Sadly, much of the discussion regarding the topic of spiritual gifts among Christians is fraught with tension and division. Fights break out over which gifts, if any, have ceased or continue today. This division is especially evident with respect to the so-called miraculous spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing. In response, Christians can develop pride, jealousy, or even spiritual depression when comparing gifts or being confused about the matter. All of this is so very counter to the emphasis in the New Testament around the subject of spiritual gifts. Correctly understanding spiritual gifts according to the Bible will actually lead to caring for one another. As a church, we want to reclaim love and learn how to be people of compassion in a world full of hate....

The exposure of the sin of sexual abuse in our churches created the greatest crisis in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Here are four facts about where our convention truly stands as we head into New Orleans. 1. Southern Baptists Want Sexual Abuse Reform The exposure of sexual abuse jolted the SBC to the core. One case of sexual abuse would have been overwhelmingly too many. Hundreds of victims are as horrifying as they are heartbreaking. This terrible problem, however, is not where the trouble ends. Sadly, two opposite kinds of people refuse to tell the truth about this crisis. Some have a vested interest in the status quo, have downplayed the problem, and have resisted any good faith efforts at reform. Others have amplified the problem to the point of caricature. They...

Conviction has always been the foundation of our convention. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has declared those convictions in The Baptist Faith and Message (BFM), which we worked so hard to create and take so seriously. It’s been a long time since Southern Baptists have had a debate about the BFM, but we’re having a big one now. When this debate is over, we will either be a stronger convention or a weaker one. I’m encouraged that the SBC is going to get in the right spot on this issue, but we have to work to make that true. The debate started a year ago when the credentials committee recommended further study into the word pastor before removing churches who employed female pastors. As the convention debated that recommendation, the suggestion came that it was unfair to remove churches...

One of the kindest gifts of God to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been the leadership we have enjoyed from some of the finest preachers in America. Those leaders have never been perfect but have always been characterized by faithfulness to the Word of God. These days Southern Baptists are witnessing a display of faithlessness from one of our most influential leaders, America’s pastor, Rick Warren. In recent years Pastor Rick has led his church in calling women to the pastoral office. Because this practice is a clear violation of Scripture and The Baptist Faith and Message (BFM), the SBC has taken steps to remove his church from the convention. Pastor Rick’s church has the freedom to hire anyone they like. The SBC has similar freedom to affiliate with anyone they like. Pastor Rick...

In the weeks ahead, I’m going to engage the big problems everyone is discussing in advance of New Orleans. Before that, I want to engage a problem at the root of these difficulties that many are missing. The Nature of Disagreements The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is disagreeing on a lot right now. It is not the end of the world to disagree, especially when those disagreements are important. Most disagreements become a problem, however, when you mistreat each other in the disagreement. Southern Baptists are mistreating each other in our disagreements. I am regularly shocked by how toxic our discourse is. We take swipes at each other on Twitter, question integrity, judge motives, talk badly about one another in our committee meetings, publicly demean when we should privately discuss,...

A Southern Baptist Meltdown Right now, Southern Baptists are in the midst of a veritable smorgasbord of near chaos. Whether the issue is the rejection by the executive committee of the search team’s candidate to lead that entity, the highly unusual development that our incumbent president will face an opponent for reelection, the opposition of an influential pastor to The Baptist Faith and Message (BFM), or our lack of clarity on how to proceed on sexual abuse, the convention is facing all manner of serious problems. We are in the gyrations of a full Southern Baptist meltdown. What Is Really Going on The conservative resurgence has defined Southern Baptist life for over thirty years. That powerful force created leadership and stability in convention life for a generation. During that resurgent...