SBCOutpost

In 2004 Jimmy Draper sensed the graying of the SBC. He called leaders to take an initiative to engage and encourage young leaders. Intent to do as he suggested Draper planned a Road Trip stopping in a number of cities to share a conversation with those who would. Paul and I attended one of these “listening sessions” at the First Baptist Church, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Unsure of what constituted “young” in “young leader,” we found the conversations interesting to say the least. There is little doubt some things encouraged Dr. Draper while others confirmed his concern.

Several years ago I was invited to preach out our State Pastor’s Conference. I was the “young” preacher. I caught the early session, the one before the big hitters show up. I stayed for the meeting and told a couple of our staff members that if we continued as we were, it would not be long before our Pastor’s Conference became extinct. The issue was not the preaching. Rather the event illustrated the same statistics offered by Lifeway regarding the age of SBC Annual Meeting messengers/attendees. The number of “young” pastors/preachers may have scraped 15% of those in attendance. [I want to be quick to note, we have great fellowship and some solid preaching at our Pastor’s Conferences. My comments are not intended to denigrate our efforts at bringing challenging speakers to our events. Instead, the intent is to illustrate the dearth of young pastors in terms of percentage of attendance.] That is how I was introduced to the changing world of SBC denominational debate.

Recently, the ACP report indicated a membership decline. Several days after everyone seemed to agree there was a problem, few would disagree we are losing many young leaders, and most agree we need a plan for unity, Paige Patterson shows up with a long, rambling, analysis, swinging at everyone. (Is this the longest First Person ever, coming in at over 1800 words?)

Pay careful attention to the word games. Up to this point few would run from CR as Conservative Resurgence. Dr. Patterson chooses to recast the conversation in terms of a “Conservative Renaissance.” Not enough to quibble for most but a definite attempt to seize the conversation. Four “culprits” take the blame for the “decline” that is really not a decline. Occasionally willing to note direct correlations cannot be made, Dr. Patterson implies he has a handle on the declining numbers.

One of the more amusing moments is when Dr. Patterson takes a swipe at Dr. Frank Page. Frank is quoted in the Associated Press saying Baptists are often seen as mean spirited. (Does anyone really disagree with this????) A Google Search revealed only Dr. Frank Page is quoted describing the SBC as often seen as “mean-spirited.” Here at the Outpost are surprised Will Hall of Baptist Press and his boss Morris Chapman would allow the President of one of our seminaries to attack the President of the SBC in this manner. We believe such an action should merit an apology and a retraction. After all, it was agreed our entity heads would not attack one another.

Paige Patterson responds:
Is it also “mean-spirited” to make broad imprecise allegations of “mean-spiritedness”? Are some who make these charges guilty themselves?

Did he just say, “I’m rubber, your glue?” to Frank Page?

Nice.

Patterson objects to the loss of young leaders, asking if they were really ever “of us?” Are we to assume, since Patterson cites 1 John 2:19, that he believes people like Andy Stanley (and many many others) have left the faith—that they are not “of us.” I hope not. And, should we assume here that he is refuting the claims and emphases of men like Stetzer, Draper, and others. Again, I hope not.

Evidently we have a case of, “He said, He said.”

So who wins the day? Some will immediately defer to Dr. Patterson. After all, we owe him a debt for saving the SBC that is not in decline. We owe those who form the inner circle of the SBC a measure of respect for the blood on their swords to rid the SBC of those liberals.

Except in the same day BP is releasing the First Person piece by Patterson we also find Johnny Hunt will be nominated to be President of the SBC in Indianapolis. Ted Traylor will nominate Hunt. Two of the three reasons Traylor outlined for nominating Hunt turned on the issue of young leaders and unity. Evidently Traylor and others believe young leaders are indeed disinterested, if not leaving the SBC. And, rather than looking for gremlins and ghosts, some believe there is a need to unify around the Gospel, that there really is division in the SBC. (Can anyone guess where at least some of that division originates?)

So, you see, it is a, “He said, He said,” matter. Either Dr. Patterson’s analysis is correct, or Stetzer, Draper, Traylor, Page, Hunt, Aikin, Rainer, George, Dockery among others see the recent news as a clarion call not to call ghostbusters, but to face the facts. As with all things Baptist – you get to be the judge.

Baptist Press gets it wrong sometimes. Today, they played nasty.

The headline for the story on Jonathan Merritt’s efforts to help coalesce Southern Baptist leaders to address environmental issues more boldly and consistently reads as follows:

“Seminary student’s climate change project is not SBC’s”

Editor Will Hall has made sure that great lengths were pursued to distance the national convention from the efforts of several prominent Southern Baptist leaders, including current and former presidents. Richard Land was quoted ad nauseum in opposition to the initiative.

Of course, if Southern Baptists measured the sweat pouring off Richard Land when he walks more than a half block, we’d be convinced that global warming was certain.

What really grinds my gears is that Will Hall and the propagandists at Baptist Press are greatly concerned to headline this story in a way that makes sure nobody assumes the Southern Baptist Convention approves. But let Richard Land flap his jowls with insensitive and arguably anti-Semitic invectives, and place your bets whether Baptist Press publishes this headline:

“Denominational executive’s disdain for New York Senator not shared by Southern Baptists.”

Jonathan Merritt tries to do something constructive, and BP wants to make sure we know he’s just a “seminary student” who is out of step with the national convention. Let Dick Land make an ass of himself and we get a First Person so loaded with double-speak and counter-assault that Dick Nixon could have written it.

And bloggers get a bad rap for agenda-driven reporting . . .

Just think what would have happened if Al Shackleford pulled stunts like this. Oh wait, we know what happened to him.

One more thing: Dick Land wants us to be sure that he and the ERLC are responsible to endorse, affirm, and promote only those positions adopted by the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention. Unless, of course, it is the Cornwall Alliance, which was endorsed by Dick’s right hand Duke, according to Baptist Press.

And while I’m at it: Baptist Press republishes the text of the 2006 and 2007 resolutions on the environment and global warming, presumably to show what Southern Baptists truly think on the matter. Assuming Southern Baptists think, that is. But I suggest that those resolutions were so confusing . . . so complicated . . . as to make their adoption meaningless and to necessitate further amplification of what Southern Baptists truly believe by leaders like Danny Akin, David Dockery, and Jack Graham, and Timothy George.

Sound familiar?