10 Things that Happened at the 2008 SBC

Here's a guide to understanding what happened at the 2008 meeting of the SBC in Indianapolis.  I wasn't there, but I didn't need to be to know what happened.  I'm sure there were many great things that happened, including networking and building new relationships as well as renewing old ones.  But here's my list, just for fun, of the 10 things that happened at the SBC because they, to some extent, always happen at the SBC. 

10. Many thousands made "a decision for Christ" during the Indy Crossover evangelism push.  Most of them won't join churches.

9. Someone proposed a stupid resolution that got more discussion than someone who proposed a significant resolution.

8. Some bloggers discovered that blogging influence doesn't amount to much, and shouldn't.

7. Someone blew a shofar, metaphorically at least.

6. Some guys who preached included lines merely to hear the applause of the masses.

5. Mark Dever had 14 disciples following his every move and seeking his advice on bookstore purchases.

4. No less than 7 people had beer with their meal, to the shock of onlooking SBC messengers.

3. They mostly voted on stuff that won't change minds, churches, the convention, or the world.

2. Guys in suits won elections.

1. Indianapolis is now officially out of beef and butter.

Comments

[Todd]

wow. THAT is inspiring!

[PW]

During the convention, did any of the beer drinkers do it out of a shofar? Those are the stats i like.

[Josh]

Short time reader, first time commenter.

I've enjoyed reading your blog for a few weeks. Being a young, Southern Baptist guy in the Midwest (although I'm from Missouri, where we're still fighting the Civil War, only now we use Robert's Rules of Order rather than rifles and cannon), I feel a connection.

anyways, great list. I didn't go to the Convention (I can't see my church sending their 24 year old interim youth pastor to the national meeting), but from the blogs and news clips I read, your list is prophetically dead-on.

although the regenerate membership resolution did get the most press, I think, and probably was the most important thing proposed. (although I still enjoy the proposal to ban Southern Baptist-produced Bible translations from Southern Baptist meetings.) keep up the good work.

[Steve McCoy]

A shofar bong? Brilliant! ;)

[Matt P.]

I needed a good laugh out loud today ... and #4 did it!

Thank you!

[steve lewis]

Well done Steve. I typically grit my teeth and wince during the SBC's annual meeting, because of some silly resolution that hits the New York Times.

I decided NOT to post the following on my blog earlier in the week (so I'll post in yours instead ;) ). You know how after 9/11, Falwell said it was God's judgment on NY for its sin, and how after Katrina, Hagee said it was God's judgment on NO for their gay pride parade? I was just wondering if the massive lightning storms and flooding in Indiana last week had something to do with God judging them for hosting the SBC?

[Joe Thorn]

Man, funniest thing of the week - #1. So true.

[Kevin]

#9 is true

There was a proposed resolution to develop online voting for future conventions. It was declined. No need for that, since such a significant % of churches/pastors come to the convention (yes, sarcasm).

[John Finkelde]

Steve you should move to Australia & join us here - you would fit in perfectly! This post is so funny & the comment on beer out of a shofar - fabulous!

jf

[ben]

Steve,

On #5, there were only nine of us.

Plus, he managed to evade us on a couple occasions, which led to some frantic moments as we began to wither instantaneously.

[Lucas Defalco]

You are right about resolutions. They don't do much to change anything. The only thing I am praying for is that the resolution on regenerate church membership might help spur some interest in good ministries like 9 Marks.

[johnMark]

Steve,

Do you really think the above post is funny?

Well, I just want to tell you that I certainly do! :) Thanks, man.

A messenger friend of mine actually did have a beer in Indianapolis. I told the story on my...you know.

Anyways...cheers,

Mark

p.s. Can I get an "Amen?"

