian circles and have national platforms as either pastors in mega-churches, stadium speakers, best-selling authors, podcasts, sports' stars, or perhaps a combination of the above. One kind of speaker that is particularly controversial, at least since 2016, is political figures. The 2020 SBC Pastors' Conference is scheduled for June 7-8 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fl. Its officers are David... Read more →

Sexual Abuse, Darrell Gilyard and the Southern Baptist Convention: Part 2

In Part 1, I argued contrary to many internet sources, tweeter feeds, and what one might rightly dub "Patterson haters" that Paige Patterson was a key player in dealing with the sexual predator and church destroyer, Darrell Gilyard, in 1991, forcing, as it were, Gilyard to resign his church and leave the ministry. Mainly through Patterson's influence Gilyard left the ministry so far as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was concerned. However, eleven days after Gilyard resigned, he started another church unaffiliated with the SBC,1 a move Patterson had little... Read more →

Sexual Abuse, Darrell Gilyard and the Southern Baptist Convention: Interlude

As I argued earlier, Paige Patterson was a key player in dealing with Darrell Gilyard in 1991, forcing, as it were, Gilyard to resign his church and leave the ministry. And, Gilyard did leave the ministry so far as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was concerned. Eleven days after Gilyard resigned, however, he started another church unaffiliated with the SBC.1 Some insist that since rumors had been previously flying forth from different churches, rumors about which Patterson was presumably aware, this fact alone should indicate Patterson was either dragging his... Read more →

Sexual Abuse, Darrell Gilyard and the Southern Baptist Convention Part 1

The story of Darrell Gilyard easily arises to the category of legend in Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) life. As originally told, Gilyard was abandoned by his parents at a young age and wound up living under a bridge in Florida. Jerry Vines, pastor of Jacksonville First Baptist Church,1 discovered Gilyard, led him to Christ, and began mentoring him in the mid-1980s. Vines had connections to which he recommended the young, exciting, and vibrant young preacher--most notably Paige Patterson, (then) President of Criswell Bible College and Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas... Read more →

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... Read more →

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

Last week, The Capstone Report, a popular website that focuses on issues it perceives as troubling in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), released a story concerning the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jason Allen, claiming he was personally lobbying the Missouri governor to settle more refugees in the state. The story turned out to be false. Don Hinkle, longtime editor of The Pathway, Missouri Baptists' state denominational paper, wrote a brief but scathing rebuttal, accusing the author of "fake news": "I know fake news when I see it. This... Read more →

The Alleged Sex Abuse Crisis and What’s Next for the Southern Baptist Convention

The working assumption that a systemic sex abuse crisis exists in the 47,000+- churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is now officially unchallengable received dogma. Question the claim or evidence from which the claim is inferred, and the unwary enquirer will quickly be on the receiving end of the Southern Baptist internet mob. After raising questions concerning the accuracy of data driving the claim of a SBC sex abuse crisis on Twitter recently, one responder tweeted suggesting I personally cared more about statistical numbers than I did about... Read more →

Mark Galli is hardly the one to be lecturing Christians on breaking the 10 Commandments

Brannon House at WorldViewWeekend.com recently posted a piece entitled "Christianity Today Editor in Chief Called God a “Divine Drama Queen” But is Worried About President Trump Disrespecting God?." In it, House reminds readers about Christianity Today magazine's (CT) current senior editor, Mark Galli, who, on December 19, 2019, following the partisan impeachment of Donald Trump, published the article,“Trump Should be Removed From Office," wrote a piece in 2010 entitled "Divine Drama Queen." Mark Galli was senior managing editor of CT magazine in 2010. In the article now removed from CT,... Read more →

Dr. Al Mohler: Opportunist or Convictional Southern Baptist?

