SBC Elects New President

[Crabtownboy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/10/AR2008061002615.html?hpid=sec-religion

By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008; Page A02

The Rev. Johnny M. Hunt, the pastor of an Atlanta area megachurch, was elected yesterday as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and will take over as head of the nation's largest Protestant denomination as it is struggling with declining membership and decreasing number of baptisms.

Hunt beat out five other candidates for the unpaid job, which will transform him into the denomination's public face for the next year.

His election, at the SBC's annual meeting in Indianapolis, is seen as a victory for the more fundamentalist wing of the denomination, which led the conservative resurgence that began in the late 1970s and which takes a hard line on the inerrancy of scripture. It is seen as a rejection of young reformers, who have questioned the SBC leadership's reluctance to consider a wider range of issues, such as its bans on alcohol consumption and female pastors.

"This signals that the establishment conservatives are definitely in charge," said Greg Warner, executive editor of the Associated Baptist Press, an independent news service.

The current SBC president, the Rev. Frank S. Page, had been welcomed by reformers for opening up the SBC leadership structure and for keeping his focus on church growth and mission, rather than on culture war issues or internal doctrinal battles.

Is this another nail in the coffin? Arfe cultural war issues and internal doctrinal fights more important than church growth and missions? Is it more imortant to fight internal battles or bring the gospel to the unsaved?

 

[Tom Butler]

What nail?

The election of Frank Page did not signal a decrease in missions emphasis.

The election of Johnny Hunt does not signal a decrease in missions emphasis.

The election of the SBC president will not add or subtract one person from the membership roll of a local church. It will not increase or decrease the number of missionaries sent out by the IMB and the NAMB.

Most church rolls should decline, since many are bloated with inactive, invisible people. Why do you think that churches with, say, 3,000 members build auditoriums and educational facilities to handle only half that many or less?

One cannot tie that fact to the election of an SBC president.

 

[sag38]

Missions and church growth without sound doctrine leads people to hell. Sound doctrine is always worth fighting over.

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

Just for my clarification... are we saying Johnny Hunt is not sound doctrinally?

 

[Revmitchell]

 

[sag38]

No, I'm not saying that Johnny Hunt is not sound doctrinally. In fact, I'm glad that he was elected. I was admonishing Crabby for suggesting that fighting for doctrine is not importatnt. Do we want to present the truth of the gospel or just tickle ears? If others don't like Johnny Hunt and a stand on the fundamentals then they are welcome to go to the CBF. After all the CBF promotes classic Baptist values and ideals.

 

[Revmitchell]

I posted this same story in this section and it got moved. Now it is posted here again and it remains. Interesting.

 

[Crabtownboy]

No, I'm not saying that Johnny Hunt is not sound doctrinally. In fact, I'm glad that he was elected. I was admonishing Crabby for suggesting that fighting for doctrine is not importatnt. Do we want to present the truth of the gospel or just tickle ears? If others don't like Johnny Hunt and a stand on the fundamentals then they are welcome to go to the CBF. After all the CBF promotes classic Baptist values and ideals.

I simply posed the question. I did not comment on what my opinion is on this matter. Questions are not always statements of belief or opinion.

What about cultural wars? How important are they? Should they take more time and effort than missions?

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

Thanks for the clarification. I think evangelism and missions are two sides of the same coin.

 

[SBCPreacher]

We're supposed to be worried about what a Washington Post writer says? Give me a break!

I've met Johnny Hunt many times - heard him preach often. He is doctrinally sound.

 

[SBCPreacher]

After all the CBF promotes classic Baptist values and ideals.

Oh really??? :BangHead:

 

[preachinjesus]

I'm certain Dr. Hunt will represent the SBC well. In that way I shall continue to pray for him as I have the previous presidents. With the esconched leadership playing out as it has does anyone believe some raving lunatic is going to elected to the Presidency. Ergo, why Wiley Drake only got 45 votes?

 

[SBCPreacher]

...why Wiley Drake only got 45 votes?

I wasn't there for the convention, but that was kinda funny!

Not to derail the thread, but I was excited to watch the streaming video of the convention. I saw what was going on more clearly than the times I was actually there. (I did miss getting all the little freebees, or as we call them, stocking stuffers, from the vendors at the bookstore!)

