My family and I moved to Louisville, KY in 1996 to assume a position at Southern Seminary. Those were eight wonderful years for all of us. During that same time, we also had the joy of being members of Highview Baptist Church, sitting under the pastoral ministry of Dr. Kevin Ezell. During that time all of us came to greatly love and respect Dr. Ezell as a wonderful man of God and a tremendous leader … [Read More]
Reflections on the 2010 SBC in Orlando
The record may reveal that the 2010 Convention in Orlando was a historic moment for the churches of the SBC. Only time will tell. From my perspective it was a wonderful Convention as Southern Baptists affirmed overwhelmingly how we wish to chart our future. What were the crucial happenings and their significance at this year’s convention? Let me highlight several.
First, and by far the most important, was the adoption of the GCRTF Report. By a … [Read More]
Al Mohler on Whether Or Not We Will Flinch
For those readers who appreciate wisdom and eloquence, I happily refer to you Al Mohler’s recent piece on the upcoming SBC 2010, “A Moment of Decision: Will Southern Baptists Face the Future, or Will We flinch?,” which is posted at www.pray4gcr.com and www.conventionalthinking.org.
David Platt: Why I Wholeheartedly Support the GCRTF Report. . . and More
We at BtT want to make you aware of David Platt’s new blogpost, “Why I Wholeheartedly Support the GCRTF Report. . . and More,” published at http://www.pray4gcr.com/. Below is a sneak peek (the first paragraph) of Platt’s post:
“In what follows, I want to express why I wholeheartedly support the final report from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since the report was released, much discussion has ensued concerning whether or … [Read More]
Why We Believe the GCRTF Report is Good for the Future of the SBC (2b): Making Our Values Transparent (Unity, Relationships)
By: Danny Akin and Steve McKinion
The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force has proposed the adoption of eight Core Values. We wrote about why we believe the first two of those are important in an earlier post. In this article we want to demonstrate why the next two Core Values are key to ensuring that the agencies and institutions of the Southern Baptist Convention will be more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Value 3: Unity. We … [Read More]
Why We Believe the GCRTF Report is Good for the Future of the SBC (1): Getting the Mission Right
By: Danny Akin & Bruce Riley Ashford
[Editor’s Note: Southern Baptists will vote on the GCRTF report on June 15, 2010 at the annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. This promises to be a critically important and historically significant moment in our Convention. This series of posts attempts to (1) expound the merits of the Task Force report; (2) address the legitimate concerns raised by our brothers and sisters; and ... [Read More]
The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention (Pt. 2)
Southern Baptists have a hopeful future if they continually make clear their commitment to the inerrant and infallible Word of God, affirming it’s sufficiency in all matters. (Matt 5:17-18; John 10:35; 17:17; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Southern Baptists won the “battle for the Bible” that began in 1979. Men of God like Jimmy Draper, Paige Patterson, Paul Pressler, Adrian Rogers, and Jerry Vines put it all on the line because they saw what the … [Read More]
The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention (Pt. 1)
Southern Baptists have a hopeful future if we return to our first love and surrender ourselves fully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Col 1:15-20; Rev 2:1-7). I have experienced significant grief at how little attention has been paid to this first axiom of my spring 2009 address at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was placed first for a reason. It must be first. It must set and establish the foundation for any future agenda for … [Read More]
The Future of the Southern Baptist Convention (An Introduction)
On October 8 I had the honor of speaking at Union University at the “Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and Future of Denominationalism Conference.” The meeting was held in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the Baptist movement. Several blogs and media outlets have reported both on the conference and the paper I delivered. The full manuscript may be accessed at http://apps.sebts.edu/president/?p=1471 . However, to fit the paper into the “blog world” I will post 10 entries that … [Read More]
Aspect 7(a): A Mission Based on Local Church Initiative and Supplemented by Entities and Associations (national convention, seminaries, IMB)
(By: Danny Akin & Bruce Ashford)
Through four centuries of history, Baptists have displayed a remarkable continuity in doctrine and practice. With historic Christianity, we have confessed that God is Triune, that his Son is fully God and fully man, that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone, and that the Scriptures are the very words of God.[1] In addition, we have held that the church is regenerate in its membership, autonomous under the headship … [Read More]
