Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #SBC22
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Last year at #SBC22, I moved what the SBC Credentials Committee deemed a friendly amendment to forestall any action against @Saddleback until the Convention could more precisely determine/define how "closely identified" w/the BFM a cooperating church's faith/practice must be. 1/
While my amendment narrowly failed (in my view, b/c some messengers didn't understand what I was trying to do or mistakenly believed I was advocating for women pastors), it did not mean the question of what "closely identifies with" was either a settled issue or unimportant. 2/
Yesterday's action by the @SBCExecComm to disfellowship Saddleback was, in my view, both premature and unwise, regardless of one's view of "women pastors." The SBCEC should not seek to use its ad interim authority to take actions in areas where the SBC is divided in opinion. 3/
1/8
In this thread I’m going to respond to @BruceFrank1’s response to Mark Coppenger at #sbc22. To see the exchange start at around 54:53 in this video:
In this thread I’m going to respond to @BruceFrank1’s response to Mark Coppenger at #sbc22. To see the exchange start at around 54:53 in this video:
2/8
First, Mark makes the point that this report is like the 1619 project in the sense that it’s saying the whole SBC is stained. Bruce says 400 is just 3% of total and that’s just tip of the iceberg.
But 400 is 3% of 13,333.33. Let’s round that up to 15,000. And:
First, Mark makes the point that this report is like the 1619 project in the sense that it’s saying the whole SBC is stained. Bruce says 400 is just 3% of total and that’s just tip of the iceberg.
But 400 is 3% of 13,333.33. Let’s round that up to 15,000. And:
3/8
Just for fun let’s even double that number. So let’s say 30,000. Let’s say there were 30,000 cases of sexual abuse. Mark’s point from the Houston article is that there were 28,000,000 southern baptists during that time. 30,000 is basically 0.1%. ZERO POINT 1. 1/10 of 1%. So:
Just for fun let’s even double that number. So let’s say 30,000. Let’s say there were 30,000 cases of sexual abuse. Mark’s point from the Houston article is that there were 28,000,000 southern baptists during that time. 30,000 is basically 0.1%. ZERO POINT 1. 1/10 of 1%. So:
1/
I don't have the motivation to write a post on this. So you'll have to settle with a thread. #sbc22 #sbc23
Today, @AdamGreenway posted with @BaptistPress on drawing the proper balance b/t cooperation and doctrinal commitments. baptistpress.com/resource-libra…
I don't have the motivation to write a post on this. So you'll have to settle with a thread. #sbc22 #sbc23
Today, @AdamGreenway posted with @BaptistPress on drawing the proper balance b/t cooperation and doctrinal commitments. baptistpress.com/resource-libra…
I understand the argument and overall it's not like the thesis in and of itself is terrible. We would expect a seminary president to argue well. And at end of the day, we certainly will not agree on *everything*.
However, I have two main issues with the article:
However, I have two main issues with the article:
1. Dr. Greenway is trying to make an argument that we should partner with churches who have women who serve on staff as pastors so long as they are not senior pastors.
Why is this a problem? a. It goes against the Bible. Read 1 Timothy 3. The office of pastor is for men.
Why is this a problem? a. It goes against the Bible. Read 1 Timothy 3. The office of pastor is for men.
I've seen a lot of people asking questions about how @RickWarren came to address #SBC22. I don't know the whole story, but I know a little bit about it.
I was seated, waiting for the first part of the Resolutions Committee report. The Credentials Committee report was before us.
I was seated, waiting for the first part of the Resolutions Committee report. The Credentials Committee report was before us.
A member of the Committee on Order of Business came up to me and asked, "If @RickWarren wanted to address the Convention, would that be in order, and how would one go about that?"
"Rick's here?" I asked?
"Yes."
"Rick's here?" I asked?
"Yes."
Well, being acquainted with Article XII of Robert's Rules of Order, I was pretty confident that Rick had the right to address the body.
A long thread coming on #SBC22, Saddleback, and on a vocal minority group in the SBC, despite what seems to be overwhelming unity, and if you are possibly in the middle on some of these things and not all, we do not claim to be for you, but here are some thoughts: (1)
We are conservative. Very conservative. In particular, B21 has been from the beginning! We affirm the absolute inerrancy, infallibility of the Scriptures. We believe in exclusivity, penal substitution, and the primacy of the local church. (2)
As to race: It was interesting & good that CRT was never mentioned! While being concerned about social justice and what seem to be clear race issues among us, we have real concerns about CRT! We also reject how fast “white supremacy” is attached too many things. (3)
My time at #SBC22 wrapped up. I am not SBC, have some friends and folks I highly respect inside SBC, but I am very much an outsider looking in.
