Dr. Al Mohler, a Baptist Woman Home Missionary Teaching the Bible to Pastors, and Drunkenness

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and Wade at Mic 6 

During the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention, I stepped to Microphone 6 to ask Dr. Mohler and the other Southern Baptist seminary Presidents a question.

Before I tell you what I asked, let me give you some background.

I, like most Southern Baptists, believe the Bible is God's infallible and inerrant Word. What I've discovered over the last dozen years is that men in control of the Southern Baptist Convention desire to tell you what the Bible means and don't like people disagreeing.

There's nothing wrong with giving others an interpretation of God's Word. Pastors do it all the time. It's called exegesis or "a critical explanation or interpretation of a text of Scripture."

But the Southern Baptist Convention will always be in trouble when there is a demand for conformity on tertiary matters of theology instead of a decision for cooperation around the primary message of the Gospel.

There is a huge difference between believing the Bible is God's Word and interpreting the Bible as God's Word.

None of us is God.

God doesn't stutter when He speaks, but we're often at a loss when we listen. "He that has ears to hear let him hear," Jesus said. The problem is us, not God.

If I don't think I can make a mistake in interpreting God's Word, then I have a problem with pride. I've placed myself in the position of God, telling you that you better believe what I say. God doesn't like pride, and pride will always lead to a personal fall.

That's why we all better be humble about telling others what God is saying. We may actually be misunderstanding God's Word. To believe God's Word is infallible is a confession of faith in God and God's Word. But to believe my interpretation of God's Word is infallible is a confession of faith in myself and my abilities.

So Christians have a simple job as fallible people who follow Jesus Christ.

We are to always make sure we don't confuse our interpretation with God's inspiration. 

That's why I like to ask seminary Presidents questions.

They are some of our most educated,  intellectually astute, and theologically-minded people in the Southern Baptist Convention. But if they're not careful, seminary Presidents - like pastors -  can get in the bad habit of thinking their interpretation of God's Word is infallible.

Al Mohler (Photo: Van Payne, Baptist Press)

Al Mohler does not believe that a woman can teach pastors the Bible. In Southern Seminary's School of Theology, there are  35 professors - 34 white men and 1 black man  - who are teaching and training Southern Baptist preachers and teachers, pastors and theologians, for the purpose of building the kingdom of God to the glory of Jesus Christ.

There are no women. 

Al Mohler, Paige Patterson, and a host of other current and former leaders of the Conservative Resurgence interpret God's Word as saying, "No woman shall ever teach a man or have a position of authority over a man (e.g. especially holy men like pastors)." 

I believe their belief is built on an erroneous interpretation of God's Word.  God commissions His people to serve His Kingdom based on their giftings and not their gender. 

Male pastors taking "spiritual authority" over people is a fraudulent authority in Christ's Kingdom. It's not supposed to be that way. It's contrary to the teachings of Jesus. The idea that male pastors have some kind of "special authority" is the result of a misinterpretation of just one or two passages from the New Testament. 

Yet SBC Presidents pontificate on pastoral power as if this pagan principle is actually a Papal bull. 

And it's also why female Hebrew professors are wrongly fired in the SBC. It's why male students leave class when a female seminary student exegetes the Scripture. It's why females are not in leadership in the SBC. 

That's all background for why I went to Microphone 6 and asked my question of Dr. Mohler and the other Southern Baptist Seminary Presidents. 

The Question

"Dr. Mohler, I want to thank you and the other seminary Presidents for your leadership and your reports. I've sat through many years of annual meetings, and the reports from our seminary Presidents this year constitute the best I've heard. Thank you all for your transparency, theological acumen, and love for Christ's Kingdom.

In light of several Southern Baptist women writing to me and telling me that Southern Baptist male divinity students are encouraged by seminary professors to walk out when female students fulfilling M.Div. requirements exegete the Scriptures out loud, and personally knowing that there have been unjust terminations of Hebrew and Old Testament professors in our Southern Baptist seminaries because they are females, and observing the lack of competent, gifted women in leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, I have a specific question that I'd like to ask you and the other seminary Presidents.

In 1863,  Joanna P. Moore (1832-1916) was appointed the first female Baptist missionary to the Home Mission Field by the American Baptist Convention, an original member of the Triennial Convention (1814), the forerunner of the Southern Baptist Convention (1845).