[Nathan Creitz]

Hey Steve,

I recently added you to my blog reader and I did get a small chuckle out of this post. However, for a long time I've really believed that we've got to unify behind our denomination, our churches, and our beliefs. I'm an easy going guy and I don't want to sound like Debbie Downer, but this post really highlights the negativity and sarcasm that people have about Southern Baptists. We are seen as a joke to the world partly because of stupid resolutions and zany fundamentalists that give us all a bad name. On the other hand, my theory is that the SBC is a joke to the world largely because of posts just like this one that prove that the people who are laughing most at the SBC are the SBC. I'm not sure if you are Southern Baptist but I would even go further and say that Christianity is a laughingstock because everyone is so disgruntled with Christianity but no one is more critical and condemning of Christianity than Christians themselves. We have to stop bashing the Church before a lost world. If we are going to do anything about improving the SBC, it will be done man-to-man not on a blog so that everyone can read it and see that we think of ourselves as a huge joke. Am I making sense? So, while I chuckled at your jokes...and they are funny...I realize that they are funny using the cheap shot cynicism that the rest of the world uses when they want an easy laugh. Maybe you don't have very many unbelievers reading your blog but by writing and encouraging these sorts of a posts, you are leading your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ astray and propagating a culture of disdain among believers of other believers. Sarcasm won't change the SBC.

Now, let me go ahead and post the ubiquitous next comment to this post:

Johnny Q: "Dude, lighten up, it was funny, just live a little. Maybe it's people like you that give the SBC a bad name cause you've got your undies in a wad."

Nathan: "Maybe you are right, no offense, just offering my opinion with Christian love."

[Steve McCoy]

Nathan,

You are essentially calling for the SBC to mask our warts and only focus on the positive. It’s all the shiny, happy crap and SBC make-up wearing that rightly leads the world to ridicule us for our hypocrisy and dishonesty.

What brings respect and a listening ear is a denomination that is transparent: honest about our warts and refusing to whitewash our problems away. The SBC is a “joke” not because we joke about "us" but because we don’t. When we tell the joke we are showing that we see our own problems. That also tends to squelch their criticism. How can you criticize people who have already criticized themselves openly? If they try they just look like they are bashing humble people.

Really, the best way to stop being a joke is to stop doing things that ARE a joke. My post is somewhat about that. But we know we will always have issues and pet sins, just as every Christian does, and we should be honest about them.

Let me put it all this way. I get utterly frustrated with defensive parents. You know the ones who defend their child at all costs, at all times, no matter how bad they've been. Everyone else is ALWAYS the problem and their kids are ALWAYS the perfect ones. I know people like that who can't admit that the biggest problem with their kid is that their kid is the problem, not the school, not the teacher, not the "bad influences," etc. Why? Because if they admit their kids are the problem then the finger has to be pointed at the parent as well. So instead they will blame anyone else rather than putting blame where it deserves to be.

That is what you want me and other SBC’rs to do, and that is what hurts us the most in the eyes of the world. The world will respect us more if we admit our warts and sins and deficiencies and problems. Self-deprecation is the need of the hour, not self-defensiveness.

[Nathan Creitz]

Nope,

Just as I suspected, you've misunderstood what I'm saying. I'm saying let's stop making it a casual, sarcastic issue and start treating this as serious and let's do it person-to-person, not on a blog where we simply propagate the assumptions of the world around us.

Nowhere in my comment did I say the SBC has it all together. We have huge flaws. We need to deal with them. However, what I did say is that sarcasm isn't the answer. For the most part, I have enjoyed your thoughts, and I thought I made it clear that I'm not trying to make a big issue out of this. I just think there is a way to bring about change...like, setting an example and not letting people look down on your "youth". Honestly, if I were Johnny Hunt and I had this radical idea to change the convention and to seek out godly young men and women for advice, I wouldn't ask someone who blogs sarcasm and negativity. I would find people who are changing the world. We've got some serious problems and I get your point about being transparent but I wouldn't go so far as self-deprecation. What would make our convention stronger is if we stopped talking about our convention good or bad and simply focused on our churches. A convention full of healthy churches would be healthy by default.

