Victory in the Valley

We would love to have you and your church join in and help us reach more people of the Brazos Valley with the life-changing gospel message.

Where
Brazos Center: 3232 Briarcrest Dr, Bryan, TX 77802

When
August 15-18, 2021 | 7:00p each night

The speaker is Sammy Tippit, a world-renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy has previously served as President of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists.

The music for the revival will be done by an all-area choir led by Matt Marsh from First Baptist Bryan.

Click below to hear an invitation from Sammy Tippit.

We encourage you to participate in this exciting evangelistic opportunity and we ask everyone to pray heartily for God to use this even to reach people with the gospel. 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from SBC '21

If you caught my first write-up about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) you'll be relieved to know that my return flight was uneventful and quite boring compared to my flight to the Convention. The Convention itself, on the other hand, was not boring at all.

First, let me just state what I love about the Southern Baptist Convention: I love the fact that it is like a giant family reunion where I get the chance to reconnect with people I haven't seen in many years. 

While I was in Nashville, I had the chance to meet with two missionary "uncles" from my childhood in Ecuador, a few of my pastor friends from Georgia, and, randomly, I ran across two young men who used to be in my Children's Ministry when I was on staff at First Baptist Bentonville, AR. One of them is now a new pastor and the other has been on the mission field for several years. I love seeing and hearing how God is at work in the ministries and lives of people with whom my life has intersected over the years.

In regard to the Convention itself, in my article written before the Convention I anticipated 4 major areas of discussion and potential controversy. Those were:

1. The sexual abuse crisis
2. Critical Race Theory
3. Gender roles in the church
4. Transparency and accountability

I'll address these in the order in which I think they were most clearly and most definitively spoken to in Nashville. In doing so, this article will be longer than the first.

Messengers want more transparency and accountability from denominational leadership.

The messengers sent a loud and repeated message to the Executive Committee that business cannot go on as usual. For those who don't know what the Executive Committee is, let me try to explain.

The Executive Committee is an 86-member body that runs denominational affairs in between Annual Meetings of the SBC. The Executive Committee does not control or direct the activities of SBC agencies, rather it receives and distributes the monies Southern Baptists give in support of denominational ministries, acts as the recipient and trust agency for all Convention properties, and provides public relations and news services. To carry out these duties, the Committee employs an executive and support staff in its Nashville offices.

 The Executive Committee has been under scrutiny lately for financial changes it was proposing and for its handling of the sexual abuse crisis. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Executive Committee was taken out to the woodshed in Nashville. Not only was its proposed revision to the SBC’s Business and Financial Plan (which included the Committee's attempt to exercise more control over other SBC entities' money) overwhelming voted down, likewise its much touted "Vision 2025" five-point plan for the SBC's future was altered and added to by the messengers to better reflect what Southern Baptists want to see as the Convention's priorities. This included adding a sixth point calling for the SBC to strive to root out any instances of sexual abuse and racial discrimination in our churches.

And it was regarding the controversies surrounding the sexual abuse scandal that the Executive Committed received it harshest smack-down. After allegations were made and concerning audio surfaced insinuating that the Executive Committee had stalled and not taken seriously sexual abuse claims, the committee voted to hire an outside group to investigate, but the parameters, results, and reporting of that investigation would have been under the Executive Committee's exclusive control. The messengers, demonstrating their distrust in the Executive Committee's ability to police itself, overwhelmingly rejected that proposal and instead voted for a third-party investigation to be overseen by a task force to be chosen by the newly-elected president.

Overall, and not just in these aforementioned areas, the Executive Committee was given a strong admonition from the messengers that they want more accountability and transparency.

Messengers expressed unequivocal support for sexual abuse survivors and zero tolerance for any form of sexual abuse.

You can already see how the four major areas I outlined earlier intersect and so in addressing concerns about the Executive Committee the Convention also made strong statements about supporting sexual abuse survivors and rooting out sexual abusers from leadership in our churches.

