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SBC Nickname: Adventures in Baby Splitting? Not!

I’m in a Seinfeld state of mind.  First Mr. Mendelbaum and now Newman. Even Postal Employee Newman — Kramer’s friend and Jerry’s nemesis in the popular 1990s sitcom – was wise enough to know that you can’t split a bicycle in half. Upon hearing the news Monday night that the unofficial Name Change Task Force was recommending no official name change for the Southern Baptist Convention, but instead recommending adding an optional nickname — Great Commission Baptists — I was perplexed.  My initial thought was, “this doesn’t make any sense.”  My wife had a more pithy word to describe the recommendation. Surely this Task Force, whose members include such Convention stalwarts as Dr. Paige Patterson, Dr. Albert Mohler, Dr. David Dockery, Dr. Kevin Ezell, Dr. Tom Eliff and others, are surely wiser than Newman, thus applying the … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Great Commission Baptists, Religion, SBC Name Change, Southern Baptist Convention

“It’s Go Time!” Mendelbaum, Mendelbaum, Mendelbaum

Mr. Mendelbaum (played wonderfully by the late Lloyd Bridges), would, in some memorable episodes, challenge Jerry Seinfeld to feats of strength by goading him with the catchphrase, “It’s go time!”  I’m reminded of that tonight, having driven all day from Dallas and thinking throughout the drive about the Nickname proposal put forth by an “unofficial” Task Force and given legitimacy tonight by most members of the SBC’s Executive Committee (thankfully there were a few who had the courage to stand against this proposal).  In several tweets by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, now known as a “Great Commission Baptists institution” (who needs the messengers to vote on this?), Dr. Mohler, who is no doubt a brilliant scholar and theologian, communicates a condescension unbecoming the President of … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Religion, SBC Name Change, Southern Baptist Convention

SBC Nicknames & the Calm Before the Storm

I’ll be on the road most of the day as my son and I head back home after spending an enjoyable few days in Dallas.  Stephen’s doctor’s appointment went well — no surgery anytime soon — and we even managed to see the Mavericks beat the Celtics at the AA Center (American Airlines, not Alcoholics Anonymous — you just gotta keep all those nicknames straight).  Monday was also a day of finding and eating good Texas BBQ, even if it was at the Red, Hot, and Blue restaurant chain out of Memphis! Of course, the big story of Monday was the announcement by the unofficial “official” Name Change Task Force of a new “unofficial” nickname for the Southern Baptist Convention.  Completely optional, the new nickname will be “Great Commission Baptists” (no one … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Great Commission Resurgence, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention

Worship at The Village Church & a Quest for BBQ in Dallas

On a beautiful Sunday morning in Dallas, my oldest son, Stephen, and I decided to head to the Dallas Northway Campus of The Village Church for the 11:15 a.m. Worship Service. Actually, Stephen didn’t really have any choice in the matter. Truth be told, I didn’t really have a choice either. While I might be an inconsistent Calvinist in my practice, I know and believe in God’s total sovereignty. When I share with the congregation at Bethel Alamogordo on Sundays, “No one is here by accident or coincidence. God has brought each of us here today with purpose and reason, to hear from Him and to leave changed because we have been in His presence,” I truly believe that. By the way, I don’t think you have to consider yourself a Reformed … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Food, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention, Worship

A Road Trip & Quest for Good BBQ in Dallas

Early Saturday morning, my oldest son, Stephen, and I head to Dallas for his six-month check-up at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  Diagnosed with Legg-Perthes Disease when he was six, Stephen has struggled with this childhood hip condition for half his life.  There are certainly times when, like any of us coping with aches and pains, he struggles more.  However, he continues to handle his “thorn in the flesh” quite well for a young man on the precipice of his teenage years.  In November 2010, Stephen and I embarked on our first Father/Son road trip to Big D.  Apart from time spent in DFW Airport, that was my first trip to the land of the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks and, Ewings.  In spite of my built-up prejudice against all things Texas because of too many … Read entire article »

Filed under: Family, Food, Travel