I had the privilege of working with @BenMandrell and @Lifeway for a pastor breakfast. Then I spent afternoon at SBC sessions.
1/
I had the privilege of working with @BenMandrell and @Lifeway for a pastor breakfast. Then I spent afternoon at SBC sessions.
1/
@BenMandrell @Lifeway It was very good, as it always is, to meet actual humans outside of SBC Twitter. As expected, many people of goodwill, integrity etc.
Distance generates anxiety, proximity reduces anxiety.
SBC Twitter, as a general rule, generates anxiety.
2/
Distance generates anxiety, proximity reduces anxiety.
SBC Twitter, as a general rule, generates anxiety.
2/
Twitter is by design, a distance mechanism. Words, not pics, brevity etc.
So it is helpful of course to meet real people to offset social media SBC.
3/
So it is helpful of course to meet real people to offset social media SBC.
3/
🧵 The belief that Scripture is inerrant doesn’t arise in a vacuum. We believe that Scripture is inerrant because we believe that Scripture is inspired by God. So when the apostles of @FoundersMin and @BaptistNetwork say that anyone who rejects their interpretation
#sbc22
#sbc22
of Scripture thereby rejects the inerrancy of Scripture, they’re presenting a dilemma: either you agree with their interpretation of Scripture, or you reject God’s authorship of Scripture.
But this is a false dilemma. There’s a third option, which their presentation of the issue obscures: it’s possible to agree that Scripture is God’s Word, while disagreeing about how to interpret that Word.
Last night, @bartbarber defeated @tomascol in #SBC22 president election. And it wasn't close. What happened? Let's consider some reasons Ascol & @BaptistNetwork failed in attempt to push SBC further rightward.
🧵 1/
🧵 1/
1. Barber was establishment pick, thus had institutional momentum on his side. And solidly conservative, claims of SBC going "liberal" or "woke" didn't fit. Even Ascol praised him as conservative & merely suggested he wouldn't fight enough against those allegedly not. #SBC22 2/
2. Ascol is best known for decades for his work to make SBC more Calvinistic. Although SBC has moved some in that direction, it's still minority & often controversial position. Although not main reason he lost, it probably didn't help.
#SBC22 3/
#SBC22 3/
Again just to put this in perspective:
Saddleback church ordains women pastors. Our BFM 2000 says only men are pastors.
1. The credentials committee wouldn’t touch it. Lady said some ppl define pastor as a gift for many persons. Floor said “Nooo!” @EdLitton reprimanded them.
Saddleback church ordains women pastors. Our BFM 2000 says only men are pastors.
1. The credentials committee wouldn’t touch it. Lady said some ppl define pastor as a gift for many persons. Floor said “Nooo!” @EdLitton reprimanded them.
2. The president of @swbts, @AdamGreenway, worked to keep the door open for Saddleback & women pastors by speaking aggressively against @albertmohler
3. @bartbarber & resolutions committee rejected an amendment to a resolution that said only qualified men can preach.
3. @bartbarber & resolutions committee rejected an amendment to a resolution that said only qualified men can preach.
4. While messengers were castigated and cut off by the Platform all day, Rick Warren was allowed a free full 5 min or more to exalt the glories of Rick Warren and applauded by the stage and many messengers.
This isn’t “drift”. It’s full speed departure. #sbc22
This isn’t “drift”. It’s full speed departure. #sbc22
Matt Martens, a former prosecutor who has an upcoming book on biblical justice and has written about the SBC sex abuse reforms, said the Ascol/Barber race is not conservative v liberal, but between a conservative turn and a more fundamentalist turn 1/x #SBC22 @martensmatt1
“Fundamentalism has a more bunker mentality instinct when it comes with dealing with the outside secular world,” he said. “Do we protect ourselves, our children from worldly influences or are we more engaging with the world in our approach?” 2/x
In fundamentalism it’s more isolationist, distancing from the world and in some ways SBC debates about things like CRT “are proxy for that instinct.” 3/x
Motions made at #SBC22 to investigate finances of North American Mission Board & salaries of various executives. Another wants to attack President Litton on plagiarism (but isn't really a proper motion).
More motions at #SBC22 to eliminate executive sessions for @SBCExecComm (not going to happen for legal reasons) & release of nominees for EC to be released earlier. Another motion targets churches that have a "woman pastor of any kind."