According to the Home Mission Monthly Magazine, Joanna Moore arrived for her first mission assignment on Island #10 in the Mississippi River. She ministered among former African American slaves who were now being protected by the Union Army. These former slaves had their own male pastors, mostly illiterate men who faithfully shepherded their fellow Christians in the plantations of the south.

These African American plantation preachers had never heard or thought it was wrong to get drunk occasionally until Joanna P. Moore arrived. She faithfully taught these pastors the Scriptures, especially expounding I Timothy 3:3 and the biblical prohibition against drunkenness. The pastors reformed their conduct, ceasing their occasional habit of getting drunk, and were better pastors due to the influence of Joanna P. Moore. 

So here's my question: 

Was it sinful for Joanna P. Moore to teach those male pastors the Word of God, and should she have remained silent and let those pastors continue in their drunkenness?"

After some laughter from the crowd, Dr. Mohler gave his response which demonstrated a great deal of inconsistency (I'll write on his response at another time).

My goal with this post is to encourage all fellow Christians who love Christ and His Word to consider and contemplate the illogical, fallible, and impractical interpretation that prevents a woman from teaching men or pastors the Holy Scriptures.

Never give in to demands for conformity on a specific interpretation of Scripture when your Master is Jesus Christ, and only His Word is infallible, not the words of a man.

Search the Scriptures for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

I've drawn mine. 

For more information on Baptist evangelist Joanna P. Moore, watch this short video.

Full Circle: Welcome to My World Dr. Bart Barber

 Bart Barber at Mic 6 (Photo: rmallison@star-telegram.com)

Yesterday was a historic day at the Southern Baptist Convention. And it brought back to me many memories.

In January 2006, without previous notice, and without anyone saying a word to me, the Executive Committee of the International Mission Board of trustees, led by chairman Dr. Thomas Hatley entered into Executive Session and made a motion to remove IMB trustee Wade Burleson.

I was caught by complete surprise.

When other IMB trustees asked the Executive Committee for the rationale of their attempt to remove me, Thomas Hatley responded, "Trust us." The Executive Committee gave me 24 hours to consider "resigning." They gave me the "carrot" that if I resigned, they would not make their motion to remove me public. The members of the IMB Executive Committee, all of whom were close friends or associates of Dr. Paige Patterson, further told me that I would "save my ministry," "save my reputation," "and not get into trouble with my church," if I would simply step down and not force them to take their motion to the 2006 SBC Greensboro Convention. SBC messengers at the annual meeting are the only ones who can remove trustees.

I refused to resign. So the next day, Thomas Hatley opened the doors of the IMB trustee meeting room to media and promptly proceeded to lie about me and their process. The IMB Executive Committee would rescind their motion to remove me within weeks because they knew it was baseless. They also knew I would have the opportunity to speak to the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention prior to messengers voting on my removal. They didn't want that to happen, so they rescinded the motion.

But the damage was done. Wade Burleson was now the problem. You can't believe a word he says. He is so unethical and such a "trouble-maker" we need to get rid of him. That's been the tried and true tactic of those who consider themselves in control of the SBC.

I was a loyal foot soldier for the Conservative Resurgence until I became a trustee of the International Mission Board in 2005. It was then I began to see what Paige Patterson and his loyalists and sycophants do to people who oppose him. I have them to thank for making me the man I am today.

The IMB trustees loyal to Paige Patterson were mad at me. I was doing all I could to prevent the firing of Dr. Jerry Rankin, President of the International Mission Board. The trustees moved against Dr. Rankin under the "guise" of adopting a new doctrinal that forbad missionaries from "using a private prayer language." It was well known by the trustees that Dr. Jerry Rankin privately prayed in tongues. So the way to get rid of people you don't like in the SBC is to narrow the parameters of doctrinal cooperation and exclude everyone who doesn't interpret the Bible on tertiary matters like Fundamentalists feel you should.

Paige Patterson and his loyal followers didn't like the direction of the IMB in those days under Dr. Rankin.  Paige Patterson thinks he "bequeathed to the world an orthodox denomination", so he and his followers think of Paige Patterson as the Baptist Pope or King who is responsible for the SBC. If you disagree with them or their direction, they'll say you don't believe the Bible, but the truth is, you just interpret the Bible differently. I've come to believe that Southern Baptists are great at saying "We believe the Bible," but in my experience, practicing what Jesus teaches is set aside in an attempt to control and exert authority over people. The SBC takes in $11 billion annually (through the churches). That means there are a ton of financial perks for those in charge.