To this point, the Convention passed a resolution calling for the permanent disqualification from the pastorate of those who have committed sexual abuse. This did receive some gentle and thoughtful pushback on the floor as some felt it left no room for grace, especially in the lives of those who may have committed some sexual sin prior to conversion. But like many of the resolutions and motions, the limited amount debate (more on that in a minute) meant that those concerns were easily swept aside and the resolution passed overwhelmingly.

So, the Convention's will on the two issues of sexual abuse and Executive Committee accountability, was definitively communicated and saw very little resistance. But the other two issues I mentioned outlined, Critical Race Theory and gender roles in the church, were not dealt with nearly as clearly or comprehensively.

Messengers chose not to talk about complementarianism.

Perhaps to some people's relief and others' dismay, gender roles in the church weren't even really a part of the conversation at this Convention. 

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is clearly a complementarian document, but the narrowness or expansiveness of that complementarianism is still up for debate.

It's clear the Convention doesn't seem to have the stomach for such a debate at this time. The only hint of controversy that emerged on this issue was the fact that the new president of the SBC, Ed Litton, apparently did a sermon series a while back on Song of Solomon in which his wife taught and preached alongside him from the stage. Links to the videos of the sermon series bounced around on social media, but it was not brought up during the Convention nor, apparently, did Ed Litton feel the need address it.

Ed did commit to a complementarian position in a pre-convention interview with Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, but the video leaves many feeling uneasy or confused. I personally believe that, in the years to come, complementarianism will be a continually resurfacing issue that will increasingly create tensions in the SBC. But most people believe that the biggest threat for future problems rests with Critical Race Theory (CRT).

Messengers don't know what to do with Critical Race Theory. 

The convention passed a strongly-worded resolution (Resolution 2) that pushed for racial reconciliation while rejecting worldly systems and philosophies in pursuit of goal, but it did not specifically mention CRT. Resolution 2, by anyone's account, is a better resolution than the infamous Resolution 9 passed in 2019 but its failure to clearly reject CRT upset some.

There was a short debate on the floor about amending the resolution to include language about CRT, but the debate was cut short when a messenger "called for the question," meaning he moving to stop debate and have the messengers vote on the question to amend. His motion received the two-thirds vote necessary and so debate was shut down and a majority of the messengers then voted in the affirmative for the unamended Resolution 2.

What this showed me was that the messengers did not have the will to have a debate about CRT and instead were happy to attempt to address CRT via Resolution 2 without actually mentioning it. Some saw this as a wise and peacemaking approach, but others felt that this was shortsighted and fainthearted. Time will tell if this was Solomon's call to cut the baby in half or not.

I'm afraid that despite good intentions, we have not seen the last of CRT. As one African-American brother said to me, "it seems like the Convention chose to punt the ball." Yes, they did. But I'm afraid it wasn't a 60-yard punt. It was more like a 10-yard shank off the side of the foot. I don't think the concerns over CRT are settled. Southern Baptist seem to be very clear that they want racial reconciliation, but heated debates about CRT and the extent of its danger and/or its usefulness in our churches will inevitably resurface.

The case for optimistic concern.

Overall, I left the Convention optimistic because there was as strong focus on evangelism, missions, and the gospel. I was also joyfully reminded of the big tent family that is Southern Baptist as we aim to agree on the essentials while agreeing to disagree on the non-essentials.

I'm also very glad that strong statements were made regarding sexual abuse, regarding accountability and transparency, and regarding racial reconciliation.

Another area of encouragement was the fact that I heard of the importance of associations to the future of the Convention mentioned over and over and in different settings. I sincerely believe that local networks of churches are going to be more important than large national entities in the decades ahead. 

But I am also concerned about a few things:

I'm concerned that complementarianism has not been clearly defined in our denomination, leaving openings for confusion and friction.