More motions at #SBC22 include push to investigate Southeastern Seminary (amid complaints by @BaptistNetwork supporters) & pushing contact info of trustees of various institutions
First couple of rounds of voting at #SBC22 have gone against @BaptistNetwork that's trying to push SBC further rightward. But those votes also are not good predictors of what will come today. Let's consider what happened yesterday & what's maybe happening today. 🧵 1/
.@SBCExecComm elected new officers yesterday. Candidates who voted to waive attorney-client privilege in sex abuse investigation defeated those who opposed. But many CBNers who opposed waiving privilege resigned in protest last fall. apnews.com/article/politi…
2/
2/
CBN candidate for prez of SBC Pastor's Conference, Voddie Bauchum, lost close vote (religionnews.com/2022/06/14/sbc…). Although well-known, he's not actually SBC member. And he skipped part of Conference to attend CBN counter event. Significant baggage working against him for this role 3/
“In the past issues that divided evangelicals, such as speaking in tongues, End Times theology, Calvinism - all of those things have receded, and it’s now these social and political issues that define allegiances" @kkdumez on new bedfellows #SBC2022 1/6 washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/…
I'm going to share a bit of context/backstories on some of the hot-button issues that are in the ether here at the #SBC22. They include comments and measures from the recent past 2/6
Some are angry this '19 measure passed: CRT and intersectionality alone "are insufficient to diagnose and redress the root causes of the social ills that they identify, which result from sin, yet these analytical tools can aid in evaluating a variety of human experiences." 3/6
Today is my 36th birthday. Given we are waking up in Anaheim, CA on eve of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, a crucial meeting for southern baptists, I thought I'd write a 🧵 a/b how my birthday has put @tomascol’s faithfulness as a pastor into perspective…
1/14
1/14
You see, in June 1986, in His providence, the Lord was coordinating two events that are quite important to me! One was my own healthy delivery in Killeen, TX. The other i wouldn’t know until a couple decades later: Tom Ascol becoming pastor at Grace Baptist in Cape Coral, FL.
So while I was learning to walk and talk and as I traveled around as a young boy with my mom and dad doing rodeos, Tom Ascol was faithfully shepherding God’s people. 
Ascol recap - Tom at previous SBC annual meetings
2018: Tom is disappointed he couldn't publicly ask Russell Moore a "gotcha" about if the SBC should host conferences named after abusers. (This was a reference to the SBC-hosted MLK Jr. conference.)
Also: Doug Wilson quote?
1/
2018: Tom is disappointed he couldn't publicly ask Russell Moore a "gotcha" about if the SBC should host conferences named after abusers. (This was a reference to the SBC-hosted MLK Jr. conference.)
Also: Doug Wilson quote?
1/
2019 : Tom Ascol is VERY upset about Resolution 9 b/c it cautiously says CRT can be a useful tool.
Also 2019: Tom Ascol records Kyle J Howard w/o his knowledge, through a lapel mic, under false pretenses, for a documentary filmed by Marcus Pittman & Jared Longshore.
2/
Also 2019: Tom Ascol records Kyle J Howard w/o his knowledge, through a lapel mic, under false pretenses, for a documentary filmed by Marcus Pittman & Jared Longshore.
2/
2020: In the months previous, Tom quotes his own documentary regarding the SBC, urging his followers to "take the ship," a phrase that would be endlessly re-echoed by his CBN "pirate" allies a year later.
He also critiqued SEBTS for talking about racial injustice.
3/
He also critiqued SEBTS for talking about racial injustice.
3/
1.The #SBC22 #SBC2022. Who runs this place? There are about 700 people that can be said to actually run the SBC. You want to change the direction? You want to maintain the direction? These 700 or so people hold the keys. A thread 🧵.
2. You might think: “I’m not one of those people. I’m a no name messenger. My voice doesn’t matter.” But that’s not true. YOUR ONE VOTE sets a whole process in motion.
3.The SBC is a network of churches that oversees 12 non-profit organizations to carry out gospel work throughout the world. 10 of these organizations (all except LifeWay and Guidestone) receive financial support through our funding strategy called the Cooperative Program.
A 🧵about the SBC, @GuidepostGlobal, the #SATF, and the upcoming #sbc22.
I am amazed at how ignorant many in the SBC are. I don't mean that pejoratively. I didn't say stupid; I said ignorant. We are so insulated that we don't know how the world operates. What do I mean?
I am amazed at how ignorant many in the SBC are. I don't mean that pejoratively. I didn't say stupid; I said ignorant. We are so insulated that we don't know how the world operates. What do I mean?
Well, for starters, we have at least one Provost of our 6 seminaries that was ignorant of federal law that he is required to follow. And it wasn't some obscure, arcane law. Its a basic and fundamental law of higher education called FERPA. I caught a provost breaking FERPA.