As an SBC institutional trustee, if you don't follow Dr. Patterson's desires or find yourself blocking his agenda, then he'll either directly or indirectly (through the use of others), remove you as a trustee, by hook or by crook. Of course, not all trustees experience this intimidation, because most trustees are really good people who follow and trust leadership. Only a few hard-headed people like me feel the need to question leadership instead of trusting leadership.

The details of my experience at the International Mission Board are given in a book entitled Hardball Religion or you can read contemporary accounts of those days on my blog.

As a direct result of the controversy at the International Mission Board in 2006, the Southern Baptist Convention surprisingly elected Dr. Frank Page as President, the first time since 1978 a President not anointed by Paige Patterson was elected.

Dr. Bart Barber made a public comment on my blog at 8:26 am, Tuesday, June 20 (12 years ago), a week after the election of Frank Page as President of the Southern Baptist Convention:

Bro. Burleson,

I have been completely on the other side of all of this from you. I hope that won't prevent you from hearing me when I endeavor to step outside of this controversy and suggest something that I believe to be important.

Your blog has played a significant role in this year's story of the Southern Baptist Convention. That makes its content, in my estimation, a valuable primary source for the people who (if the Lord tarries) will be trying to sort all of this out in 100 years.

Yet blogs are nothing more than electrons--very ephemeral. Considering the way Blogger seems to run on occasion--very, very ephemeral. Have you considered taking any sort of action to preserve the content of your blog in a more permanent fashion? I should think that a suitable solution would contain both your posts and the comment log.

The archivists at OBU's Mabee Learning Center would probably be as much help to you as anyone would. They also might constitute a suitable repository for the material. Another option to consider would be the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville.

For whatever it is worth...

In Christ,

Bart Barber

Well, Dr. Barber, you are no longer "completely on the other side of all this." 

Welcome to my world.

Yesterday, Dr. Thomas Hatley made a motion to remove the Executive Committee of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for the decision of the Executive Committee to remove Paige Patterson as President Emeritus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Hearing Tom Hatley at the mic felt like old times.

During some tense debate,  Paige Patterson loyalists called into question the integrity, the character, and even the "Christ-likeness" of the members of the Executive Committee of SWBTS. Bart Barber, a member of the SWBTS EC and a former adjunct professor at the seminary, took a moment of personal privilege and spoke "in defense" of the Executive Committee.

Dr. Barber gave a detailed report that indicts the leadership of Paige Patterson at SWBTS.

What Bart revealed about trustee intimidation by Paige Patterson, what Bart said about Paige Patterson considering himself above accountability, and what Bart Barber summarized about the reasons why the SWBTS Executive Committee took the actions they did is nothing new.

I've been saying it for twelve years.

But this time, the Convention was allowed to hear the debate and the messengers were shocked.

Debate on the motion closed after Bart read his statement, and the messengers of the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention messengers voted 90% to 10% to KEEP the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in place.

Our institutional trustees should have been giving honest, transparent reports to the Southern Baptist Convention every single year. Nothing like a trustee being called every name in the book to light a fire within to "Tell the truth and trust the people."

It's a new day in the Southern Baptist Convention.

An Attempt to Punish SWBTS Executive Committee

On May 22, 2018, the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met for 13 hours considering the future of SWBTS President Paige Patterson.

After a vote to terminate narrowly failed, the seminary trustees adopted measures that would give Paige Patterson the title of President Emeritus, the opportunity to live his retirement years on campus, and a salary. These actions were portrayed by the media as "the removal of Paige Patterson as President of SWBTS," but in many Southern Baptist eyes, it was more of a promotion than a termination. 

A few days later, the Executive Committee of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met and unanimously rescinded the board's actions of May 22, 2018. This time, the trustees who compose the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary completely terminated Paige Patterson's association with SWBTS, removing the title of President Emeritus, rescinding the offer to live out his retirement years on campus, and retracting the decision to pay him a salary.

Today, Tuesday, June 12, 2018,  a pastor from Arkansas named Tom Hatley made a motion at the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas. Tom wants the Southern Baptist Convention messengers to "remove the trustees of the Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary" for their actions in terminating Paige Patterson.

In other words, Tom Hatley believes the trustees who voted unanimously to remove Paige Patterson should themselves be removed as trustees of the seminary.

