SBCOutpost

Wednesday evening in Atlanta was truly remarkable. Because I’m blogging on the fly, I will limit my posts during the sessions to brief, enumerated observations. Much like the way I have blogged the Southern Baptist Convention in years past, I will offer a summary wrap up at the end of my experience.

1. Racial diversity — Southern Baptists have no idea what it is like to join in a gathering of Baptists where blacks are as numerous as whites. For all our apologizing for slavery and efforts to elect this or that black pastor to some third tier office, we are sickening in our ethnic homogeneity. There is a tremendous sense among most participants that something is right about this meeting.

I’m also fascinated by the immaculate fashion style of the black delegations, especially the women. The white women are — for the most part — dowdy and frumpy shuffling around in various orthopedic shoes. This is in marked contrast to the black women — even the eldest among them — whose high-heels and ornamented headwear are ubiquitous. The hats, in particular, are quite amazing. I feel as if I am attending the only gathering of Baptists in the world where certain seminary first ladies would not be immediately recognizable from a quarter-mile distance.

2. Jimmy Carter — This man is bright, articulate, and winsome. E.V. Hill was often fond of saying that “not many men can ‘call a meeting.’” Jimmy Carter knows how to “call a meeting.” So far, he’s managed to direct the proceedings without speakers taking potshots at the Right Wing. I regret what I fear to be inevitable.

Baptist Press has a reporter on duty at the meeting. I predict that the BP coverage of Carter’s remarks will focus inordinately on the former president’s five second remark about abortion and homosexuality than the thirty-plus minutes of other, more notable stuff.

3. William Shaw — This remarkably gifted preacher offered one of the most coherent and theologically sophisticated sermons I have heard at any Baptist gathering. Southern Baptists are almost void of this kind of preaching. Here is a pastor-theologian who can shout when he wants to, but doesn’t need to in order to be heard. In his message, Shaw gave a strong defense of the right of the unborn. Likewise, he gave a strong exhortation about the right of the living to receive justice.

Justice and peace are not themes with which Southern Baptists are often conversant. When we have “Justice Sundays,” we are more concerned about supporting the powerful than uplifting the poor. When we talk about “peace,” we do so in the context of providing the theological underpinnings to accommodate just war theory to the doctrines of preemptive strike and detainee torture.

4. The age issue — There are a number of young people here, but I have the sense that like all “big meetings,” the Covenant Celebration is primarily attended by those with increasingly gray or bald heads. The challenge for the New Baptist Covenant will be to ignite passion among young theologians, politicians, pastors, ethicists, and laymen for cooperation on this scale.

There are many disaffected, former Southern Baptists roaming the halls. Numerous former SWBTS and Southern Seminary professors are here. Several of them are buoyant because — after years of feeling like a dying breed they have found an oasis of kindred spirit. Again, Jimmy Carter is wise to prohibit sniping about battles earlier fought and personalities earlier confronted. Young Baptists don’t want to hear old war stories from either side.More to come…

This morning I received word from the SBTS IT department that they have not blocked SBC Outpost on the SBTS campus. However, it appears that access has been denied by our server to the student network at SBTS. The faculty network has been able to access the Outpost, but the student network has not.

It is possible that one of our cantankerous commentors who got banned was from Southern Seminary - or at least posted the comment while using the Southern student network and in banning their IP we unknowingly banned the whole student network.

I apologize to Southern for whatever implication those who have trouble understanding provisional “if…then” statements may have drawn from the original post and any lack of clarity in my own writing which may have led to that sort of thing.

We are certainly glad to know that Southern remains open to the free exchange of ideas among interested Baptists and we are working to resolve the issue on our end.

[Update: In response to my apology offered to Southern Seminary I received this as a part of the response: “For my personal account, your apology is accepted without reservation. I do wish we could have averted the issue beforehand, but I am pleased that we had the opportunity to redistribute the grace which we have been freely given.”

I am thankful that graciousness and forgiveness still exist in the Southern Baptist Convention and at Southern Seminary, even if it doesn’t always exist in other places among us.] 

Baptists have long believed and struggled for freedom. As Baptists entered the scene in England they were considered “dissenters.” William Lumpkin states that the motivation behind the first London Confession was for Baptists to distance themselves from Continental Anabaptists and to show their substantial agreement with the more accepted/acceptable non-Anglican groups within England. To do so they published a confession and sent it on to Parliament for examination and hopeful approval.

Of course, had they lived in this internet age they may have well found that Parliament had banned their IP address to silence their voices.