I DM'd him and told him he was breaking FERPA and his response was "What's FERPA?". So then I had explain fundamental privacy laws because he didn't know. How could he not know? Because he spent his entire life in an SBC bubble. How does this relate to the SATF?
I would like to say something to evangelical Christians who have platforms.
Be brave. Have courage. Speak up.
It is all too easy, once we have platforms, to put our effort into maintaining those platforms.
They took time to build! Often our livelihood depends on them.
Be brave. Have courage. Speak up.
It is all too easy, once we have platforms, to put our effort into maintaining those platforms.
They took time to build! Often our livelihood depends on them.
And the evangelical world is a small one. If we want endorsements for our books; invitations to conferences; speaking opportunities--then we can't afford to tick people off.
We need to keep everyone happy so that we can keep what we have.
We need to keep everyone happy so that we can keep what we have.
When one of our colleagues or friends with a platform does something wrong--teaches something harmful; ignores abuse; or even perpetrates abuse--we stay silent.
We may speak up "behind the scenes", telling ourselves, "this is the kingdom way." But that's it.
We may speak up "behind the scenes", telling ourselves, "this is the kingdom way." But that's it.
There are countless reasons why I wont vote for @tomascol for #sbc22 president, but here's one. He's actively working to undermine many of our entities. Did you know he runs his own unaccredited institute (instituteofpublictheology.org/about/)? Why does that matter? A short thread:
Its not that its unaccredited. I could care less (though its an easy way to avoid accountability). It matters because they are in direct competition with our 6 SBC seminaries. Why should anyone care?
Tom has every right to run whatever training center he wants. But it would be foolish for messengers of #sbc22 to vote for a person to be our next president who is actively opposed to approx 1/2 of our entities.
What Hunt did according to the SATF was wicked. However some people want to say his resignation was enough. It is not. As the @SBCExecComm meets today they should encourage @NAMB to allow for a similar investigation (3rd party and waive rights) and any other entity needed.
In Hunt’s position at NAMB as the SVP, Hunt was over T+B and other ministries for pastors and their wives. This was a similar situation to that reported in the SATF. NAMB also hired staff from Woodstock for Hunt, of which likely at least 1 knew of the 2010 incident.
Hunt was over leading all Evangelism and leadership for NAMB. He built teams under him while he was there. Who knows what kind of culture he created or if more is or was going on? Who knows if he other NAMB trustees or leaders knew about the 2010 incident but remained silent.
Some people think that these investigations will kill the convention. They won’t. If the convention dies it will be because of us, the members. Long ago we gave into apathy and we abdicated our role of safeguarding our institutions from wickedness.
How? When you read the Business and Financial Plan you see that safeguarding the institutions is not done just by the trustees, but by us the members. That’s why it the B&FP says members are to have access to certain documents and be able to attend certain meetings.
Instead we adopted, “trust the trustees” and when entities have refused to provide certain documents or publish where they are holding their open meetings, we have let them get away with it. We have effectively abdicated our role in the convention for all but 5 min a year
What you are going to see in the next few months is people in #SBC leadership that will want to pretend that Johnny Hunt’s resignation is sufficient. It is not. Through NAMB, he was given a position of power, ample opportunity, with staff that likely knew about the 2010 incident
Many of those people likely profit from @NAMB_SBC. How many have books handed out by NAMB, podcasts sponsored by NAMB, speaking engagements through NAMB, ambassador checks from NAMB, free use of houses owned by NAMB, their church planting bankrolled by NAMB?
How many have their own personal companies that have contracts with @NAMB_SBC? How many owe their current position to Hunt or NAMBs leadership? Remember Pittman’s church was primarily funded by Hunt when it was a plant.
A 7 tweet thread:
In the Fall of 2019 FBC Naples was accused of racism for not calling Marcus Hayes as pastor. Examples of those in Platform calling this church out:
In the Fall of 2019 FBC Naples was accused of racism for not calling Marcus Hayes as pastor. Examples of those in Platform calling this church out:
Turns out though, many in the church were not racist at all. They actually had an issue with wokeness leanings of Marcus.
But that’s not all check out the clip in the next tweet.
But that’s not all check out the clip in the next tweet.
Here Marcus Hayes says same sex attraction is not a sin:
The Southern Baptist Convention is officially underway.
Follow this thread for updates on what is sure to be an absolutely wild day. #SBC21 #SBC2021 #SBC
Follow this thread for updates on what is sure to be an absolutely wild day. #SBC21 #SBC2021 #SBC
Final messenger registration count is above 13K.
