2 wows...
first "wow" = i didn't realize how long it's been since i've posted but i suppose i just haven't had too much to say lately. still not too much so i'll move on to the second...
second "wow" = i had some time this afternoon and decided to tune in to the SBC annual meeting and just want to say, "wow, what a mistake." i mean, seriously people, take money and do outreach, it's that simple. why spend 20 minutes arguing over calling it the cooperative program or something else? why spend 20 minutes discussing the semantics? why even bring this up to a vote in the first place? i mean, isn't doing missions why the church exists in the first place? i just don't get all this political crap and it irritates me highly. no wonder the unbelieving world laughs in the faces of christians and wonders why they should turn to God. no wonder other christians look down on the sbc. no wonder sbc churches are on the downturn. they can't even agree on whether or not to pursue outreach within the US and around the world! is this a surprise to anyone that is or has ever attended one of these annual conventions? the messengers can't even agree on a title much less on any action...why are they making it this complicated? it's so very simple according to the Scriptures and here it is...go out to the unbelieving world and tell them about Christ. that's it.
until the next post...
second "wow" = i had some time this afternoon and decided to tune in to the SBC annual meeting and just want to say, "wow, what a mistake." i mean, seriously people, take money and do outreach, it's that simple. why spend 20 minutes arguing over calling it the cooperative program or something else? why spend 20 minutes discussing the semantics? why even bring this up to a vote in the first place? i mean, isn't doing missions why the church exists in the first place? i just don't get all this political crap and it irritates me highly. no wonder the unbelieving world laughs in the faces of christians and wonders why they should turn to God. no wonder other christians look down on the sbc. no wonder sbc churches are on the downturn. they can't even agree on whether or not to pursue outreach within the US and around the world! is this a surprise to anyone that is or has ever attended one of these annual conventions? the messengers can't even agree on a title much less on any action...why are they making it this complicated? it's so very simple according to the Scriptures and here it is...go out to the unbelieving world and tell them about Christ. that's it.
until the next post...
posted by adam at 4:15 PM
7 Comments:
C'mon, Adam. Let loose. Tell us what you really think. It's not good to hold it all in.
Brother, I agree with you. Preach on!
Agreed my friend. Let's do some mission.
To be fair, the debate over the Great Commission Resurgence was not whether or not to do missions in the US or abroad. It was concerning how that can best be accomplished given the resources that the SBC has. The debate you saw proved to be an exciting moment in the SBC as it demonstrated a renewed commitment to the things you are indicting the SBC for not doing.
I think it's unfair for you to make large, sweeping generalizations like this. Though it can seem like the SBC is stagnant, there are plenty of healthy SBC churches doing really good things and making a tremendous impact in their local communities and around the world. You can't lump every single one of them into one large category. I just wanted to give a small voice to the ones your bashing.
i know there are great churches and people in the SBC doing great things for missions but here's my point...
having been out of the SBC for a few years now, i've come to realize people both churched and unchurched pay close attention to what the SBC does and says like these debates. they then form opinions based on what they see the SBC doing, such as bickering over what to call a resolution about missions for instance. this in turn leads them to view the SBC as backwards and stagnant. i feel like the convention does not realize how much debates over names or money like this hurts their public reputation and therefore their ability to reach the lost. it would be one thing if these took place in private but the having them publicly open hurts their reputation sometimes in ways that can be irreversible. for instance, i have unbelieving friends here in boston that would not even listen to a southern baptist much less attend a local church because of these public debates...and believe me, they are well informed about what goes on.
so, this post is based on my experience with unbelievers who basically reject christianity because of the SBC's public debates like this one that create major stumbling blocks for spreading the love of Christ.
I understand your points. And regardless of whether I take issue with them, I have only one thought as a response.
How does your post and your harsh comments about the situation reflect what you are advocating for? Are you not doing the very thing for which you are condemning others? If your goal is for the SBC to have a better reputation with a nonbelieving world, then why post something that only continues to damage it? It doesn't make things better. It makes them worse. Instead of being another spectator who throws stones, be a source of positive change. A scathing blog post does not help.
The SBC doesn't make much sense to me anymore. It probably wouldn't have made much sense to me years ago either if I would have stepped back and actually had non Christian friends. I support my church that meets in the YMCA, I send money directly to the missionaries God lays on my heart and I consider myself a driven missionary to my own community. Does it have to be so complicated? -Tish
As a southern baptist, the SBC and especially the cooperative program make tremendous sense to me. The entire point of the CP is to allow smaller churches to be able to promote missions in a more effective way. While some churches, like Olive (where Adam and I grew up,) are large enough to make an impact all on their own, the myriad smaller churches far outnumber it. By pooling all their resources, we are able to make a more united, targeted, global approach to the Great Commission than by the shotgun approach of everybody doing their own thing and hoping you hit every group.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended or upset, or even trying to rile anyone, but to me, the cooperative program is one of the greatest things about southern baptists that sets us apart.
Oh, and Adam, anyone who tells you they don't like the SBC because we had a debate over the name of our missions program is lying to you. They don't like us for many other reasons, both fair and unfair, but that isn't a valid reason to distrust any religion. If we must all be perfect to be members, then we're all doomed from the start.
Post a Comment
<< Home