According to credible reports from colleagues and close friends, Dr. Mohler abruptly switched "sides" during the Conservative Resurgence (CR) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Up until 1990, Mohler is said to have embraced the Moderate/Liberal theological wing in the SBC. However, after the 1990 New Orleans convention, Mohler reportedly informed one of his closest friends that "our side" is "doing very badly" in the struggle for the soul of the convention. Accordingly, Mohler is said to have gone back to Atlanta where at the time he was editor of... Read more →

Georgia Baptists Face Difficult Decision on Vice-Presidential Nominee

A week ago, I posted a piece concerning the public announcement in the Christian Index of four nominees for the office of Vice-President of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to be elected at the 2019 Georgia Baptist Convention held at Fayetteville's New Hope Baptist Church November 10-12. The piece produced minimal chatter on Social Media. From knowledge recently gained, more chatter definitely took place privately rather than publicly. In the piece, I suggested that while all four intended nominees possessed undeniable qualifications and experience that could benefit Georgia Baptists, there... Read more →

David & Bathsheba: Why It’s Better to Accept the Biblical Narrative About David Rather Than a Superficial One

David & Bathsheba (source) Most of us tried to let it go. You know. The recent flair up over whether David committed adultery with Bathsheba as recorded in 2 Samuel 11: 1-5 or forcibly and brutally raped her. But those who insist King David maliciously, violently raped the innocent, sinless Bathsheba continue to fuel the flame. The fact is, there's enough ambiguity in the biblical text to sustain a possible rape if we allow the modern constructs I've noted. But only a possible rape not a definitive rape. To conclude... Read more →

Karen Swallow Prior on John Piper's Advice to Women in Troubled Marriages

OK. I'm not much on Twitter. I've never liked it. I don't think I ever will. Moreover, it can get very vicious, even more vicious than Facebook. Yet it appears it's definitively made its mark for usefulness even among Christians, so I logged on to my old account this AM and posted a link to the piece I put up on my blog entitled, "How do Patterson Critics View John Piper on Spousal Abuse?," a piece asking some of the leaders among Southern Baptists who are bent on seeing Paige... Read more →

How do Patterson Critics View John Piper on Spousal Abuse?

Since the social media mob, led by @JonathanMerritt, @edstetzer, and @KSPrior, judges Paige Patterson's counsel to women in troubled marriages so entirely unChristian as to merit his immediate dismissal as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, one wonders what they think evangelicals ought to do with evangelical icon, @JohnPiper, and desiringGod.org for the counsel Piper offers to women in troubled marriages. Check it out. For that matter, thoughts about John Piper's counsel to women in troubled marriages from high-profile Christian celebrities and organizations could be helpful in determining exactly why... Read more →

Resolution #10: A Brief Commentary from an outsider looking in

For the few readers who still have my blog in their feed I thought I’d offer a few words on one of the resolutions passed in Phoenix.1 Below are a few comments on Resolution #10. Take these comments, if you please, as from one outside looking in, since I did not attend the convention this year. First, I’m troubled with the way Resolution #10 presumes “alt-right” is a hard term used to denote definite parameters of beliefs of an observable group we might learn through empirical research. The truth is,... Read more →

President Trump's promise to nominate a Supreme Court justice similar to Antonin Scalia

In light of President Donald Trump's recent nominee for SCOTUS, and fulfilling his promise to nominate a strict constructionist for the important judicial seat, a friend of mine posted on Facebook the following words. Note the response by newly appointed Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) Leadership Council member, Bart Barber. My response followed. Here's the bottom line so far as I am concerned. I have no issues whatsoever in #NeverTrump advocates voting the way they did, coming to conclusions different from mine, and voting their conscience. Period. That's what... Read more →

Janet Mefferd on Russell Moore and the Conservative backlash: "This isn't just about Trump"

Talk-radio host, Janet Mefferd, writes a convincing account of the issues many Conservatives have raised concerning Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) president, Russell Moore. Writing as a non-Southern Baptist, Mefferd claims many in the media falsely assume Conservatives' problems with Moore began with his criticism of then presidential candidate, Donald Trump. She demonstrates Moore's excessive and over-the-top criticism of the President-elect, including Moore's unreasonable and misguided criticism of evangelicals who voted for the President-elect, was but one of several issues many Conservatives have raised since Moore became president of... Read more →

