You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February, 2008.
A powerful testimony about the ministry of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been posted by my Theology of Luther class co-laborer Rev. John Mann. His story of how SWBTS, its administration and its faculty, has shaped his ministry is a breath of fresh air comparied to many comments about the institution on other blog pages. The article can be found over at SBC Today. You can also find a slue of other great interviews compiled by the brothers over at SBC Today. Enjoy!
Peace be with you,
Bishop Joe
I always like to read the Associated Baptist Press, particularly when I need a good laugh. My most resent visit to the news site did not disappoint. Recently a meeting of various baptist groups meet on the campus of Mercer University. This New Baptist Covenant sought to emerge from the division and strife of their past and forge together a new group of Baptists free of racism, sexism, strife, and biblical narrow-mindedness. The event was highlighted by such notables as the great Baptist statesmen former President Jimmy Carter, the paragon of morality former President William Jefferson Clinton, and of course renowned theologian Tom Clancy.
This article by the Associated Baptist Press reveals that not everyone was pleased by this progressive Baptist Woodstock, and that apparently the event was not “open” or “diverse” enough to meet the requirements for real unity. Everyone expects those pesky fundamentalist to complain since all they ever care about is the Bible and not how many different races, genders (or lack of), ages, or sexual orientations they can parade around. According to the article some of our more progressive Baptist friends felt that the Covenant was not inclusive enough. Here are some excerpts:
“I think that we could have done better, but it’s a beginning,” Cadena, 33, said. “I think that if the planning committee could have been more diverse — and by that I mean including more women, more young people, more Asian Baptists, maybe more Ghanaian Baptists — that would have been good.”
Organizers decided not to allow the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists or the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America — two pro-gay groups — to participate in the event in an official manner. That decision, Thomason said, smacks of the “top-down exclusionary action” used by Southern Baptist leaders during the narrowing of the group’s policies in the last 20 years.
Cadena — a fifth-generation Texan of Hispanic background – also wondered why participants from her ethnic group were not better represented at the meeting. She asked whether there is “room in the family photo for Latino Baptists?”
This article and most of the rhetoric surrounding and during the event, clearly shows the real priorities of our “progressive” Baptist brethren. The concern is on themselves, not the preaching of the gospel and the sufficiency of the inerrant and holy Word of God. They care more about their own race, than they do about bringing the Word to all nations. They care more about the rights of their gender than how they are created in the image of God and bound to His truth. They care more about their sexual freedom than about the intimacy of our relationship with Christ. They care more about unity than they do submission to the Lordship of Christ.
I thank God for the great men of the SBC that have guided us back to our biblical and Christ centered moorings. As a new generation of leadership rises up in the SBC may we continue on this path, continually guided by the truth of God’s Word.
Peace be with you,
Bishop Joe
Well obviously quite a bit has happened politically since my absence. The GOP field has whittled down to one real candidate (sorry Hucksters but its true). It now appears the Republicans are going to nominate someone who is better known for supporting Democrat legislative causes than standing for “classical” conservatism. There are many issues with McCain’s record and philosophy that many people are willing to overlook since he is the last man standing. Recently in an article for the Philidelpia Inquirer former Senator Rick Santorum wrote about why so many conservatives have so many problems with McCain.
Here is an excerpt:
“The cause of conservative discontent isn’t hard to fathom. Start with the Arizona senator’s voting record on many key issues. He has opposed pro-growth tax cuts and supported limits on political speech. He has pushed amnesty when it came to illegal immigration and half-measures when it came to interrogating terrorists. He wants to close Guantanamo and allow the reimportation of prescription drugs into the United States. Not only does he part company with conservatives on these and other issues – climate change, drilling for oil in the Alaskan hinterland, federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, international criminal courts, gun-show background checks – he invariably adopts the rhetoric of the left and stridently leads the opposition.”
You can find the full article here.
These problem would be minor if the rest of the GOP establishment were willing to keep McCain in line on several of his more leftish beliefs. However, one look at recent articles from the likes of David Brooks, Newt Gingrich, and others show that much of the party is aligning behind this “progressive” conservatism. Combine this with the likelihood of a Democrat controlled Congress and we have a recipe for liberal wolves in conservative sheep’s clothing popping up throughout Congress.
What does the staunchly conservative (particularly economic conservatives) do in a situation of the slightly lesser of many evils? Perhaps a third party? Does principles mean more than victory? These are things I am still trying to work out. I will keep you updated.
Well I have done a bit of spring cleaning on the old blog page. I hope this new look will be better and easier to read than the previous layout. I have also added a page of books I am currently reading for those who are interested.
Now that the first of the semester maelstrom is over I will be returning to my quasi-regular posting schedule. Until next time I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace be with you,
Bishop Joe
