The final report from the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force was released this past Sunday. The body of the report and two appendices total almost 400 pages. It took me 7 hours to read through the material the first time. This week, I am reading it again as part of forming a measured response.
My first impression, however, was profound sadness. Aspects of the report are tragic, gut-wrenching, and despicable. While some of the report rehashed former incidents, there were new situations—at least new to me—that were heart-rending. The victims’ stories call for compassionate, definitive action to humbly chart a serious path forward. Nothing else eclipses that immediate need right now.
My other initial impressions touch a range of concerns—from polity, to finance, to organizational design; from leadership selection, to legal matters, and missional focus. As you would expect, the suggestions for the seminaries were of particular interest to me. But those concerns are for another day. We all need much more time to digest what we are reading, consider the options presented in the report, reflect on the proposed changes, and make some reasoned and prayerful decisions about the best path forward.
Given the scope of the report and the short time frame until the convention, the best immediate result may be the creation of an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force. The current Task Force has suggested it will recommend this group be appointed by the next SBC president to assist with the implementation of reform initiatives over the next three years.
At the Anaheim convention, we need God’s guidance to make decisions with long-term positive implications—which none of us can really foreshadow or foresee. We need more than our combined insight. We need an intervention—a spiritual infusion of God’s grace, direction, and superintending power. We also need an intentional, definitive path forward. Let’s pray and work toward those outcomes.
Read More
Lessons from Twenty-Five Years of Preaching God’s Word
I am unashamedly an expository preacher. My first sermon, however, was not.
“Faith is a tree known by its fruits”: The Gisle Johnson Project
The Gisle Johnson Project is a new research endeavor spearheaded by Robb Torseth
Listen
Ecclesiology and Evangelical Missionaries by Dr. Richard Cook
Evangelical Missiological Society, “EMS Southwest Regional Meeting”, April 4th 2024
Richard Cook, Logos Evangelical Seminary
Ecclesiology and Evangelical Missionaries: 1900 to the Present (Part 2)
To u
Jonathan Edwards and Reformed Arminianism with Matthew Pinson
J. Matthew Pinson earned his a doctorate from Vanderbilt University and currently serves as president of Welch College in Gallatin, Tennessee. He joins our podcast this week to talk about his book, Jonathan Edwards: A Reformed Arminian Engagement.
<
Watch
Jonathan Edwards and the Asbury Revival
Chris Chun and Chris Woznicki discuss the signs of true revival, signs of the work of the Holy Spirit, and why it is important to critically assess the characteristics of revival in a spirit of charity.
Jonathan Edwards and the Baptists | Douglas Sweeney, Nathan Finn and Chris Chun
Dr. Douglas Sweeney and Dr. Nathan Finn joined Dr. Chris Chun for a panel discussion on Jonathan Edwards, recorded live at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.