What’s at Stake in the Southern Baptist Convention for the backlash against Russell Moore? A Response

Jake Raabe is a student at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas and columnist for The Baptist Standard, the news service affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Raabe recently wrote an opinion column entitled "Voices: What's at stake for the SBC in backlash against Russell Moore?" arguing that it is a mistake for Southern Baptists to either silence or dismiss the views of the president of the Ethics and Religious Life Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, Russell Moore. It would be naive... Read more →

Election 2016 Thoughts – Part Two: Trump Support Could Hurt Our Gospel Witness: A Critique

While I realize this post is virtually moot now since the election is upon us, Nathan Akin posted part 2 of his series only today. Thus, I thought I'd put this brief critique up. After considering the chief concerns #NeverTrump advocates like Akin have listed in campaigning against Trump and for 3rd party/write-ins, I feel even more confident I chose well in my decision. I only pray if and/or when Trump loses the presidency, and we hand off this country's political destiny to Hillary Rodham Clinton, I will be able... Read more →

Is John MacArthur selling out his moral convictions? Has he given up every thing he's ever believed by voting for Donald Trump for POTUS?

Al Mohler, Russell Moore, and Denny Burk among other leading evangelical voices have persistently presented a #NeverTrump agenda to the American public. Evangelicals have been accused of losing their soul; giving up everything they've ever believed; being so in love with political power that they are willing to lose their gospel testimony; and embracing a cheap version of moral relativism all just to rationalize their vote for Donald Trump as president of the United States. Below is John MacArthur's answer to a question he was asked about voting for Donald... Read more →

Thomas Schreiner: "Don’t we recognize in a sinful world that sometimes we need to choose the lesser of two evils?"

Thomas R. Schreiner is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Associate Dean for Scripture and Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as Preaching Pastor of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. A widely respected New Testament scholar, Dr. Schreiner is the author of many books, including New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ (Baker, 2008) and Galatians in the Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series (Zondervan, 2010).1 Recorded in the 2011 issue of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, a published sermon... Read more →

#FaithTrumpsFear or #StopSinningbyVotingTrump?

Paul Hastings (source) A video entitled "FaithTrumpsFear" seems to be making its rounds on social media. It's appeared with glowing recommendations on The Resurgent, RedState, Caffeinated Thoughts, and even captures the personal view of the Southern Baptist Convention's Pastors' Conference president, Dave Miller: "Is it time we started viewing things differently? For me, it is. this video encapsulates my view."1 Produced by a small video production company in Austin, Texas run by CEO, Paul Hastings (who is featured in the video), the reason indicated making it was because that by... Read more →

I voted for Donald Trump today. And, no, I don't feel an ounce of guilt. I feel like an American.

When it became clear to me months ago that Donald Trump would become the only real challenge to a Hillary Rodham Clinton victory for the White House, I became more verbal and perhaps more public about the 2016 presidential election than I've ever been about any election since I started voting in the early 70s. I believe this election remains, so far as this world is concerned, the last hope to preserve what we have left of a democratic republic founded upon our original constitution. Political corruption in both Democratic... Read more →

Is Voting for a 3rd Option a Wasted Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election?

UPDATE: November 4, 2017, a new Heat Street/Rasmussen Reports telephone and online survey of Likely Utah Voters finds Trump with 42% support to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 31%. Republican-turned-Independent candidate Evan McMullin has faded to 21%. In a brief piece entitled, "Election 2016 Thoughts – Part One: A vote for a 3rd Candidate is not a Wasted Vote or a Vote for Clinton" by Baptist21 contributor, Nathan Akin, five reasons are listed as to why Akin believes a 3rd candidate vote for president in the 2016 election is not in vain.... Read more →

Division at Southern seminary concerning the #NeverTrump positions of Al Mohler & Russell Moore