I'm even more concerned that no real conversation is being had regarding CRT. It seems everyone in the Convention agrees that it must be subservient to the Scriptures, but those who see it as an existential threat and those who see it as a redeemable tool are not actually talking to each other. Instead they are "destroying" and "owning" straw men on social media while the average church goer watches with a mixture of confusion and disgust.

And that brings me to my final concern specific to the way this year's Convention was run. Namely, that on too many issues at the Convention there was no real and robust debate. On several motions and resolutions many people standing in line to express their thoughts were left frustrated as pre-set time limits expired or the question was called. Yet at least one entity president, who's allotted time for his entity's report had clearly passed, babbled on interminably to the great frustration of the weary messengers. It would have benefited everyone to hear a little less from the top and little more from the average messenger. The fact is that this year's schedule for the Convention had been truncated by design and in my opinion that was to our detriment.

If there is anything Southern Baptist need to be doing right now it is talking to each other and debating these important issues, but doing so in orderly fashion with charity and Christ-likeness. Intentionally or unintentionally shutting down Convention debate condemns these conversations to the purgatory of Twitter where the venom of asps is under everyone's lips.

To see all the resolutions passed at the SBC'21 click here.
To watch video from SBC'21 click here

The SBC and the Journey We Are Facing

As I write this, I'm sitting at the Bush International Airport in Houston at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday June 13th. I'm supposed to be in a nice comfy bed at a hotel in Nashville getting good rest before attending a worship service with the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders. But yesterday was one of those unpredictable and utterly chaotic travel days.

My connecting flight from Houston to Nashville was delayed. Delayed twelve hours. I think United Airlines is stretching the definition of "delay" when that delay takes you into a new day. I didn't want wait that long so I got on standby for another flight to Nashville. I sat down to wait for that flight only get a notice on my phone that it, too, was delayed. By 30 minutes. Ugh.

Ding.

The United app now says the new flight is delayed one hour.

Ding.

Make that three.

Needless to say, I never left Houston on Sunday. While I write this I am at the gate waiting for that original flight. The twelve hour delay is almost over.

They just called my group!

The chaos of my travel is illustrative of the fear I have as I head to the Southern Baptist Convention. I usually enjoy the Convention. I enjoy reuniting with old friends I haven't seen in years. I enjoy all the booths and the free swag in the exhibit hall. I even enjoy the business sessions where you hear the praise reports of what has been accomplished and witness the mechanisms of our denomination at work. But this year, I do not look forward to the convention. It is in danger of descending into chaos. I feel that my flight might be a premonition.

I've been to several Conventions, but my first as the DOM (AMS or whatever denominational title you prefer) of our association was in Dallas in 2018. Yesterday I looked back at my notes from that Convention and read how hopeful and excited I was about the cooperation on display.

My second Convention in this role was at Birmingham in 2019. I left that gathering a bit more concerned about some issues brewing. If you recall, that convention took place on the heels of the Houston Chronicle report about sexual abuse in SBC churches. That convention also saw renewed questions about how doctrinally complementarian our denomination actually is. And then there was the passage of the infamous Resolution 9. That was the resolution that accepted Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool subservient to the Bible. At the time I felt it was a poorly written resolution and even more poorly explained to the messengers present.

Two years and one pandemic later, we gather again. The year off has done us no good. The differences and struggles that surfaced in 2019 are now raging like an out-of-control wildfire that threatens to do lasting damage to our convention. The issues are real and deserve a good debate. But the debates have turned bitter, and the rhetoric has become downright Trumpian with name-calling and political mud-slinging. It's no surprise that the largest number of messengers since the 80's are showing up in Nashville. Uber be warned!

Plane is taking off. Airplane mode now on. 

