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.
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.
posted by Jim Shaver at 8:26 AM
2 Comments:
Why have we become so afraid of 'openness' in Southern Baptist life? The current brouhaha at the IMB reveals a ‘circle-the-wagons’ mentality. The only problem with that mentality is that it considers Mr. or Mrs. Average Southern Baptist the enemy!
We ain’t.
As a Southern Baptist, I want transparency in our SBC Boards and Agencies – after all, they work for us! Trusteeship in Southern Baptist life is a two-way street. Trustees are charged with guiding the agency or institution so that it may meet its mission and ministry statement. This must be done according to the by-laws of the SBC and the board or agency. A series of blogs by IMB trustee Wade Burleson, indicates that some IMB trustees have worked and caucused privately in direct contradiction to IMB policies. His reward has been ostracism by a majority of board members and a motion that messenger withdraw him as a trustee at this year’s SBC annual meeting.
IMB trustees need to zealously represent the Board’s interests to convention messengers. But they are also charged with representing the convention – i.e. the messengers of local SBC churches – and our interests to the agency or institution.
I say hurray for Bro. Burleson, and his efforts to keep Mr. and Mrs. Average Southern Baptist informed.
Excellent, Excellent work Jim! Keep up the good work!
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