Conventional Thoughts

Having recently returned from the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Louisville, Kentucky, I wanted to pass on some thoughts:

Speakers

The list of speakers for the Pastors’ Conference/SBC meeting included former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Chuck Colson, Richard Land and more. I was inspired by all on the program, including Okie pastor and author Tom Elliff.

Elections

Without opposition, the convention re-elected Johnny Hunt, who is doing a stand-up job as SBC president.

Key Issues

There were some unusual motions made from the floor, such as a request that LifeWay bookstores no longer carry Mark Driscoll’s books. The resolutions, meanwhile, were fairly predictable and innocuous (with the exception of the one I am about to mention).

The Aftermath

The mainstream media, as best as I can tell, picked up on two developments from the meeting. The first was the resolution about Barack Obama. What was meant to be a resolution showing our willingness to support (insofar as biblical ideals allow) and pray for him was taken to be an insult. The media highlighted only our opposition to his pro-choice stance.

The second was the action to break fellowship with a Baptist church in Ft. Worth that is actively embracing the homosexual lifestyle. The vote to break fellowship took only a moment but led to huge headlines. Go figure.

First Things

What struck me most about the convention was the fervent desire to return to the Great Commission and rely on the Lord during dark times. Perhaps Baptists are not the most correct of all Christian denominations on every single issue, but they are a good people, set on spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and new Life He brings.