Welcome!
Thank you for taking time to join me on this platform where I will be sharing relevant updates and resources that are important for the education and encouragement of the Church. You’ll find news and information that I believe is important for Christians to be reading whether it be an article, post or video resource. So let’s get started.
Make sure you subscribe at the end to receive this in your inbox each week and please share with friends and family beyond BFBC!
TUESDAY DESK NOTES
A quick report on the SBC convention in Anaheim, Ca. — In an upcoming BFBC church conference, I hope to have a full report with recommendations for our church. After sending a full slate of 12 messengers to this convention, The Convention Engagement Committee met Sunday Night (6/26) and discussed the Annual meeting. Currently, we are monitoring and watching decisions from Convention leaders to see what long term effect there will be as a result on the Cooperative Program giving. With several items to follow up with, our report and recommendations will come soon.
A quick follow up from the meeting:
The issues that seemed praiseworthy
Church planting: Through our giving, we planted churches in many strategic cities, across North America.
Missionaries sent: There were 52 missionaries appointed in our SBC churches, and highlighted at the Annual Meeting.
There are many in the convention who want doctrinal integrity, accountability, and harmony.
Our church was well represented with 12 messengers sent from FBC, Bartlesville.
Concerning issues that require continued pressure in the Convention:
The Egalitarian Drift: This is best seen in the unwillingness to deal with Saddleback Church who is clearly out of step with our BF&M 2000, and the recent dealings in the NAMB defining women pastors. Charles Spurgeon once said, “The pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom. There, the fight will be lost or won.”
Cooperation with the World: The use of LGBTQ organizations to aid, and advise the convention on church issues. Examples would be the use of Guidepost Solutions, and the use of law firms that clearly support values that undermine our beliefs.
Clear Accountability: The transparency, and stewardship of cooperative resources. In order for trust to exist, these issues must be addressed. The main example of this would be in NAMB’s unwillingness to reveal actual top salaries, and be open to independent auditing.
Internal Politics: The engagement in internal Convention politics by denominational employees. The low turnout of messengers to the Convention allows for a significant voting block of denominational employees where entity leaders are openly endorsing, and promoting candidates.
Alignment on Social Issues: The entities need greater alignment to the messengers in order for us to cooperate with a good conscience. This is best seen in the ERLC fighting against Louisiana legislation that would have abolished abortion in the state. The ERLC leader said, “you will not get me to say a woman needs to be punished for having an abortion”, and then one of the trustees said that abortion is a transgression of the Ten Commandments that violates “though shall not murder.”
Polity overhaul: Most of the motions presented from the messengers called for scrutiny and increased accountability. Most of those motions along with resolutions were outright rejected. There seems to be a disconnect between the entities and the churches that want them accountable.
Need to eliminate the liberal loophole: Adam Greenway, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary pointed out the cooperation loophole that enabled churches to come into the Convention under the radar. This bylaw apparently opens agreement with the BF&M 2000 to broad interpretation of “friendly cooperation” and thus needs to be tightened.
At this point, I hope to pray along with you for God’s direction, and I hope to give a report from our Convention Engagement Committee on what steps to take to affect real change.
Resources:
Helpful read: A lawyers assessment of the Guidepost Solutions Report. There seems to be more questions about the report than there are actual answers. Not only did we not get our monies worth, the ongoing price of these efforts, may far exceed the worth of the PR coverage it provides.
Denny Burk is the director of Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. His article is a helpful biblical analysis of Rick Warren, and Linda Cooper’s (Chairwoman of the Credentials committee at the Anaheim Annual Meeting) interjection of “Pastoral office” v. “Pastoring gift.”
Another good read: Is there a liberal drift?
Other Resources, Reminders & More:
OK Conservative Baptist Bulletin Read and subscribe for future posts
Conservative Baptist Network Great source for encouragement and updates
October 14-15: BFBC Hosts First Reconstruction Initiative Conference: Reviving Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Registration launching July 5th. Make sure and subscribe to this newsletter to be the first to get updates and save these dates on your calendar now.