It’s been alleged that Southern Seminary has banned the IP for SBC Outpost on their campus. We have not been able to confirm this, so far. Can anyone in the vicinity of Southern Seminary confirm or disprove this allegation?

If true it appears that Baptist dissenters are as popular on the Southern campus as they were in 17th Century England. We are accustomed to hearing reports of the control of information coming from Pyongyang. Communist regimes feel an obvious need to manage what the little people get to read and hear. We are not so accustomed to such allegations coming from Louisville, Kentucky. If you can substantiate or disprove this allegation we would like to hear from you.

Al Mohler suppresses information at Southern?

UPDATE:

Kiel Hauck, student at Southern commented moments ago,

I am currently in the chapel at Southern Seminary and am able to access the site. Other students have had trouble accessing the site from on campus apartments and dorm rooms though.

Maybe I’m just always on the right computer, because I’ve never been denied access to SBC Outpost on campus.

As we investigate the issue on our end the SBTS IT department has changed the IP address for their student network which is allowing access to the Outpost. Thus, Kiel and other students should currently have access.

Our contributor, Benjamin Cole, is attending the New Baptist Covenant Celebration this week in Atlanta. Come back regularly for thoughts, reflections, and sundry digressions from one of the SBC’s most provocative bloggers.

“Our greatest challenge is to recover our passion for the gospel in evangelism and missions and to renew our determination to defend the gospel in an age of postmodern confusion. I would hope to articulate a vision that would unite Southern Baptists and energize us together.” (Dr. Al Mohler, BP article)

It is incomprehensible that after 14 years of calling Christians to exit public schools, suggesting fetal surgery to correct gay genes, and being culture warrior-in-chief that Al Mohler could not find the time to cross cultures and model to his students an international missions mindset. Ironically, though too busy to model international missions like other seminary presidents, he then indicates he will unite us around missions when announcing his platform.

UPDATE:

“8. If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.” (Al Mohler, March 2, 2007)

Comment threads present opportunities to either stay the course or chase any number of tangential matters. Recently in the post, “The Difference a Perspective Makes,” Dr. York thought it important to ask if Dr. Page had been asked to sign, “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to ‘A Common Word Betweeen Us and You.” I queried Dr. Page. He did not recall being asked to sign the document. I also asked Dr. Page if he had at any time taken an international mission trip. He replied,

I have been on multiple mission trips and was on one this past year among a group in

Africa, which I shall not name, but which is totally Muslim. I cannot tell you how many international mission trips I have been on for I lost count many years ago. However, I have been on every continent and have ministered and dialogued with an amazing array of people.

Since the original post centered on the differing perspectives between Dr. Mohler and Dr. Edens when it comes to conversations with, in this case Muslims, it should be noted Dr. Edens affirmed the theological position Dr. Mohler gave in the BP article. the issue then turns on methodology. The post stands as an illustration perspective matters.

International Mission Trips by Dr. Page - “lost count many years ago … on every continent”

International Mission Trips as President of Southern Seminary (14 yrs.) by Dr. Mohler - 0

Perspective matters when it comes to methodology.

Outpost contributor Benjamin S. Cole was interviewed today by Bruce Prescott of Mainstream Baptists, discussing a range of topics including the New Baptist Covenant, Wade Burleson, and the SBC presidential candidacy of R. Albert Mohler.

Listen to the archive.

The latest round of documents have been filed in the case of Sheri Klouda vs. SWBTS and Paige Patterson. The seminary and its president have now tried multiple times to limit Sheri Klouda’s ability to seek relief, and now Patterson has attempted to get the court to protect him from discovery, a process which could prove equally revealing and embarrassing. Of course, Southern Baptists everywhere wonder just how much of the Cooperative Program will be spent to keep Patterson from admitting his wrong.

In his response, Judge McBryde softly scolded Patterson and SWBTS for the attempts to delay the court. The documents are below:

Patterson’s Motion to Dismiss
Brief in Support of Motion to Dismiss
Patterson’s Motion to Limit Discovery
Brief in Support of Motion to Limit Discovery
Patterson’s Motion for Summary Judgment
Brief in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment
Judge McBryde’s Order on Motion to Dismiss

“The second thing I feel strongly about is that personally as a Southern Baptist Church member for the last 35 years, I have been deeply hurt and offended by agency heads of the Southern Baptist Convention who have intruded themselves into the process of the selection of our convention presidents. I will not do that. Just as there are responsibilities and privileges that go with working on a gubernatorial staff, [so] there are also responsibilities and privileges that go with being the head of a Southern Baptist agency or institution. There are some things that a pastor of a church may be free to do and to say publicly but an agency head, in my opinion, loses that privilege when he accepts the privilege and the responsibly of being the head of an institution which belongs to all Southern Baptists.”

