The Southern Baptist Convention

A young friend recently asked about my thoughts concerning the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Honestly, I haven't attended a SBC meeting since 1990 when the Convention met in New Orleans. That was the year the fundamentalists sealed control of the future of the SBC. Many refer to the takeover as the "Conservative Resurgence" which was suppose to save the Convention from the slippery slope of liberalism. I was in my first year of seminary (1979) when the pendulum began to swing in favor of the fundamentalists, and I remember hearing some rumblings on the New Orleans campus about Convention politics, but I really didn't start paying attention to Convention matters until the mid '80's.

I never really understood all the fuss about liberalism in the SBC. I attended a Southern Baptist college and seminary and never encountered what I would call a liberal professor. Most of my professors seemed to have a calling to teach, had a genuine concern for their students, and exhibited a true love for Christ. Perhaps among the many hundreds of college and seminary professors who taught in our institutions at the time there were a handful of liberals, but I never encountered one.

Thirty years have passed, and the SBC is in worse shape than ever. SBC churches baptized fewer people last year than in 1970, and for the past few years membership in SBC churches have began to show signs of decline. I realize that those who have supported the "Conservative Resurgence" would argue that things would be much worse if the "liberals" were still in charge. But that still does not change the fact that the "Conservative Resurgence" which was suppose to bring us back to our focus on evangelism and wining the lost to Christ has failed to produce.

I'm not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet, but here's where I see the future of the SBC heading:

1. I think the Great Commission Resurgence will fail to produce anything substantial. From what I read the GCR is an effort by some to "streamline" the denominational structure, including state conventions, so that more CP money can be used for missions and winning the lost to Christ. Although messengers to this year's convention overwhelming voted to support the GCR, I think the sticking points will come with implementation. I predict that state conventions are going to be reluctant to reduce staff and programming and that SBC entities are going to be unwilling to merge, etc. to make the GCR workable.

2. The SBC will continue to be divided by doctrine. Doctrine was never the unifying factor of the SBC. Churches which comprised the SBC cooperated together for the purpose of missions. Walter Shurden identified several "theological" strains that characterized SBC churches in the past. These churches were able to look beyond their theological differences and cooperate together for the cause of missions. The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message was the first confession of faith used by the SBC leadership as a creed. At the time, many thought it would settle doctrinal matters within the SBC once and for all. Missionaries and denominational leaders were required to sign the document. But the divide continues. With the rise of Calvinism in the SBC, those who hold to Landmark views have become increasingly more vocal. The divisions over doctrine will continue to widen.

3. The architects of the "Conservative Resurgence" and the old SBC guard will continue to wield influence. Although many of these leaders are beginning to age, I predict that they will not easily and willingly hand over the reins to younger leaders. The "Conservative Resurgence" was as much about control as it was anything, and those who took control are not about to hand over the leadership to others.

4. Younger SBC pastors (those under 40) will soon become even more disillusioned with the Convention. We see strong indicators of this even now, despite the fact that many younger pastors showed up this year in Louisville. Younger people have less ties to and little patience with denominational structures. Younger pastors will find more effective ways to network and partner for the purpose of missions and ministry.

5. The SBC will not disappear or even die in my lifetime. But the SBC will become less and less effective. The best days of the SBC are behind her.

Blessings,
Jimmy

The Kindle

I like gadgets, especially electronic gadgets. One of the latest gadgets to hit the marketplace is an eBook reader from Amazon called the Kindle. I first heard about the Kindle about two months ago from a colleague who owns one. I had not thought much more about it until this past weekend. I was in South Carolina for a wedding, and the father of the bride—who happens to be a good friend—had just gotten one for an early Father's Day gift. He allowed me to play with it—and viola I was hooked.

The Kindle is light weight, about the size of a book, and very portable. One of the strong selling points is the ability to download approximately 1000 books onto the Kindle which can be carried with you just about anywhere. I normally carry a stack of books with me on vacation, and now Amazon has made it possible to carry all of that reading material anywhere I want to go in one small portable device. Another selling point is the price of the books. Most Kindle books sell for $9.99 from Amazon. Of course the Kindle itself is a bit pricy, but the avid reader can easily justify the price of the Kindle via the savings in books and shipping cost; which brings me to another strong point of the Kindle. Books are downloaded instantly to the Kindle directly from Amazon through a wireless connection. There is no extra charge for the download, and the wireless device is built into the Kindle. The coverage area is nationwide, no international coverage, and though there are some weak areas (normally where there are few or no cell towers) I am assured that downloading is easy and effortless. So, if you are at the beach and run short on reading material, a book can be instantly downloaded with the click of a button—and you don't have to leave the beach!