I wrote this on Facebook a few hours ago: Finally someone with clout speaks out on Al Mohler and Russell Moore's nonsensical stance as advocates of #NeverTrump, a position he says will put Hillary in the White House. A member of the Foundation Board of Southern Seminary for years, currently an associate of the foundation, and a financial supporter who's donated thousands as well as given annual grants to professors. Louisville, KY attorney, Jack Richardson says, "I and others on the board could not disagree more with Mohler’s position on... Read more →

Joe Carter, the ERLC and Division over Donald Trump (Part 2)

Below is Part 2 of my critique of Why Evangelicals Are Divided Over Donald Trump written by Joe Carter, a staff member at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC). As we argued in Part 1, to suggest as Carter does that come November 9, evangelicals can just shake hands and go back to being co-belligerents in a worthy cause is too naïve for words. Russell Moore and the ERLC (which obviously includes Joe Carter) have been too verbally offensive to just forget about it... Read more →

New Orleans Baptist Association calls for censorship of Baptist state paper

On July 12, a group of eight Baptist leaders from the New Orleans Baptist Association (NOBA) who were apparently fed up with what they called "buzzard politics" from The Baptist Message, wrote, signed, and posted an open complaint on the NOBA website. Entitled "Which Way Forward: Unity or Division?" the eight men noted specifically, "We are troubled by the critical editorials in our state Baptist paper against SBC agency heads David Platt and Russell Moore." Making the complaints into a call for unity, the associational article indicated what appears to... Read more →

Al Mohler on Heresy: Let’s show humility…sometimes

Al Mohler's anticipated response to the latest theological square-off concerning technical points of Trinitarian doctrine among evangelical academics is finally here. One theologian promoted with pleasure Mohler's latest piece: Mohler's statesmanship is specifically mentioned. Yes, Mohler indicates more than once—not including his title—humility remains a key factor in these sorts of theological exchanges. While it's true there's a danger in ignoring real heresy on the one hand (Liberals do this), there exists a second danger like with the boy who cried wolf. Some genuine doctrinal disagreements have nothing at all... Read more →

Both Al Mohler and Russell Moore agree: #NeverTrump #NeverHillary. Both also dead wrong.

No surprise in Drs. Al Mohler and Russell Moore's position: both commit to either a third party or write-in candidate come November. What is surprising, however, is the simplistic reasoning both leaders offer as to why they will step into the 2016 voting booth in perhaps the most significant presidential election in my lifetime and cast a ballot that guarantees at least one of the two candidates they judge unworthy to serve as president of the United States will, indeed, serve as president of the United States. Furthermore, it seems... Read more →

Had Al Mohler gone to Southeastern seminary and not to Southern seminary, what would have become of Southern?

On April 21, 1992, Baptist Press ran an article announcing the trustee decision for the new president of Southern Baptists' seminary in Wake Forest: Paige Patterson, an architect of the "conservative resurgence" in the Southern Baptist Convention, is the nominee for the next president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. Within the same article, another paragraph reads: Two other candidates had been interviewed by the trustees' executive committee acting as the search committee, Ellsworth said. R. Albert Mohler Jr., editor of the Georgia Baptist newsjournal, The Christian... Read more →

Must answers from the platform to questions from the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention be ostentatious?

pic source UPDATE: Arkansas Baptist News published a letter to the editor from John Wofford, pastor of Armorel Baptist Church in Blytheville, Arkansas, the messenger who questioned ERLC's president, Russell Moore, at the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention (video below). I appreciate my brother Arkansan's explanation and thank him for offering further context to his question. I also agree with Pastor Wofford that Dr. Moore failed to answer exactly the question he posed. Platform respondents are notorious for bloviating rather than speaking to direct questions. Indeed many times I've observed them... Read more →

Calvinism: Essential or Non-essential?

