Doug speaking at the Younger Leaders session on Monday nightBobby Welch delivered a message that was somewhat offensive to many younger Baptists during the final session of the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention. There were a few things said that came across as jabs, but two stood out to me.
First, Bobby Welch was emphasizing the need for intentional personal evangelism. I totally agree! Yes, ALL of us (myself included) need to be more deliberate in sharing the redeeming story of Jesus Christ.
Bobby Welch then stated that people needed to quit spending so much time on blogs and web sites and get out there in the streets to share their faith. This was obviously a political comment directed toward the younger Baptist who network and communicate with each other through blogs. From his statement, it can be assumed that Bobby Welch, and possibly others, feel threatened by the free exchange of ideas shared amongst younger Baptist in the blogging world.
In some cases, what Bobby Welch said was true. I’m sure there are a few Baptists who spend way too much time blogging and rarely share their faith. Blogging could even be an idol for some. However, Bobby Welch failed to mention the multitude of other ways Southern Baptist waste time and neglect to share Christ with others.
Many of us are obsessed with leisure, entertainment, and easy living. We have an unholy and egocentric worldview of ourselves, our resources, and our time. Our lifestyles rarely differ from the culture at large. God’s Word teaches that we are no longer our own, but that we belong to Christ. Our lives should be consumed by His purposes. Our time and resources should be totally yielded to God.
In addition to blogging less, maybe we should snap out of our hedonistic materialism and move away from our consumer lifestyle. Maybe we should go to fewer movies and stop watching TV for six hours a day. Maybe we should play less golf, go on fewer vacations, and stay out of the shopping mall. Maybe it’s time we cast down our idol of spectator sport, quit going into debt, and quit buying bigger houses and expensive cars. Maybe we need to quit being so self-absorbed, learn to die to self, and truly obey and follow Jesus Christ.
The second and most notable thing Bobby Welch said was “if you younger people leave the Southern Baptist Convention, you will be showing your ignorance”. Considering the context and the framing of this statement, his comment seemed to be based on two rather arrogant assumptions. The first assumption is that younger people are ignorant. The second assumption is that God is exclusively or preferably using Southern Baptists. And, that if one were to leave the Southern Baptist Convention, then it would be their loss.
While I could relatively care less about the first assumption, the second assumption is rather dangerous, and quite frankly prideful and dead wrong! God is working all around the world in multiple ways and through multiple groups of people. While I see God working through Southern Baptist, I also see God working outside of the Southern Baptist Convention. Just take a good look at many of the para-church organizations, some of the non-SBC mission agencies, and the church in places such as China and South Korea. Southern Baptists are a very small part of God’s total redemptive work. To assume otherwise indicates a dramatic underestimation of God and His power.
For me, I choose to be Southern Baptist, I agree with Southern Baptist doctrine, and I know God has called me to serve Him through the Southern Baptist denomination. However, if I were to leave the Southern Baptist Convention, I assure you it would not be because of ignorance. It would be because God is leading in a new way and I’m choosing to follow Him. But, some other younger Baptists may leave the convention because they continue to be disrespected, disregarded, and not listened to by some of the older established leadership. Bobby Welch’s message illustrates my case and point.
9 comments:
Fortunately, many of these younger leaders have great courage and don't take too kindly to these sorts of "admonishments". They also have great vision for the future and believe that God can and will do great things, whether it's within the SBC or not.
By the way, you did a great job at the Younger Leaders Meeting!
Doug,
Great words. You need to comment more often. I enjoyed meeting you and hearing what God is doing at CMU!
Hi Doug,
Glad to hear some of your thoughts on this Friday morning. Your point is well taken that all of us have things in our lives (internet, TV, sports, easy living, laziness, entertainment, etc.) that consume vast amounts of time in relation to the "main thing"--our relationship with the Lord, and being about true Kingdom interests (like witnessing to the lost.) We gave up TV in our home years ago for that very reason--it had become idoulatrous for us and we spent way too much time glued to something that had a grip on our lives and was draining us spiritually. But even as we gave up TV it seems other things quickly entered our lives seeking to fill that void other than Christ Himself. Now, instead of TV there are books, blogging, and other things that have a way of entering our lives and filling our time. It is a constant battle to live a life "worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus."
To me, the key is to not be blinded by our own idolatry, which most of us have to one degree or another. I used to obsess about everybody else's weak areas; now I probably obsess too much about my own shortcomings!
I know in my own life I personally need to be gently reminded of my own need to "seek first the Kingdom of God" and realign my life daily with what we know is God's will for us as found in the commands of His Word. This is what I feel the church should be doing as we seek to exhort one another. It is not to condemn one another but to gently remind one another constantly in the Lord of what He would have us be and do. I think Biblical exhortation is very much needed in our midst to keep us all in line.
Good post, Doug, you ought to contribute more often--or have your own blog! I would love to meet you and Kiki someday, you both sound like "kindred spirits." Keep up the good work with the students there in PA. We pray for you as the Lord brings you to mind.
Doug,
Like the other commenters, I encourage you to be more vocal in the blogosphere. From talking with you it's obvious that you are passionate about the gospel and reaching people, and you would be a help and encouragement to others. You also have great insights.
I agree we, older Baptists included should share more. I think some of the older generation doesn't understand blogging and therefore are scared of it. I have a friend who frequently posts interesting links to theological
discussion on his blog. I also have also been able to come in contact with
people from high school that I never would come in contact without the internet. It can be a blessing and curse, the internet but I pray that it is a positive witness and means of contact.
Doug,
As one of the older guys who has been around the SBC for some time, I encourage you and Kiki and Marty and Wade and all the others: keep doing what you've been doing. There will always be those who prefer some other way.I appreciate the pre-convention blogs and after- convention summary blogs. I particularly appreciate the way the blogs have supplanted the hallway conversations and private meetings that formerly characterized the SBC. You guys have led the way into a new way. I believe there can be future missional networking that we haven't evn considered yet!
God bless.
Todd and I basically shared the same reflections in Chili's afterwards. For nearly all my life we've been admonishing one another to do more in terms of personal evangelism. But let's remember that the SBC-related blogs didn't really even hit the radar screen until about six months ago. It seems a little, ok, a lot shortsighted to blame the blogs for our failures. It's probably mostly fear and laziness. I did like that he at least equally attempted to offend those with cell phones - which included a good number of the older crowd.
I'll also say this as a side note. I hope that the agency heads who are employing others to read the blogs for them and brief them on what's being said (and I can only assume that Bobby Welch either reads blogs, has someone who does brief him, or based his comments on rumor) will equally take his admonition and not be the cause of those good people not having more time to be on the streets with the lost themselves.
As for the second observation, all I can say is that I couldn't agree more.
Dear Doug,
You are right on the money with your comments here.
Hey, everybody, didn't you love the order of speakers Monday night:
Dr. Morris Chapman
Dr. Jerry Rankin
DOUG
Dr. Jeff Iorg
You were the best one!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Mike -
I heard other people say that too, because he mentioned cell phones also. I was not there for the speech and have not yet reviewed it in the online archive. However, one who was there indicated that Bobby "preach-yelled" the blogger part, and then kind of slid in the cell phone part in a normal quiet voice tone as an "oh-by-the-way I should mention this" to make it look balanced.
Sometimes it is the tone, more than the words, that convey the meaning to an audience.
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