I guess to wrap this up, I will just take your analogy of the overly defensive parents. There's another kind of parent that I don't like: a parent that openly shames their child in public. Discipline is meant to be a private matter of the family. And I'm not just talking about scolding in public...sometimes a parent has to take swift action. I'm talking about the parents who shame their child publicly by saying something cruel or sarcastic and make the child look and feel stupid.

I think the next generation of leaders has a lot of wisdom but that gives us no cause to disrespect all those "men in suits" who have gone before us. They've made a lot of mistakes and maybe no one can see that more than us, but somehow I don't think you would make a list of the Top Ten Stupid Things My Child Does and I don't think we should be doing it about our brothers and sisters or our elders either.

I didn't mean to make this such a rebuke but your response showed me that you were unwilling to hear my caution and you missed my point with your parent analogy so I pray that you hear this in the love and concern with which I write. Since you had a hard time getting my point when I merely gave a modicum of push back to your post, I will reserve further comment. God Bless.

[Ben Arment]

Steve, I'm commenting to lend my support to you. I think Nathan needs a laxative.

[Joe Thorn]

Nay-Nay,

Can I call you "Nay-Nay?" I call another Nathan I know "Nay-Nay." He doesn't like it either.

You said, "I'm saying let's stop making it a casual, sarcastic issue and start treating this as serious and let's do it person-to-person, not on a blog where we simply propagate the assumptions of the world around us."

Using sarcasm and humor does not mean one doesn't take the problem addressed seriously. It is simply one means of addressing the problem. Such does not "propogate the assumptions" the world makes about us, but confesses their observations as somewhat correct, while admitting we need to change.

Plus, Steve is not simply slamming the SBC on his blog, he works for change in the SBC via his local church, local association, and he attends many of the SBC annual meetings.

Your second paragraph is largely the point Stebe has made for years. Let's stop focusing on how to fix the SBC as an institution, and focus on local churches. Of course that requires there to be dialog, rebuke, confession, et al.

It's obvious from your comment that you know little to nothing of Steve or this blog. You asked if he is a Southern Baptist and don't know whether or not his blog is popular. So, it would be hard for you to know where he is coming from. In such a case, cut a guy some slack, give him the benefit of the doubt. It's good that you want to see good change come to the SBC. So do I. So does Steve. We have labored for it in ways, positive ways, that you know nothing of. I would hope you are doing the same.

So, Nay-Nay ease up a bit on Steve, but press on in your goals and work for reformation. And if Ben is right, and you do need a laxative... go organic. The over the counter stuff s bad for you.

[Steve McCoy]

Nathan,

You do realize, don't you, that my post isn't "sarcasm?" It's funny because it's true, and because it's always true.

How do we change the SBC? It's not either/or. I don't have to only talk person-to-person in the SBC, though I do that and more. Joe made this point very well in his comment. I have a multi-faceted approach that includes being honest about what's wrong with us. It also includes making an annual trip to Nashville to pay homage, only buying Broadman and Holman books and only buying them at LifeWay, praying "Hail Lottie's" daily, using an Evangecube and working on developing a southern twang. We take ourselves too seriously, and your comments are yet another reason to believe that.

[Joe Thorn]

Hey, now that's sarcasm! LOL

[Non-SBC Referee (Daniel Yang)]

"Hi Hank, long time listener, first time caller. God bless you for your min..." Oh wait...wrong deal.

As the non-SBCer on the field, here's my call on the play:

Steve scores a point for speaking "truth in his heart" (Psalms 15:2...becareful about verse 3)

Nathan scores a point for speaking "truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15)

The Alliance General Council can be as (un)eventful as SBC conventions. Some of you dudes haven't heard of your younger brother, Alliance...but we hold our own...we pushed out guys like Tozer, Zacharias, and Willard!

Have fun, but not always at the expense of others.

[Charles]

As a former SBCer, Steve's comments resonated with me. For all it's faults, at least it's not the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship where one of their speakers talked about moving beyond the understanding of Jesus as truly God and truly Man and other inconvenient doctrines like salvation in the name of Jesus Christ only. "Salvation - what's that?" sounds like a good topic for their next convention.

In other words, it could be worse!