There are four major, and somewhat intersecting, issues that will drive much of the conversation, debate, motions, and resolutions this week:

1. The sexual abuse scandal. One pastor I talked with in the airport after the 2019 convention got angry when I called it a scandal. But friends, even one sexual predator on staff or behind the pulpit of our churches is indeed a scandal. And when cases of abuse are intentionally hidden or minimized, it's a big scandal. While some good steps were taken in Birmingham, the movement to address the issue has stalled (I hesitate to use that word while tens of thousands of feet in the air) due, in no small part, to the challenges of Southern Baptist bureaucracy and local church autonomy. I do not dismiss the fact that the means for addressing and redressing the sexual abuse issues are quite complicated and messy, but we all must agree that as a whole we can do better. Pray that we will put justice for victims and prevention of future abuse above bureaucracy and politics.
   

2. Critical Race Theory. Unless you are living under a rock you've probably heard about CRT. It too is a complicated issue, and quite frankly CRT is hard to actually define, but the fact is that it is threatening to divide and destabilize our Convention. Our Convention must make take a stronger stand for racial reconciliation and biblically-driven social justice, but we also must carefully consider whether or not CRT can be an "analytical tool" we should use in that endeavor. Some believe that any use of CRT is a denial of the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. Others claim CRT is harmless and definitely not the Marxist boogeyman that others claim it to be. Certainly it's more complicated than the talking points on either side, and I personally have good friends who love Christ and His gospel but who view CRT from totally different perspectives. Please pray that God provides a path forward for us to continue to fight the sin of racism while remaining steadfast in our commitment to the authority of God's Word.
   

3. Gender roles in the church. The majority of the denomination overwhelming decided to move in a direction affirming that the Bible teaches that only men are allowed to hold the office of pastor (or elder) with the adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. But the width or narrowness of that Biblical teaching has been debated. Some call themselves soft-complementarians while others are stricter complementarians. The debate has heated up in the last two years. There are big questions driving the conversation. Does Scripture limit only the office of a lead or senior pastor to men, or does that limitation extend to other pastoral roles? And how about female teachers who are not pastors but who exercise the function of a pastor such as preaching to groups of men and women? Is that within the bounds of Scripture? Unfortunately, this debate has gotten really ugly, especially on Twitter where sinful tongues wag without remorse. Please pray for God to grant us the grace to hold tightly to the Scriptures while understanding that we can disagree on secondary issues.
   

4. Transparency and accountability. Part of the problem in our denomination is that there is a bureaucratic class that has rubbed the average church-goer the wrong way. There have been questions about how the Executive Committee has handled certain things, including the sex abuse scandal. NAMB is embroiled in a lawsuit with a former denominational leader that is being appealed to the Supreme Court. Lifeway sued their former President and then retracted the suit after it caused widespread outrage. It makes me wonder if 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 has been taken out of the CSB. There have also been golden parachutes and other uses of money that have caused a good bit of concern. Of the four men running for President of the SBC, only one has made transparency part of his platform. Pray that the leaders of our denomination would remember who they are serving and practice biblical transparency and accountability--whomever becomes the President.
   

They just told me to put way the laptop. We're about to land.

These issue are not light or minimal; they are real and serious. But what I've seen on Twitter and blogs, and heard with my own ears is not believers debating with grace and charity. What I've heard is bitterness, rage, belittling, and dissension. As a life-long Southern Baptist it makes me sad. We need to listen to the Apostle Paul's warning:

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Galatians 5:15)

So what do I hope will happen at the Convention?

One thing: REPENTANCE!

I am praying that a genuine move of Spirit-led repentance will overtake at 18,000+ messengers and that through repentance we will once again focus on the gospel. We are all sinners saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and we all are dimly seeing through a mirror on all these issues. Therefore we need to be humble, teachable, and we need to repent of our sinful attitudes. Join me in praying for repentance.

At the hotel. Finally resting. 

And with that, I am reminded that God will accomplish His purposes and will take His church all the way to its final destination. As Southern Baptists we can fret and fear and fight, but in the end, our Sovereign God will reach the nations with or without us. I just hope it's with!