Perhaps the most significant issue facing evangelicals, including Southern Baptists, today is a disconnect between doctrine and practice, between theology and missiology. Our tendency is to affirm Christian Scripture as being inspired by God and without error, and then to ignore Christian Scripture in forming our strategies and methods. It is as if we are saying that “what” we believe about God is important, but “how” we practice is not. We think that we can … [Read More]
Some Thoughts on a Great Commission Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention
For well over a year now, some of us have been talking about the need for a Great Commission Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. Sermons have been preached, addresses have been given, articles have been authored, and blog posts have been devoted to this topic. In Indianapolis, I heard several different recognized SBC leaders use this terminology from the Convention platform. And I find that encouraging.
The Conservative Resurgence came to an end over the course of … [Read More]
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Southern Baptist Convention 2008: A Time To Be Encouraged And A Time To Get To Work For Our Lord
The 2008 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention took a number of interesting and unexpected turns. However, I leave “Indy” hopeful and encouraged, still recognizing we do have some significant challenges before us. What follows are some general reflections on our annual meeting.
1) Johnny Hunt was elected president of our Convention on the first ballot from a field where there were a number of gifted and godly men. Being elected on the … [Read More]
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What’s Right With the Southern Baptist Convention
Several years ago I gave my parents a gift that I think they enjoyed as much or more than anything I ever gave them. I wrote each of them a letter thanking them for what they did right as my Mom and Dad. In a world where it is commonplace for people to talk about everything their parents did wrong, I wanted my parents to know how much they got right. I recall how very … [Read More]
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Answering the Call to a Great Commission Resurgence
In June 1985, Southern Baptists gathered in Dallas, Texas for their annual Convention. It would be the largest gathering of a Protestant denomination in history. It was a critical moment.
On Monday night prior to the Convention’s two day meeting, Dr. W.A. Criswell closed out the annual Pastors Conference. The title of his address: “Whether We Live Or Die.” He knew our denomination was at a crossroads and that the decisions we would make in the … [Read More]
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Toward a Great Commission Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention: Part Two
This evening, I am signing on again from Central Asia, where I am drinking a coffee at a small café in the middle of the city. Inside the café are tourists, mostly from America and Europe. It is a scene to behold. Directly in front of me, at the table that is rammed right up next to mine, is what appears to be an alternative rock band of some sort, thirty-somethings, complete with pierced pre-frontal … [Read More]
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Integrity in Ministry
For 30 plus years I have been burdened for the personal integrity of those in the ministry. The reasons are simple. Integrity is a biblical requirement (1 Tim 3:1). And, the respect for those in ministry is at a low ebb, especially in our nation. Of course one major area of importance is how ministers conduct themselves with the opposite sex. I have always challenged fellow pastors to make a rock solid, non-negotiable commitment: “I will never be alone … [Read More]
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Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: Summary
[This is the first of two posts that will interact with David Dockery's new book, Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal (B&H Academic, 2008). This first post is a relatively detailed summary of the book. In the second post, I will interact with some of Dockery's key proposals. You can purchase the book for $9.99 from LifeWay Christian Resources.]
Over the past twenty-five years or so, Union University President David Dockery has been engaging some of the … [Read More]
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Toward a Great Commission Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention: Part One
Today I am writing from the fifth floor of a hotel in Central Asia, having just gotten finished conversing with a local Muslim merchant, whose political and religious views are farther to the right than Sam Donaldson’s part. Having escaped from the conversation as quickly as possible, I am now seated on the terrace roof of a very small hotel.
It is noon and the local mosques are having their calls to prayer. Within my … [Read More]
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