The messengers at this year's Convention will discuss, debate, and vote on Hatley's recommendation at 2:45 pm, Wednesday, June 13, 2018.

Tom Hatley was the Chairman of the Trustees at the International Mission Board in 2005/2006 when the Executive Committee of the IMB sought to remove me as a trustee of the IMB. I won't rehash all that happened in 2005/2006 (you can go back and read on my blog), but in essence, the IMB Executive Committee sought to remove me because I stood up to those who were seeking the removal of President Jerry Rankin and women from leadership positions at the IMB. I had been told by several of my fellow trustees, most of whom were friends and loyalists of Paige Patterson and led by Chairman Thomas Hatley, that President Rankin's tenure needed to come to an end. They had in mind someone else to be President of the IMB.

Two guesses as to who that person was to be the next President of the IMB.

Because I was a rookie trustee and dared oppose IMB trustee leadership, I became the person Chairman Tom Hatley and the Executive Committee of the IMB sought to remove. To this day, I am the only trustee of an SBC institution who faced the prospect of removal by the Southern Baptist Convention at large. Prior to the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention, Tom Hatley and the IMB Executive Committee rescinded their recommendation to remove me as an IMB trustee - mostly because they realized they'd have to give me an opportunity to speak to the entire Convention before the vote.

This year, the members of the Executive Commitee of SWBTS, including Chairman Kevin Ueckert, will be given the opportunity to speak to the SBC Convention this Wednesday at 2:45 pm, before the Convention votes on Hatley's recommendation to remove them. I predict that the Southern Baptist Convention will overwhelmingly reject Thomas Hatley's motion to remove the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee of SWBTS had their reasons for termination of Paige Patterson. Very few people know the full story. The Executive Committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has facts. They voted unanimously to terminate.

But the point I'd like to make about Thomas Hatley's motion revolves around integrity.

When Thomas Hatley, Chairman of the International Mission Board, led the Executive Committee to recommend my removal as a trustee in 2006, they received a huge amount of backlash from the Southern Baptist Convention. In fact, Frank Page was elected at the very Convention they had intended to remove me, a shock to the Patterson loyalists who had never lost a Convention presidential election since 1979.

I find it interesting that Chairman Tom Hatley responded to the criticsm against him and his Executive Committee in 2006 with these words:

"The Southern Baptist Convention should trust the Executive Committee of the International Mission Board. This difficult measure was not taken without due deliberation.... and was completely necessary for the IMB to move forward. The Southern Baptist Convention should trust their trustees."

Hmmm.

Today, Ken Whitten nominated J.D. Greaer for President of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the speech, Ken gave the following definition for integrity:

"Integrity is when the tongue of one's shoes follows the tongue of one's mouth."

The number one reason Thomas Hatley's motion should be defeated is because the motion - at its core - lacks integrity. It's offered by a man who said one thing when he was Chairman of the IMB Executive Committee, but now that same man walks a different path when it comes to his treatment of Chairman Kevin Ueckert and the SWBTS Executive Committee.

The Southern Baptist Convention has suffered enough with a lack of integrity.

Convention messengers will see through the smoke and mirrors of a motion that is long on politics and short on integrity.

Arrive Early Tuesday for the 2018 SBC in Dallas

Most messengers are unaware that a flood of business occurs beginning at 8:35 Tuesday morning. Motions that will be dealt with later Tuesday or on Wednesday will be introduced, major announcements from the Committee on Order of Business will be made, and a host of other matters will be addressed very early Tuesday morning.


Arrive early. Be registered and in the arena by 8:30 am.

Pay Attention to the SBC Resolutions Committee

I am in Dallas, Texas for the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention. I will not be blogging much during the Convention, but if you'd like to know my thoughts, I'd encourage you to follow me on Twitter by clicking on the link below and press "Follow."

Wade Burleson on Twitter

The Resolutions Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has been tasked with collecting, editing, and recommending different "Resolutions" for the Southern Baptist Convention to approve. These annual Resolutions help the general public understand how "determined or resolute" the Southern Baptist Convention is about certain issues (the definition of "resolution").

It will be interesting to see which Resolutions make it to the floor.

The Resolutions Committee  is composed of nine Southern Baptist messengers. It is stacked with Paige Patterson loyalists. The Southern Baptist should be careful not to make any gigantic missteps by seeking to honor our past while unintentionally portraying a general tone deafness to our present.