 

[sag38]

SBC Preacher, I hope you recognize sarcasim. When I lived in Rome, GA, FBC Rome hosted the CBF annual meeting. One of the themes that I heard from my CBF friends was how the CBF promoted classic Baptist values. Of course they said it with a wink. Because, there's no way they could have said that with a straight conscience.

 

[preachinjesus]

I wasn't there for the convention, but that was kinda funny!

I hope it communicated a message to him...preferbly for him to shut up.

Not to derail the thread, but I was excited to watch the streaming video of the convention. I saw what was going on more clearly than the times I was actually there. (I did miss getting all the little freebees, or as we call them, stocking stuffers, from the vendors at the bookstore!)

I love the webstreaming too. I watch the whole thing while sitting in bed a night.

I refuse to go to the annual convention. It is, in my opinion, a huge waste of God's good money and Kingdom building time. I too watch the convention via webstreaming. Why can't we all do that? There is absolutely no need for a huge annual convention given our technological resources. Nothing, absolutely nothing, major gets decided there that can't be done from a state convention level.

Just seems like a time to jostle with one's buddies, hand out resumes, and politic for one's own personal Kingdom. I'm sure there are good people there with honest and pure intentions, but I just can't bring myself to go.

 

[SBCPreacher]

SBC Preacher, I hope you recognize sarcasim. When I lived in Rome, GA, FBC Rome hosted the CBF annual meeting. One of the themes that I heard from my CBF friends was how the CBF promoted classic Baptist values. Of course they said it with a wink. Because, there's no way they could have said that with a straight conscience.

Thank you. I had my glasses off and didn't recognize the obvious sarcasm there. Now the senses are clean and, to quote a 1970's song, "I can see clearly now..."

 

[Alcott]

Arfe cultural war issues and internal doctrinal fights more important than church growth and missions? Is it more imortant to fight internal battles or bring the gospel to the unsaved?

Evidently they were more important to the thousands who have left the convention. Or is the current sum total of missions and church growth more than if it were still as unified as 3 or more decades ago?

 

[JustChristian]

Oh really??? :BangHead:

Christianity is defined by an individual not a denomination. That is unless you accept Catholicism.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Evidently they were more important to the thousands who have left the convention. Or is the current sum total of missions and church growth more than if it were still as unified as 3 or more decades ago?

IMHO the emphasis on missions is much less now than decades ago. The Foreign Missions Board [showing my age here as the name has changes] is a shadow of its former self. The SBC pulled missionaries out of a number of areas, i.e. Zimbabwe as an example, though there is working beginning there again. Well they are throwing money that way. The SBC cut ties with IBTS in Prage and withdrew from the Baptist World Alliance that they had founded. The SBC is also starting to work again in parts of Central and Eastern Europe and again it is throwing money that way.

I heard a story about that. I won't say which country, but the SBC held a big conference and invited a number of pastors of that country to attend paying all their expenses. The affair was held at a 5 star hotel and was very lavish. The person telling me the story said that a large majority of the pastors did not think much of the message the SBC brought but are still laughing over the all expense vacation they were given ... though they thought the money could have been used much more effectively if the SBC had sent the money for the Baptist in that country to use.

It simply is not good to try to make the entire world look like southern American Baptists. It just will not work. Cultures are different. Problems are different. Many around the would simply see this type of work as an other example of American imperialism.

 

[blackbird]

I heard a story about that. I won't say which country, but the SBC held a big conference and invited a number of pastors of that country to attend paying all their expenses. The affair was held at a 5 star hotel and was very lavish. The person telling me the story said that a large majority of the pastors did not think much of the message the SBC brought but are still laughing over the all expense vacation they were given ... though they thought the money could have been used much more effectively if the SBC had sent the money for the Baptist in that country to use.

See----thats the problem

1. The visiting pastors enjoy a "vacation"---all expense paid trip courtesy of the SBC

2. They "liked" the 5 star accomodations(who in Sam Hill wouldn't???)

BUT(and its a big one)

3. They didn't like the message the SBC brought

and

4. They're still laughin' over the all expense vacation they were each given

Bottom line

5. They each thought the money could have been used more effectively

But yet they "laugh" at the all expense vacation-----the SBC is gonna dump thousands of $$$$$$'s in their laps-----and they come and "dine" on food that didn't cost them a dime and then go away laughin' and sayin' the money could have been used in better ways???????

What a lame excuse for showing gratitude!!!