The SBC World…

I have been exploring the Baptist blogs and I have greatly been overwhelmed by the level of thought and overall quality and quantity of content. I have had an interest in the Baptist Identity Conference which was recently held at Union University. I downloaded the speakers onto my mp3 player and have been listening to the various speakers. I have for some time felt there is something in the Southern Baptist that does’t seem right. I have struggled to put my finger on the issue for years. I have had long debates on what it means to be a member of the SBC. I have thought of leaving many times. I think at times in the SBC I feel held back or my creative freedoms have been stifled under the SBC banner. Every movement has to pass the committee test and run through proper church protocol channels and lastly match Baptist tradition. I am new to pastoring…I am also new in many respects to the theological realm of being a pastor. I find myself desperately trying to understand the role of the church in this generation. I have read more in the last eight months than I have in my entire life. I find myself being challenged on all levels intellectually. I’m not a great speaker or writer. I will probably never write a book or speak in front of the men who hold various PhDs in theology. But the one thing I keep being driven back too while listening to all these great speakers at this conference and after reading the writers on the various blogs…is the need for the Bible and prayer.

I am driven to my knees when I hear about the lost in our great country. I am driven to my knees when I hear the word “program”. I am driven to the scripture to find the answer on how to reach the people in the state of California. I am overwhelmed by the desire to reach a people who have everything they need. I am convinced we have lost our desire for prayer…we have lost our ability to trust God in providing and answering prayer, because we have stopped earnestly praying. By not trusting in God we have lost our ability to recognize the Holy Spirit working in our communities. For fear of our discomfort we have been conditioned to look to the next best program, which contains an easy recipe for success. Prayer and a return to the Bible…We need to fall in love with knowing the Lord through prayer…we need to fall in love with the Bible…we need to saturate our lives with these basics. It is only from this position will we make a difference to the younger generation. When we authentically start to live out our faith in community, in our vocations, in our homes…only then will we start to see the change. It is from this pliable position God can start to use us to make inroads into new fields to plant, cultivate and harvest.

-ps