May 05
three, four, five … Breaking News">And then there were three, four, five … Breaking News
Topic: Indianapolis 2008, News, Todd Littleton| Written by: Todd Littleton|Pathways is reporting Avery Willis will be nominated by John Marshall in Indiana to be the next President of the SBC. No wait, word is out Johnny Hunt will also be nominated. Three. Four. Five. Some seem to be forgetting Wiley Drake.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Now there’s a candidate I can get behind!
May 6th, 2008 at 8:44 am
For a whole host of reasons–service as an on-the-field missionary, authorship of MasterLife, ongoing missions and evangelism research and innovation, and leadership experience at both Lifeway and the IMB–I think Avery would be a dynamic president.
He and Shirley never cease in their efforts to spread the gospel and to share with and to encourage believers wherever they go. I can’t count how many times I’ve caught them opening their house to others or sitting down informally with a group of people to simply talk to others about how they’re doing spiritually and to share his love for missions with them.
As Avery is retired from leadership at the IMB, there also isn’t the same possibility of conflict of interest that would occur with a currently serving executive, yet he also brings a ton of experience working within the denominational entities AND a wealth of creative and innovative energy.
He also has a track record of lending excellent out-front leadership to initiatives he feels led to support such as http://www.oralbible.com
Greg Harvey
P.S. I will fully disclaim that I’m biased and wear my bias openly. His son Wade was my suitemate at the Hostel in Jakarta my 9th grade year and is a great guy, too.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Avery Willis: Bringing Orality to Southern Baptists!
May 6th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Anyone want to say where he stands on the “hotbutton” issues in the SBC?
May 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Yeah…I knew someone would bring that word up. While the effort of Bible translators has led to higher literacy across a number of cultures, the ability to create that written adjunct in ALL languages is very expensive and sometimes reaches a very small group.
Building and relying on an oral biblical tradition helps bridge the gap and is an effective stopgap measure. Or so the theory goes!
Greg Harvey
May 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Great choice.
If anything works against him it will be…
http://www.baptiststandard.com/2003/1_27/pages/imb_terminations.html
He will get my vote.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Robin, I don’t really care where he stands on the hot button issues. I know the man and trust him implicitly. He is a man of prayer and and great Christian whose experience speaks for itself.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Ken,
Didn’t mean to push a button, but some of us aren’t familiar with the man or his working with the IMB. I know he has a website about “Orality” but that is it. I do however think that his beliefs concerning speaking in tongues, female pastors, inerrancy, etc., should at least be known. All I am asking is that someone who is familiar with the man give me an honest rundown on who he is, any doctrinal quirks he may or may not have, and yes, even what “faction camps” he falls into. I think that as a Southern Baptist I deserve an honest picture of who we are voting on.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
And no, the fact that he was a faithful missionary is not “enough,” so was Pearl S. Buck but she didn’t believe in the exclusivity of Christ and her appointment as a missionary ripped her denomination apart.
As much as people might bristle at “labelling” him, I think it is fair. If RIchard Land, or Paige Patterson, or Mohler, or even Mark Dever or Tom Ascol were to run they would be a somewhat known quantity and if a moderate, or egalitarian was not familiar I would have no problem honestly describing those men as conservative, complimentarian, etc., because I think SBC members, if this is going to be some kind of democracy, have a right to know who they are considering for President and what they really believe.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Thanks for the good report.
Another good candidate.
Fully supportive of the CR, and should use his appointment powers intentionally and wisely.
The Baptist Standard story won’t hurt him at all. At any rate (and don’t anybody out there take this personally), Texas is one weird place in Baptist life. If I moved there, I would have to shut my ears to state denominational news or join a Bible Church or the PCA to get away from all the weirdness.
Have not heard any comments from this blog or others on Dr. Page’s appointments to the Committee on Committees or the Committee on Nominations report.
The names that I recognized (and I don’t know many) are thoroughly conservative.
Come on, guys. Tell us if Dr. Page has done a good job, in your estimation.
Louis
May 6th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
“Robin, I don’t really care where he stands on the hot button issues”
And that, my friend, is part of the problem…
May 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Did not intend to sound mean spirited in my response to Robin. Avery worked with IMB, so he must have had to sign the BF&M. I have known him for years. I would call him a straight arrow old line Southern Baptist. I know of no quirks in his doctrine at all. He is, as I said, a consumate Christian gentleman.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Chris, I understand your reference to “part of the problem”. What I was trying to say was that because I know Avery, I have not questioned his doctine. I trust him to be who he has always been. I have never asked him what he thought about this or that doctrine because I do not believe it is necessary to question him at that point. However, I understand those who do not know him wanting answers about these things. That’s natural. However, forgive an old man for thinking there are really some things more important than doctrine, one being RELATIONSHIPS in Chist.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I’m thinking of having my name put in. Anyone else? Anyone? Anyone?
May 6th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Louis:
I’ve just arrived home from an evangelism planning meeting in the BGCT’s building in Dallas (5 hours round-trip from my home by car)–planning for evangelism events in 2009 with a bunch of terrific Texas Baptists. Our focus is on one large “Radical Engage” evangelism conference in 2009 and many smaller regional events across the state so that the greatest number possible can participate, and their churches can be strengthened in evangelism. I think that the topics of our discussions this morning would interest the bloggers at this site a lot! It takes a bunch of weird Baptists to reach a state of 23-million-and-growing like Texas; if the Lord moves you here, please keep your ears open for all the opportunities for evangelism and missions!
May 6th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
“What I was trying to say was that because I know Avery, I have not questioned his doctine.”
That’s fine for friendship but not for leadership. You MUST know where they stand if they are going to lead. You can’t assume, no matter how intimate the relationship. You must KNOW.