Wednesday, January 18, 2006

INCONSISTENCY ALERT!

Several years ago when the IMB required all the Foreign Missionaries to sign the BF&M 2000 there was no grandfather clause.

Now when the IMB changes the policy on Baptism and Private Prayer Language there is a grandfather clause.

INCONSISTENCY ALERT!

We are faced with the reality of:

Not appointing missionaries who haven't been baptized in a Baptist Church while we still support missionaries who haven't been baptized in a Baptist Church.

INCONSISTENCY ALERT!

We are faced with the reality of:

Not appointing missionaries who speak in tongues privately while we still support missionaries who speak in tongues privately.

INCONSISTENCY ALERT!

IS THERE NO ONE AT THE WHEEL OF THIS SHIP?


Friday, January 13, 2006

All Tracks Lead Somewhere

It’s snowing in Missouri this morning and I’m considering taking my grandson rabbit hunting. Snow is good for rabbit hunting because you can plainly see their tracks.

It’s kind of like hunting for the truth in the Southern Baptist Convention. When trustees of the institutions and agencies of the SBC don’t trust the people of the SBC with the truth you have to follow any tracks you can find, that is if you want to know the truth. I suppose some Southern Baptists don’t but I do.

There are a lot of tracks leading out of Richmond this week.

The first set of tracks leads to every state convention in our SBC where duly elected representatives from those states serve the IMB as trustees. Some of them will tell us bits and pieces of the truth and some of them won’t. We’ll add that info to our bag and move on.

The second set of tracks leads us into research. Who have these trustees met with and been seen with in the last few years? What can be learned from sifting through the news reports and the public records? Have any seminary professors or presidents been highly visible and involved with trustees? Have any other leaders of the SBC weighed in on the IMB in the last five years? We’ll add that info to our bag and move on.

The third set of tracks leads us to a blind. Now all hunters know what a blind is. You hide in the blind and wait for the wild game to come by or fly over. If we’ll be patient and watch and listen we will hear bits and pieces of the truth before the 2006 SBC convention convenes in Greensboro. Hunting is like that. Sometimes you get a full bag and sometimes your bag is light.

The fourth set of tracks leads us to Greensboro, NC., where the 2006 SBC annual meeting will take place. If our bag is not full of truth by then there will be lot of frustrated hunters of truth who will express that sentiment with a loud and negative shot against whatever motion the elusive trustees present.

Remember the movie “A Few Good Men?”

Col. Jessup: “You want answers?”
Lt. Kaffee: “I think I’m entitled.”
Col. Jessup: “You want answers?”
Lt. Kaffee: “I want the truth.”
Col. Jessup: “You can’t handle the truth!”

Kaffee did handle it and Jessup lost his command.

Folks, that was the Marine Corps, this is the SBC.


Truth, honor and duty are supposed to always win.

Sooner or later it will.

The people of the SBC will see to it.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Who Let the Dogs Out?

One of my favorite forbidden acts, as a child, was to let dad’s hunting dogs out of their pen while he was at work. They loved to chase the farm cats and I loved to watch them. Never mind that I had to answer to my dad when he got home. It was exciting stuff! Barking dogs and cats fleeing for their lives!

Now there seems to be a similar problem at IMB. The dogs have been let out and these dogs are not chasing cats, they’re chasing people. People who disagree with them about baptism, private prayer language, and apparently open communication with the people of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Here’s my question.

Who let these dogs out?

Who’s the big power broker behind the recent trustee action? Who gave the OK before the latch was lifted on the gate?

It would be naïve to believe that the trustees are acting entirely on their own. In a convention where you always know in advance who’s going to be the next anointed president and the nominating committee always picks trustees from an “approved” candidate list- somebody talked to somebody - and somebody, whoever they are, said they thought this was an idea whose time had come.

When my dad got home the dogs would slink back to their pen and I had to explain why I let them out. He never let me off the hook.

Dad’s home. The people of the SBC want to know.

Tell us.

Who let the dogs out?