I found the Kindle to be easy to use. There's even a way to "highlight," bookmark, and save clippings/notes for future reference. The Kindle is very readable, with adjustable fonts and a backlit screen. The rechargeable battery which powers the Kindle supposedly last for weeks before requiring a recharge. The Kindle has a built-in voice reader that will literally read the book for you as you listen. I have already figured-out a way to connect this to my car's audio system—I plan to let the Kindle read to me on future road trips where I am alone in the car.

I was concerned about the number of eBooks in the genres I like to read that might be available. A quick check of the Amazon website alleviated that concern. There are literally 1000's of books available.

Another concern has to do with the "life" of eBooks. I still have paperbacks from thirty years ago. What happens to eBooks I download to the Kindle when the format changes and new advances are made? For this reason I will probably continue to buy reference books and commentaries in a regular book format.

My own personal Kindle should arrive in a few short days. I'm already making a list of books to download. I'll be giving it a rigorous workout on an upcoming vacation. I'll share further observations once I've had a chance to check mine out thoroughly.

Blessings,
Jimmy

 

The Biggest Winner

I have been working on shedding a few pounds, getting in shape, and lowering my blood pressure. I have found that exercise really works in helping me achieve my goals, and is a wonderful way to deal with stress to boot. After 3 weeks at the gym I have been able to come off blood pressure medication altogether.

Yesterday, while working out on the elliptical machine, an idea came to me. Why not encourage the entire congregation to get in shape? I noticed several FBC folks working out yesterday morning. I had a conversation a few days ago with a church member who is participating in a "Biggest Loser" contest at work. Should not the church lend her voice to encouraging folks to live a healthier lifestyle?

The Scriptures have much to say about physical health. The one verse that comes to mind readily is 1 Corinthians 3:16—"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" I do not think many would question the connection between spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health.

So, I have a rough plan. I will discuss in with our staff at our weekly staff meeting for their input. But I am thinking about preaching a couple of sermons on the importance of physical health and challenging our congregation to set some personal goals. Perhaps we can have some kind of "friendly" congregational contest. Maybe we can call it "The Biggest Winner." After all it is a win/win proposition. Stay tuned for details to follow.

Blessings,
Jimmy

How About a Little Respect?

I had a conversation with a colleague this week who had just completed his annual review with the lay committee in his church charged with reviewing the pastor's "performance." A couple of folks on the committee criticized the pastor's preaching, his pulpit style, and even called into question a few of his pastoral decisions.

My colleague has served this particular congregation for a number of years, is sound theologically, is a caring and committed pastor, and has impeccable credentials. In my judgment the congregation he serves is very fortunate to have him as their shepherd.

I think my friend's experience once again highlights the "junk" that most clergy-persons endure, which adds stress to an already stressful profession. I am not advocating that a pastor should have no accountability. I am not saying that pastors never make mistakes and are immune to slothfulness. What I am saying is that there seems to be an imbalance, and for many lay-persons nothing is "out-of-bounds" when it comes to critiquing clergy. Perhaps it is a loss of respect for clergy-persons in general brought on by failures within our own ranks (televangelists' scandals). Or, perhaps it is an attitude and spirit which prevails in a number of churches that "we own the pastor; we have the right to control him like a puppet on a string."

Let me pose some questions. What lay-person is qualified to call into question a pastor's sermon if it is theologically sound and biblically based? What lay-person can speak with authority about pulpit style, which is highly subjective and tends to differ from preacher to preacher?

I am not on a campaign to silence the voice of the laity or to diminish their role in the life of the church. Certainly the concerns of the laity need to be heard and addressed. But how about a little appreciation and respect for the person who shepherds the congregation? How about a little appreciation and respect for the person who is on call 24/7? How about a little appreciation and respect for the person who is there in the crisis, usually at the neglect of his/her own family, and faithfully delivers the Word of Truth weekly?

Blessings,
Jimmy