Taken from Richard Land’s 1988 job interview with the Board of Trustees of the Christian Life Commission (ERLC) Quoted from Volume 4 of James Helfley’s “Truth in Crisis” (pg. 179-180). Subtitled is “The Controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention”

Surely there would be a couple of easy deductions from Dr. Land’s position pertinent for today’s entity heads. Interjecting “white papers” through “Lieutenants” into entity affairs may give “plausible deniability,” but it strikes a blow to one’s ethical framework according to Dr. Land’s assertions.

And, lost in a recent comment thread is the question of ethics for an entity head serving in a capacity (SBC President) that would afford him a position of influence over those who would then be elected to serve as his Board. The commenter serves in an environment where that would not be possible as it is surely a conflict of interest. Here, it seems Dr. Land suggests that once a person assumes the position as entity head he/she forfeits certain privileges. Running for President of the SBC would then seem to constitute both a conflict of interest and assuming a privilege given up once serving an institution that belongs to all Baptists.

Would have been good to find this quote before other entity heads donned the title, “President of the SBC.” Maybe it will help us keep from repeating past mistakes.

Of concerns voiced by R. Albert Mohler Jr. of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for example, Edens said in a statement to Baptist Press that “I personally agree with him in the areas of theology and assessment of Islamic teaching about God or our Lord Jesus Christ. However, we disagree in methodology. From my experience of over 20 years living as a missionary among Muslims, I am committed to a Christian dialogue and conversation with Muslims. So, in continuity with my witness there, I signed the document.”

BP ran two articles on January 11. One noting why Dr. Mohler did not sign, “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You.” The other article offered Dr. Edens, NOBTS Professor and whose words this post begins, an occasion to respond to Dr. Mohler’s contentions the move was, “not the way to get into the conversation.” These debates are tricky for once you mention a means to engage others who do not share your convictions the watchdogs come out signaling the “giving up of ground.” Conversations however are just that, conversations.

Dr. Scot McKnight suggests many Christians do not know how to have a conversation. In a blog post dated January 8, 2007, Scot offers,

… “conversation” has a noble history and because not all Christians know how to “converse.” They know how to argue and denounce and affirm and confess and assert, but the art of conversation is not its most notable feature. To foster conversation, …

He then makes a number of helpful suggestions. Before anyone considers McKnight to be soft and non-committal, read his blog thoroughly.

Dr. Edens suggested his experience serving twenty years in a Muslim context informed his decision to sign the document as a way to foster helpful conversation. Dr. Mohler served in which Muslim context? Dr. Mohler has gone on how many international mission trips?

One more amazing note. Many of us who share the heritage of the SBC did not own slaves nor would ever want to. (No this is not intended to resurrect the recent flap between Wade and Peter over Dwight)Yet, years after the Emancipation Proclamation and nearly 30 years after the Civil Rights Movement, the SBC passed a resolution apologizing for our complicity in treating African-Americans as less than human beings created in the image of God. Many of us continue to applaud that decision and are willing to admit we still have rooom to improve in our mostly white, southern denomination. So when Dr. Mohler sees no need for Christians to apologize for the Crusades fearing a Muslim Europe and possibly North America, he seems to tragically miss the point. No one suggested those signing the document wanted to bow to Mohhammed’s Allah. But, the apology seems right when we consider in the name of Christianity people were killed becuase a group of people shared a different faith. That is, we should apologize unless we think we have the right to kill those who fail to submit to the Lordship of Christ today.

Personally, it seems unthinkable that post-Resurrection of Jesus we would employ language ignorming the humanity of others by suggesting despite the sin and atrocitites of the day we are glad.

 Suggestion - Rather than run for President of the SBC, let’s move at the next Annual Meeting in Indy that the Board of Trustees of The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY present Dr. Mohler with a sabbatical of not lesss than one year to travel internationally. Consign him to serve alongside our SBC missionaires in foreign coutnries  learning the art of conversation with people who may be indignant toward our faith in Jesus, indifferent to our God in their various pantheon of gods, and return prepared to engage others in conversation for the cause of Christ before denouncing a document he did not sign because he was not asked. Maybe we know why he was not asked.

So moved.