During the course of an interview on The O’Reilly Factor, especially\u00a0when a politician\u00a0attempts to spin their arguments, Bill O’Reilly often tells his guests\u00a0that he is “a simple man.”\u00a0 While I don’t think anyone would accuse Mr. O’Reilly of being a simpleton, his “simple man” approach does have a way of cutting through the political spin and simplifying the\u00a0issues for his viewers.\u00a0 That’s probably one reason that he continues to have the highest rated cable news\u00a0show for the better part of a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although some would see my legal background as an impediment in the ministry, I have always seen my law school training and practice as an attorney as a benefit and blessing.\u00a0 It allows me to bring a unique perspective to the table and to hopefully\u00a0simplify and clarify those\u00a0issues that others would like to obfuscate (muddy).<\/p>\n
So, let’s cut through the mud and the spin that has become the GCR.\u00a0 For many, the GCR\u00a0has simply replaced CR\u00a0as the rallying cry in what appears to be the never-ending\u00a0battle for the heart and soul (not to mention control) of the Southern Baptist Convention.\u00a0 Not content with a thoroughly conservative convention, including all six\u00a0seminaries and\u00a0both mission boards, the ruling elite within the Convention has now set its sights on taking control of the Baptist state conventions.\u00a0 Some on the GCRTF would have already taken control, but for that pesky Baptist doctrine known as autonomy.\u00a0 That some on the Task Force had to be educated about the autonomy of the state conventions <\/a>is a telling sign of where the battle is headed in the days and years to come.<\/p>\n Another telling sign has been provided by Nathan Akin, the son of Dr. Danny Akin, in a post on the Baptist21 blog.\u00a0 Entitled “GCR\u00a0Phase2?,”<\/em> <\/a>Akin lays out\u00a0a clear and compelling\u00a0strategy\u00a0for GCR\u00a0supporters to follow in order to\u00a0accomplish the full implementation of the GCR.\u00a0 This strategy,\u00a0quite simply,\u00a0means changing the structures\u00a0at all levels of SBC life:<\/p>\n “Therefore, it is likely that there will need to be several more phases for a GCR\u00a0to take root in all levels of our convention structures. Phase2\u00a0of the GCR will likely be involvement in the state convention and other local Baptist structures.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While I do not presume to\u00a0say that Nathan Akin speaks for anyone else in this particular article, I think it would be naive to believe that he speaks for no one else in this article.\u00a0 I would find it passing strange if his views were not shared by many, perhaps most, of those who support the GCR, including a good many of the ruling elites within the SBC.<\/p>\n I would say that I am surprised by the battle plan that Akin has articulated, but I am not.\u00a0 In a recent post, “The GCR & a New War Between the States,” <\/a>I predicted that the battle for the GCR\u00a0implementation would have to be fought, in large measure, at the state convention level.\u00a0 And, make no mistake, this is exactly what Nathan Akin and other GCR supporters are advocating for.<\/p>\n What is surprising about the Baptist21\u00a0article is the lack of self-awareness on the part of some GCR\u00a0supporters.\u00a0 What is fascinating about the strategy proposed by Akin is that he seems to be encouraging pastors who have heretofore never had much use for the state conventions or the annual meetings to now show up in mass to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n The most astounding — and revealing — part of the article is when Akin writes:<\/p>\n If we are to see more money leave the Deep South, we must be present at state conventions, be a consistent part of the process, vote on budgets, make motions, and more. Make your voice heard. So do something this October\/November that may not be as glamorous as going to T4G, the Gospel Coalition conference, or Catalyst, take a day and go to your state convention meeting and vote on budgets and resolutions that reflect your churches priorities. If you are an advocate of the GCR\u00a0go and vote on things that represent what was called for in the GCR Task Force Report that was adopted in June at the National Convention. Load up a van and take some friends with you. Make this a first step<\/a>\u00a0in seeking a GCR in our structures at all levels of SBC life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, let me get this straight.\u00a0 For those pastors who have\u00a0up to\u00a0now shunned the non-glamorous\u00a0annual meetings of the various Baptist state conventions\u00a0and who have presumably chosen to spend their conference time and money on attending such glamorous non-SBC events like T4G, the Gospel Coalition or Catalyst, they should now deign to show up at the state convention annual meetings in October and November to let their voices be heard. Wow!\u00a0\u00a0How have we been able to function without all those glamorous folks showing up at our annual meetings?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The all-out politicizing of the Great Commission by the GCRTF and the\u00a0establishment and ruling elites within the SBC will continue to have negative ramifications convention-wide.\u00a0 The tone-deafness of many of the GCR supporters reveals a lack of understanding of where I believe most Southern Baptists are.<\/p>\n