Aaron Menikoff is presently senior pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs, Georgia (metropolitan Atlanta). Menikoff holds a PhD from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is author of Politics and Piety (Pickwick. 2014). He also served as an aide to United States Senator, Mark O. Hatfield, and occasionally blogs at The Gospel Coalition. Menikoff's latest piece entitled "When Grace Hurts the Church" addresses churches that find themselves possessing different theologies among the members and how they might navigate successfully through the often treacherous waters. Menikoff profiles his own... Read more →

Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate J.D. Greear refuses interview with Louisiana Baptist state paper

What's up with Southern Baptist Convention presidential hopeful, J.D. Greear, refusing an interview with Will Hall, Editor of Louisiana's Baptist Message? According to Hall Despite making an appointment for a phone interview and after a substantive conversation, J.D. Greear declined to participate in a live question and answer session with the Louisiana Baptist Message about his run for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. James David "J.D." Greear is lead pastor of The Summit Church, a mega-church in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Greear also is Visiting Fletcher... Read more →

Alabama Baptist association circular letter--"Christ Jesus made an atonement, general in its nature"

Below is a snippet from a circular letter published in 1843 for the North River United Baptist Association in 1843. Beginning in 1832, David Andrews an "Arminian" pastor was ousted from Bethel Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa and eventually led in the formation of the North River association. In the 1843 minutes, the circular letter is printed in full: But Brethren, pause and think back, and take a view of the situation of the churches in this section of country, some ten or twelve years ago, and contrast the condition of... Read more →

The Republican Washington establishment may have just made Hillary Clinton's day

Well. It's happened. The Republican Washington Establishment bought its domain for a soon-to-launch Third-Party website. As Bill Kristol indicates, all they need now is a candidate. My own guess is, they've already got their puppy-dog politician selected...from the local DC pound of course...politicians they can promote as cute, adorable puppies to the American people. There's any number of adorable but do-nothing Republican dogs from which to choose. They can began with Speaker of the House and move on from there... What does Washington's Establishment Third-Party mean if it actually takes... Read more →

Alternate Presidential Candidate for #NeverTrump supporters Denny Burk, Russell Moore, and the ERLC

It's no secret that some high-profile Southern Baptists are pushing evangelicals toward a #NeverTrump position. Among the more aggressive top-tier influencers (especially among younger evangelicals) stand Denny Burk and Russell Moore, both Southern Baptists, both #NeverTrump members, both employees at entities owned by the Southern Baptist Convention--The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission respectively. Many Southern Baptists think their posturing toward #NeverTrump to be either misguided or unstudied. Below is one response to the third-party, write-in candidacy both Burk and Moore have recently promoted. First,... Read more →

Denny Burk: Principled if you don’t vote Trump, Unprincipled if you do

At least two high-profile Southern Baptists just can't get enough bashing Donald Trump supporters. One, obviously, is Russell Moore, who seems to fan the flame he's set to hotter and hotter temperatures. The latest piece Moore posted unexpectedly drew friendly fire from one of his own soldiers in the young, restless, and reformed base camp. It also solicited responses from what some may call more hostile critics (my own contribution may be found in a piece entitled "Is it time for Southern Baptists to get new leadership in Washington?"). The... Read more →

Is it time for Southern Baptists to get new leadership in Washington?

A new president of the greatest nation on earth will be sworn into public office in just over eight months. It's time. Eight years of Barack Obama's butchered policies and broken promises have choked to death the American spirit. He promised he'd unite us both racially and politically. However, only the most obtuse observer could deny that racially and politically, the United States of America has perhaps become more hostilely divided than in any known era of American history. Why Washington's Oval Office needs a new leader The President's latest... Read more →

Clinton Predictable. Trump Unpredictable. Ergo Clinton for President

Baptist pastor in Washington D.C., Thabiti Anyabwile, argues in a piece on The Gospel Coalition blog that it is apparently better to vote for predictable evil than unpredictable evil, the two evils represented by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump respectively. In the current presidential election, that means since only two viable candidates exist, the defacto choice is between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.1 And, for Anyabwile, it comes down to him voting for Hillary Clinton. "At this point, assuming Trump and Clinton are my only options, I'd vote for Clinton."... Read more →