Here are four of the members of the 2018 Southern Baptist Resolutions Committee.
_____

Jason Duesing -- Resolutions Committee Chairman

Jason has a long tenure of association with Dr. Paige Patterson. You can read and learn more about Jason Duesing here, here, and here. Jason was at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003 when Dr. Paige Patterson was President.
______

Alicia Wong - Resolutions Committee Member

Alicia was mentored by Dorothy Patterson (see here - page 24).  Alicia now teaches at Gateway Seminary, but she formerly taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the Women's Studies Department.
_______

Candi Finch - Resolutions Committee Member

Candi Finch writes for Baptist Press and has been one of the most vocal defenders of Paige Patterson.  Candi serves as Assistant Professor of Theology in Women's Studies, Dorothy Kelley Patterson Chair of Women’s Studies, and was the Executive Assistant to the former First Lady at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary  She runs a website called Biblical Woman, and during the most recent controversy has been quoted in several articles defending Dr. Paige Patterson.
_______

Ken Alford -- Resolutions Committee Member

Ken formerly served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and has very close ties to Dr. Paige Patterson. Ken also once served as Chairman of the North American Mission Board of Trustees.
________

Again, there are only nine Resolution Committee members on the 2018 Resolutions Committee. Nearly half of the members are strong advocates for Dr. Paige Patterson and are indebted to him for either their current or past employment or for present positions of influence in the Southern Baptist Convention. They are all good people, but even the best of people can make missteps because blind loyalty clouds clarity for the Kingdom.

The Resolutions Committee has their work cut out for them. Several hundred potential resolutions have been turned in to the Committee for possible recommendation to the Southern Baptist Convention. The Resolutions Committee will be working over the weekend and on Monday. They will issue their first report Tuesday morning.

It would be wise for all Southern Baptists to pay very close attention to the resolutions that come of of committee, and to remember that ultimately Southern Baptist messengers have the final say on whether or not resolutions are adopted.

Follow me on Twitter.

(Postscript: I thought the Resolutions did an excellent job under very difficult circumstances and Tweeted out my thanks to the members and Chairman Jason Duesing). 

Complementarianism Is a Good Word that Has Been Hijacked to Wrongly Mean Authoritarianism

I am a person who believes the Bible. Every word of it points me to Jesus Christ. The Bible is our canon (ruler) for life and death, for the Scripture reveals the Truth, and you shall know the Truth, and He shall set you free.

But the Bible is often poorly interpreted.

For example, many modern evangelicals read prophecies in the Bible and wrongly interpret them to be about the "end of the world," and don't realize that these biblical prophecies are vivid, Hebrew apocalyptic writings foretelling the end of Old Covenant Israel (A.D. 70 and the destruction of the Hebrew Temple), and the inauguration of God's New Covenant with the world.

If you confuse the end of the Old Covenant with the destruction of the earth, then your theology and church practices will be more about a coming Kingdom than about the transformative change you can bring to this world by living out the principles of Jesus Christ in this world.

Another example of poor interpretation of God's Word is the belief that God created man in His image, but that "the woman was made for man." Therefore, a woman must always be "under the umbrella of protection" of a man (father, husband, pastor, etc.) for the man has "authority over the woman" like God has authority over His creation.

I'm not making this up. People really believe this to be a biblical concept. Listen to how Southern Baptists on the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood explain this male inherent authority:

Sin has produced in woman an illegitimate desire to usurp the rightful authority God gave to man (Gen. 3:16), God has worked in Israel and in the Church to establish male-headship as the consistent and approved pattern for religious and home life.

This unbiblical and warped view of inherent male authority would be the primary reason I could never join a church or pastor a church where such views were considered biblical. If the leadership of a church believes "only males have authority over people," then that church will be just as dysfunctional as a homosexual marriage. You may like it and be comfortable with it, but you won't give birth to new Kingdom people. You'll grow your church by stealing members from other churches. All-male leadership churches, like nature, aren't designed to procreate.

Male authoritarianism is antithetical to the teachings of my Savior, the Apostle Paul, and the rest of the New Testament:

"The wife does not have authority over .... but yields to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over ... but yields it to his wife. (I Corinthians 7:4). 

There is to be a mutual submission between men and women in the Kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

Consistent authoritarians like Paige Patterson believe it is an indication of a wicked society when women have positions of authority over men. That belief in male authority is properly called male authoritarianism or patriarchalism.

