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Southern Baptist Convention

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Rebel, Jul 15, 2015.

  1. Rebel

    Rebel Active Member

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  2. Thousand Hills

    Thousand Hills Active Member

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    I've attended SBC churches for the past 8 years. In the past 5 years as a BB member I've been a vocal critic of things I've observed, but all in all I think the SBC does great kingdom work. Here is a thread I started last year. The first post has a link to a video of Dr. Mohler addressing the state of the SBC, I summarized the video in my op.

    http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=91546

    Here is a good article which I think explains well much of the attendance/decline issues that your article speaks of.

    http://www.ccwtoday.org/article/southern-baptists-an-unregenerate-denomination/
     
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    I tend to agree that SBC churches might be cleaning up their roles.
    I wonder how many folks are members of 3,4, 5 or even more churches?

    As far as baptisms - could be that some churches have stopped baptizing people several times.
     
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    It is falling among all demons.
     
  5. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    Okay, figured out the charts: its common knowledge, but not nearly as bad as he is trying to say. You want to see bad? Go look at his denomination over the same time periods.

    That said, the discussion within the article is fair, but not balanced. The SBC is not seeing exponential growth like it once was, but it isn't shrinking massively. Yes, baptisms are not growing as much as they were decades ago. But that doesn't mean the denomination is going to shut down.

    I am personally one that advocates cleaning up our membership roles and accurately reporting baptism numbers to our state offices. This is beginning to happen.

    Also, don't forget that the SBC has the largest, by far, missionary force internationally and no other denomination starts more churches in a year.

    The ARDA data is okay, but we need a comprehensive view to accurately understand the situation. Besides, I'm entirely okay with a smaller Southern Baptist Convention. Do be mindful that the majority of the largest 50 churches in the United States have roots, either from their leaders or founding churches, with SBC churches.


    <<Daniel Schultz, a.k.a. pastordan, is a minister in the United Church of Christ. He serves a small and very patient congregation in Wisconsin.>>

    That's all I really needed to read...fella has a gripe. Does he want to compare the fall off with what has happened to his denomination?
     
    #5 preachinjesus, Jul 15, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 15, 2015
  6. Rebel

    Rebel Active Member

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    Yes, and you could add to that the Episcopal Church, ELCA, United Methodists.

    I have theological issues with the SBC, but I am right with them on moral and ethical issues.
     
    #6 Rebel, Jul 15, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 15, 2015
  7. Rebel

    Rebel Active Member

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    Some conservative denominations are still growing, Rev. I don't know of any liberal ones that are.
     
  8. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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  9. wpe3bql

    wpe3bql Member

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    Most IFB groups (at least in the USA) can trace their lineage to either the SBC and/or what used to be called the "Northern" BC [now the American Baptist Convention].

    At least in part, this is why some IFB church "Fellowships" look to different people as their "founder(s)," while other IFB church "Fellowships" would claim other different people as their "founder(s)."

    Moreover, this can also be part of the reason(s) why, although they both may claim to be IFB churches, they sometimes "do some things differently," or may emphasize some things more so than other IFB churches.

    Some IFB folks who don't know this may wonder why an IFB church with different roots than their own IFB church "do things the way they do," or seem to emphasize some things that their own IFB doesn't---and sometimes this lack of knowledge can unfortunately result in one IFB church and/or individual claiming that, because another IFB church does "it" differently than they do, that "other" IFB church and/or individual must be "in the wrong."

    I've witnessed this sort of thing happen from time to time, and IMHO, I'm grieved over it.

    Why some IFB churches and/or individuals do this is, in some cases, is beyond me.

    EXAMPLE: One IFB church is KJVO, while another IFB isn't. Some may go so far as to make that difference "a test of fellowship," and consequently consider the other IFB "a bunch of heretics with which we'll have no fellowship whatsoever, and we'll NOT even receive people from that 'heathen' church unless they 'repent of the errors of their ways'!"

    Another divisive issue can be the style of music that different IFB churches may use. One believes that only hymns and/or piano or organ music is the ONLY way to conduct the "worship" portion of its corporate services. OTOH, another IFB church uses "contemporary" "praise & worship" music that's accompanied with guitars, etc. "We can't fellowship with those bunch of 'modernists'! No sir, they departed from the faith 'which was once delivered unto the saints [like us],' and therefore aren't welcomed because we KNOW that the NT churches only sung hymns accompanied by pianos and/or organs--certainly not by guitars! IOW, poor King David would probably never be that IFB church's music director!

    IMHO, all this division over things such as these makes little sense.

    Both IFB churches preach the Gospel, both want to "live for the Lord and serve Him," both have so much in common, BUT no, they refuse to "get along with each other" over what seems to me to be silly matters.

    Who "wins" in situations like these? Well, I don't believe it's the cause of Christ; therefore, it may be that it's "the other side" that "wins."

    PS--I'm sure that what I've posted about IFB churches can probably be said of some SBC churches too.
     
  10. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    When you find one let me know.
     
  11. Rebel

    Rebel Active Member

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    Assemblies of God, Church of God, SDA (controversial, I know).
     
  12. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Everything that hypes emotionalism and prosperity gospel. The SBC is as conservative as they come.
     
  13. Rebel

    Rebel Active Member

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    The prosperity gospel is a teaching mainly of the charismatics but not the old line Pentecostals.
     
  14. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Anyway........


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
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