Denny Burk on Russell Moore--"he has a way with words"

Trump criticizes Moore for being a bad evangelical! Boyce professor, Denny Burk, asks an interesting question(s) pertaining to Donald Trump's recent tweet questioning not only whether Russell Moore is a good representative of evangelicals, but also claiming Moore to be a "nasty guy with no heart." Burk rightly denies the latter but strangely affirms the former. Question: how can Russell Moore accurately represent a body of people (i.e. evangelicals) about which he emphatically claims he wants no part? Did Moore not publicly distance himself from evangelicals and evangelicalism? Did Russell... Read more →

Is Racism embedded all over the Southern Baptist Convention?

I've been trying to stay away from denominational politics. Honest! At times, however, it's impossible to stay on the wagon. Indeed as my good friend, Chris Gilliam, indicated in the Facebook thread (see below), one gets tired of the simplistic rhetoric. Below is a brief commentary I pecked out on my cell phone in response to an article detailing Russell Moore's indictment of widespread racism allegedly embedded within the Southern Baptist Convention. A Facebook friend asked me to post it on my blog so he could point his friends to... Read more →

Seminary president indicts Southern Baptists for funding shortfalls at International Mission Board

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary president, Jeff Iorg, joins the chorus of high profile Southern Baptists (see here and here) who are publicly insisting the reason for the recent announcement of budgetary problems at the nation's largest and most prestigious missionary-sending agency in the United States, The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB), is that rank-and-file1 Southern Baptists are "robbing God." In a short but pungent piece on the seminary president's blog entitled "Missionaries Are Coming Home," Dr. Iorg was anything but vague. "The basic problem causing... Read more →

Just what role did the trustees play in the International Mission Board's fiscal failure?

What role does the trustee board possess in overseeing an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention? Is the board primarily a support group for the agency's president and his administration? Do trustees of our convention agencies and/or entities function similarly to trustees of a local Southern Baptist church? A group possessing proxy empowerment to represent the church in real estate, banking, and other legal matters where the church's signature is required? Or, does the trustee body have more of an authoritarian role which includes writing, establishing, and maintaining agency policies;... Read more →

More dismissing fiduciary obligation of IMB administration and trustees

I recently expressed my lament over the recent announcement of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB). Not only is it hard to accept that at least since 2010, our missions-sending agency has outspent its predictable income by close to a quarter of a billion dollars, it also remains gut-wrenching to know IMB both sold off tens of millions of dollars of real estate and properties and depleted its cash reserves just to keep the doors open. Adding insult to injury, IMB officials announced it expects seasoned... Read more →

Are Baptist bloggers the true “Baptist Press”?

Iowa pastor and blogger, Dave Miller, claimed in a rancorous blog he directed toward the personal credibility of veteran, award-winning journalist, Joni Hannigan, that Baptist bloggers like himself and those at SBC Voices constitute the real Baptist news agency of Southern Baptist Convention. "We are the true 'Baptist Press,'" he claimed, "exposing what needs to be exposed, discussing what needs to be discussed, and keeping people informed about what is really going on." Miller's comrade in online arms, JD Hall, mirrors similar sentiments about the significance of their self-praised blogging... Read more →

Georgia Baptists receive $25m cash donation to retire massive debt

Just announced today on the Christian Index, the Georgia Baptist Convention received a grant in the amount of $24, 635, 300.13 from the Georgia Baptist Healthcare Ministry Foundation to pay in full the amount owed on the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministries Center. Executive Director J. Robert White was understandably ecstatic. “I have been celebrating the payment of this debt with incredible joy...It still seems surreal." According to the Index, Dr. Frank Cox, Senior Pastor, North Metro Baptist Church, first publicly expressed the vision for the ministry center in 2001... Read more →