It's not New Testament. Not even close. Hierarchal patriarchs believe women are permanently subordinate in the family, the church and should be subordinate in culture. Only when God's plan is ignored will a woman ever be in a position of leadership over males.

Those who follow Jesus understand that nobody in Christ's Kingdom - male or female - should grasp authority or seek to rule over anyone. This is a foundational principle that Christ taught. 

Complementarianism is a good word. But it's been hijacked by authoritarians.

Complementarianism means:

"The full-orbed image of God cannot be understood without both the male and the female. The two genders complement one another to represent the image of God."

In Scripture, God will often liken Himself to a female, and we are the fruit of His womb.

Why does the Creator do this? Because His image is stamped in both the man and the woman, characteristics of both the father and the mother, and you can't get a full and true sense of God without both sexes. 

Therefore, in the home and in the church...

"Men and women bear the image of God and are only limited in Christ's Kingdom, His church, and the Christian family by character, experience, ability, and giftings of the Holy Spirit."

Most Christians intuitively know that Jesus Christ empowers His people to serve regardless of gender, but those who wish to restrict women do so based upon just a handful of verses, ignoring the clear teachings of Jesus Christ and the rest of the New Testament.


"But what about I Timothy 2:9-15?" object conservative male Christian leaders.

Answer: Jesus Christ sets women free to serve as He gifts them, and any restrictions of women in the home, church, or society is built on a misinterpretation of this text. 

"But what about the specific prohibition on women in  I Timothy 2:15?" object conservative male Christian leaders?

Answer: That prohibition is to "the" woman known by both Paul and Timothy and illustrates a specific, pastoral prohibition for a particular church instead of a universal prohibition for all churches. 

But what about I Corinthians 14:34-35? object other conservative male leaders?"

Answer: Those two verses are teaching that women SHOULD be teaching and prophesying in the church as they are gifted by the Holy Spirit.

So I'm a true, biblical complementarian because I accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and reject the false teaching of the inherent authoritarianism of males. Men and women - both genders - complement one another and reveal the full image and character of God.

Dr. Shawn Madden and the Southeastern Archives

Shawn Madden, Ph.D., Major, USMC (retired), Librarian, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (1994-2013). 

A Guest Post

____________

My brothers show no partiality, as you 

hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Lord of glory (James 2:1 ESV)

Paige Patterson once said to [Unnamed Saint] who sought advice as to how to resolve an unrighteous severance:

 “[Unnamed Saint], drop this and look for God's next exiting step in your own life. Life is too short to fiddle with what is ultimately a futile confrontation. Leave them to God who is far more able to deal with them." Paige

The Unnamed Saint to which Paige Patterson directed his sage advice had been let go for far less numerous and far less severe failings than Paige Patterson has had. In fact, nothing was named save, ‘your contract is up.’ And yet Paige Patterson advised this Saint to ‘drop this and look for God’s next exit... .’ This Saint was too young to retire and had to find other employment. Paige Patterson is at a very ripe retirement age and should be well set to ride into the sunset, as it were.

But, Paige Patterson kicks against the goads rather than exit.

One goad is the continued question of his taking away from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary material that was stored in the archival room of The SEBTS Library. That material’s security was my responsibility, and I consider it a failure that material under my charge was removed without my notification, something that I would have thought would have been a common courtesy between brothers.

The run-up to this event was the Conservative Resurgence. As I had come on board as the Director of The Library at SEBTS by Dr. Patterson’s invitation (which I am grateful to this day) and had started to develop the various departments, it was clear that we needed to do something serious with the meager archives that we had. I suggested to him that the material of the Conservative Resurgence would be great and would be an academic draw to SEBTS. Dr. Patterson was delighted with this idea and proceeded to gather and collect material of his own and of others who had been involved, notably Judge Pressler and Russ Kaemerling. I had hired on some great folks, and they were getting them organized and ready for research.

Then Dr. Patterson got ‘called away’ to SWBTS. As he was making his exit, we at The Library kept getting phone calls from the SWBTS library inquiring as to the number of boxes they should be expecting. This, of course, raised the alarm for us! Dr. Russ Bush was the dean at the time and he also, to my recollection, was concerned. Each time we were called I asked Dr. Bush and he, from what I understood, talked to Dr. Patterson and each time we were reassured that nothing was leaving the archives.

