Story

Opening line of new BP story quotes Bobby Welch as saying near the end of the convention...

"I want 'em to hear us in hell."

What exactly does this mean?  Are we gloating over those who are under condemnation?  Are we evangelizing hell now?  Are we trying to scare Satan with a red, white, and blue balloon drop?

Read on, and God help us...

"We're going to sound the charge in this room," he continued. "You don't win unless you go to war.

"We're going to attack the gates of hell for the sake of souls.

"We're going to sound in this room right now the charge to go on the assault," Welch said. "And we're also going to sound the celebration of the sure victory that's in Jesus Christ."

With the three-foot-long horn, Skaggs sounded the charge. Applause and cheers filled the room.

"Oh, yeah, I've got a feeling that in hell right now they're huntin' cover," Welch said.

Skaggs blew the horn again, and Welch said, "I want 'em to hear you in hell. And I want 'em to hear you in heaven. I want those who are on their way to hell to know we're coming. I want those in heaven to tune up, because there's gonna be some rejoicing in the next year because some folks will be off the road to hell and on their way to heaven," Welch said, the crowd's standing ovation continuing.

"Southern Baptists, honest, now, before God, who do you think could witness to and win and then, bless God, get 'em down to the church and baptize them? Who do you think could do that?"

"Everyone can -- and I'm it," the crowd yelled.

Fireworks exploding, balloons falling, shofar sounding, Southern Baptists geared up to leave the building to meet the challenge.

Where's the Mylanta?  This is going to be a long year.  I know Bobby Welch means well, God bless him.  I mean that.  But it's time for things to change.  Who's with me?

Comments

[Ryan]

Reading those quotes I felt like I was back in high school at a pep rally...only worse.

[Adam Neel]

Great blog... good to see you even if it was brief. You forgot the great Doogie Howser M.Div quote from Ergan Caner and the meaningless dead frog illustration from Bobby Welch. Hopefully, Biblical heads will prevail that Everyone Can't and we aren't IT... that's why we need Jesus, Peter in Luke 5 sure didn't think he was when he told Jesus to leave. talk to you later. have a nice vacation

Adam

[David Wilson]

Sigh...

How is it that people who can quote "all have sinned" don't get it.

We've never had more trained "clergy", but I'll hang with the almost illiterate D.L. Moody who said "never speak about hell without tears."

It's hard to be SBC.

[Rick Bennett]

I will refrain from any comment regarding the reported event. Anything I would say would have to be construed as not edifying, mean-spirited and a personal attack upon Bobby Welch and the leadership of our dear denomination.

another sigh.

[Jeff T]

I think the blogging about this convention has helped me understand more of the frustration about the SBC.

Can I join the "dark" side and officially start complaning too? :) I guess that means I'll stop complaining about the complaining or does that mean I am now going to complain about the complaing of the complaining.

Jeff

[Joe Thorn]

Steve asked, "Who'e with me?"

Well, here it comes brother, "I AM!"

woo WOOO woo WOOO!

Bobby uses war metaphors more than the prophets - and literal war was often their context! I will tell you the truth. This does move me to act. To work for reformation, and a biblical/missional mindset for our local churches and eventually the convention.

David, great words from Moody. You know, I have major problems with much of Moody's theology, as I imagine I would with Bobby's. But I still have a painting of DL in my basement. One of the reasons is because of what you just explained about him.

[David Phillips]

I'm with you too Steve...Though the following story may disturb you :-D

I had a dream last night there were 10,000 young leaders at the Greensboro Convention next year and we elected our own president (Ed Stetzer was the guy in my dream) and got our own guy in as pres of the pastor's conference...The San Antonio Convention the next year was blast!

Back to reality...it's going to take grassroots work on all our parts to bring change. And it's going to take our involvment in the state and local associations, not a bunch of lone rangers. I'm willing to do that. I'm helping in the Maryland/Delaware convention assess church planters (we've got a cool process) and I'm spending time with the DOM of the Delaware Association and he's asked me to lead the leadership team of the association for the coming year, which helps bring direction and oversite to the association.

[John Mark]

I think I can explain the hell references, but I have no explanation for the war cry. Some people interpret "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" to mean that the church is on the march against the powers of darkness. The gates of the city of hell are not strong enough to withstand the battering ram of God's people.

What I can't explain is how this metaphor transfers into a ancient war cry from the SBC. Maybe they should have done the Braveheart war cry. Talk about scary.

[Paul]

JM, that's a very disturbing visual. I think I need to go wash my mind out with soap.

Let's suppose there were a few people working in the convention center who aren't followers of Jesus and they heard all of this going on. What might they think? If I were them I would have been ducking for cover from the mob of 11,000 sounding the battle cry against me.

Another picture: can you see Jesus and his disciples sitting around doing this at the feeding miracles?

Sad. Very sad.

I'm with you, Steve.

[D.R. Randle]

Sounds to me like ole' Bobby needs a lesson in theology (specifically eschatology and judgment). Maybe he should pick up some Grudem. Anybody got an extra copy lying around they could send him?

[lacey]

When Bobby Welch came to Union a couple months ago I (deliberately, to be honest) skipped chapel but later found a hand-out from the meeting which discussed his "everyone can" hoop-la. i am so relieved to not be the only one alarmed by this and reading about the huge pep rally just makes me really sad. It makes me think of the cheap grace/sin-management gospel stuff i have read from Willard,Sider, etc... what is happening to the sbc? i am just thankful others see a problem with this. thanks for your reporting.

[myles]

good night...this is a sliver of the reason why i don't do the SBC anymore. i still consider them my brothers and sisters, albeit, the more embarrassing brothers and sisters at times, but still family. the problem with the SBC is that they're declaring war on a culture they have not ever lived in.

[Joe Thorn]

Lacey, I don't think anything is "happening" to the SBC, I think it happened years ago over a period of time and now we're in it. Thus the need for reformation, or perhaps we really should call it "reformission."

[Aaron]

It seems that Welch was using "hell" in reference to Satan's forces, as in the phrase "the gates of hell shall not prevail against us." He is saying he wants the opposing force to tremble, not that he wants to gloat over those who are under eternal torment.