"the Southern Baptist Convention heeded my warnings"
"SWBTS" trustees listened to my warnings"
"the SBC did what I suggested"
It would be nice to relate changes made by leadership to being in response to our suggestions, but I am not convinced that you have that much influence on them, Wade.
I suspect that the resolve of SBC/IMB leadership is more embedded when you express your objections to the courses they intend to take rather than their heeding them. Most of us know your position on these matters and the leadership of these institutions push their own agenda in spite of it.
The outcome of those pursuits you mention of the SBC/SWBTS/IMB leadership was doomed from the start due to it not being consistent with what we know to be the Spirit of God. Perhaps a more likely scenario between your suggestions offered and leadership eventually conceding to that is that you had prophetic insight as to what will be the inevitable results of the unwise decisions made.
The same holds true with this absurd decision to again elevate the role of women in ministry unnecessarily. Anyone assessing the wisdom of taking such a course with there being no real threat of apostasy would know it is again doomed to render destructive results. Why do these leaders choose to make this a keynote issue when the entire world is dying and going to hell around us and our Southern Baptist churches have a dismal record for impacting the lost for Christ in recent years? Obviously a perverted order of priorities and sad lack of Godly leadership.
I've not seen or heard of their being an escalation in women assuming lead pastor positions in Southern Baptist churches recently or a movement toward that end. We've had women in "pastoral roles" for decades in our Southern Baptist churches so what is it that motivates SBC leaders to "poke the bear" in what surely will result in your prophetic warning coming true, again?
Today's generation of church leaders will feel even more alienated from an institution ran by the dusty, old, cantankerous, oligarchs of old who are running the SBC. We'll see even more 1st generation, evangelical, churches refusing to identify with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Unfortunately, the SBC is becoming more irrelevant and perhaps following the Cooperative Program, Baptist Churches Associations, Life Way, State Conventions, NAMB, and the ever-weakening IMB (field forces cut from 5,000 to 3,000 in two short years). It is becoming more Pharisaical and lethargic at a time when it should be the most alive, active, revalutionary organism in the world!
I truly hope my assessment is off, but the trends indicate the dismal outcome.
HA! That is a huge understatement, Wade. I do not question the level of irritation your reasoning gives to that regime, but only that I am not convinced that they are persuaded to it.
I see your interaction as being similar to that of a counselor attempting to persuade an addict to begin rehab treatment and their advice is rejected. Eventually, it is only through the consequences of their own behavior that the addict finally concedes to that advice.
The sad thing is that had the addict responded to the wise counsel, they could have avoided a lot of misery and pain along the way.
To my dismay, I believe that our SBC has a lot more pain ahead before it reaches that point of awakening, if it ever does.
Thank you Wade!!! Your Dad gave me permission to baptize my grandson in our swimming pool! Mark approved but we asked Bro Paul to make sure! One of the most rememberable times in my life as my gson asked me to! This is small in comparison to all you are covering but your Dad always talked of freedom and legalism and preferences and not many teach it!
Thank you for standing up for Truth! More reasons than you know! I look forward to downloading the book
How did we miss that one or maybe Mark has it in his books!!!
Thank you Wade. I am afraid we will have to wait few years again to see that you are right and then try to correct ourselves. By the way, thank you again for standing up for our missionaries when other trustees were too scared to speak truth to power.
Yes. You're not way off. Spot on, in fact.
Thank you for speaking the truth.
"the Southern Baptist Convention heeded my warnings"
"SWBTS" trustees listened to my warnings"
"the SBC did what I suggested"
It would be nice to relate changes made by leadership to being in response to our suggestions, but I am not convinced that you have that much influence on them, Wade.
I suspect that the resolve of SBC/IMB leadership is more embedded when you express your objections to the courses they intend to take rather than their heeding them. Most of us know your position on these matters and the leadership of these institutions push their own agenda in spite of it.
The outcome of those pursuits you mention of the SBC/SWBTS/IMB leadership was doomed from the start due to it not being consistent with what we know to be the Spirit of God. Perhaps a more likely scenario between your suggestions offered and leadership eventually conceding to that is that you had prophetic insight as to what will be the inevitable results of the unwise decisions made.
The same holds true with this absurd decision to again elevate the role of women in ministry unnecessarily. Anyone assessing the wisdom of taking such a course with there being no real threat of apostasy would know it is again doomed to render destructive results. Why do these leaders choose to make this a keynote issue when the entire world is dying and going to hell around us and our Southern Baptist churches have a dismal record for impacting the lost for Christ in recent years? Obviously a perverted order of priorities and sad lack of Godly leadership.
I've not seen or heard of their being an escalation in women assuming lead pastor positions in Southern Baptist churches recently or a movement toward that end. We've had women in "pastoral roles" for decades in our Southern Baptist churches so what is it that motivates SBC leaders to "poke the bear" in what surely will result in your prophetic warning coming true, again?
Today's generation of church leaders will feel even more alienated from an institution ran by the dusty, old, cantankerous, oligarchs of old who are running the SBC. We'll see even more 1st generation, evangelical, churches refusing to identify with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Unfortunately, the SBC is becoming more irrelevant and perhaps following the Cooperative Program, Baptist Churches Associations, Life Way, State Conventions, NAMB, and the ever-weakening IMB (field forces cut from 5,000 to 3,000 in two short years). It is becoming more Pharisaical and lethargic at a time when it should be the most alive, active, revalutionary organism in the world!
I truly hope my assessment is off, but the trends indicate the dismal outcome.
Rick, a "thorn in the flesh" is small, but irritable. :) I'm a thorn in the flesh of SBC hubris.
HA! That is a huge understatement, Wade. I do not question the level of irritation your reasoning gives to that regime, but only that I am not convinced that they are persuaded to it.
I see your interaction as being similar to that of a counselor attempting to persuade an addict to begin rehab treatment and their advice is rejected. Eventually, it is only through the consequences of their own behavior that the addict finally concedes to that advice.
The sad thing is that had the addict responded to the wise counsel, they could have avoided a lot of misery and pain along the way.
To my dismay, I believe that our SBC has a lot more pain ahead before it reaches that point of awakening, if it ever does.
“I have never said a woman's assertive attitude violates the New Testament standard.“
Should that be “submissive attitude”, or am I reading it incorrectly?
Thank you, Heather. A typo - I corrected it.
Thank you Wade!!! Your Dad gave me permission to baptize my grandson in our swimming pool! Mark approved but we asked Bro Paul to make sure! One of the most rememberable times in my life as my gson asked me to! This is small in comparison to all you are covering but your Dad always talked of freedom and legalism and preferences and not many teach it!
Thank you for standing up for Truth! More reasons than you know! I look forward to downloading the book
How did we miss that one or maybe Mark has it in his books!!!
Blessings!
Thank you Wade. I am afraid we will have to wait few years again to see that you are right and then try to correct ourselves. By the way, thank you again for standing up for our missionaries when other trustees were too scared to speak truth to power.
Wade is their thinking similar to the Muslim belief? I may be way off but it just seems a bit like it.