Then we came to work on a Monday, and the boxes were gone. No one on The Library staff was approached or informed.

A note I wrote to myself says,

'The Irish and Marine in me boiled straight to the surface when I discovered that there was an unauthorized removal from the Archives of Southeastern Seminary 96 boxes of extremely valuable and irreplaceable archival materials by an employee of Southwestern Seminary. The boiling of my blood was due in large part to the fact that we had had indications in the weeks prior to the removal that someone was planning the move but after every inquiry about this we were assured in no uncertain terms that this was not the plan. Additionally when the removal was affected it was done on a weekend and no one informed me or my staff that it was being done. I talked to [the security chief] at length about this, pointing out the fact that a Southwestern Seminary employee had entered my area of responsibility—had entered the most secure place, with his approval and complicity and without thinking to inform me, the one given the responsibility of ensuring the safe storage and access to that material. When I called [interim president] Dr. Neal to ask if he knew anything about it he told me that he did not but that Michael Lawson did and then handed the phone to him. He informed me that the materials had been removed by Chris Thompson.' 

That was the heat of the moment. Other files on my computer from old archives indicate that I wrote to Dr. Patterson about this. Below is what I think is the original letter but it is undated and is an electronic file, I have not located the hard copy I wrote him.

Dr. Paige Patterson
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 22040
Fort Worth, Texas 76122-0040

Dear Dr. Patterson:

Perhaps there would not be such confusion remaining from the issue of the archives if I, Jim Lutzweiler and Bill Youngmark had been involved in the moving of your material from the archives of Southeastern Seminary. As it is persons not associated with Southeastern entered our archives without informing myself nor my archivists and removed material that at that point was technically the possession of Southeastern Seminary and my responsibility for their security. Mr. Lawson allowed an employee of Southwestern to illegally enter Southeastern’s archives without even the courtesy of informing the person responsible for their safekeeping. That was a major breach of security, protocol, and courtesy. I recall that you were rather upset that [un-named person] had removed some archival material from Southeastern and had it deposited at Wake Forest just before you assumed the helm here. A similar situation pertains. Yes, I understand that some of what was stored in our archives was your personal property. And I understand about the Gypsy Smith collection, those materials are not my concern. My concern is that material from the President’s office was removed, material that is the possession of this institution and not of an individual. What you do with your personal correspondence is your concern and none of my business but that which was generated by the President of this institution is owned by this institution and ought not to have been removed, especially in the dark of night.

If I had been informed that you were ready to remove your material and had been given the opportunity to be there when they were removed and had had the opportunity to have Mr. Lutzweiler and Mr. Youngmark present so that a determination could be made as to what boxes were Paige Pattersons and what boxes were the Presidents then we would not been in the situation that we are in now. My archivists organized those boxes and knew what was in them, the employees of Southwestern did not. Nor did they think to ask.

We had heard rumors from Fort Worth that they were expecting your archives and were asking us how many boxes they would be receiving. That was news to us. Repeated inquiries by me to Dr. Bush concerning that matter were consistently returned with “Dr. Patterson assured me that the boxes were not leaving.”

To clear this matter up I suggest that I and one or both of our archivists travel to Fort Worth and meet with your folks and come to an agreement concerning what is Paige Patterson's and what is the President of Southeastern’s. Perhaps some guidelines could be agreed upon before the meeting. As the material was removed without the knowledge and consent of the responsible parties at Southeastern I would insist that your office pick up the tab for the travel. Southeastern would be responsible for the return of her materials.

Dr. Patterson wrote me a letter dated December 10, 2004, a letter that is on several websites now. In it he says that he is ‘growing weary of dealing with all of this... .’ I wrote him back:

January 25, 2005

Dr. Paige Patterson
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 22040
Fort Worth, Texas 76122-0040

 Dear Dr. Patterson:

I am sorry you are “growing somewhat weary” of my persistent quest for the archives that rightly belong to Southeastern Seminary. I grow tired of asking for them myself but duty compels me. Let me quickly note that what I am after is not your personal papers nor the Gypsy Smith papers. Those are yours to do with what you will and I fully concur. I do covet them professionally and I still harbor a hope that you are led to deposit them at Southeastern when the time comes but their disposition is entirely your decision and I make neither claim nor request in that regard.

You mentioned in your letter that “we left behind all of the materials of the President that regarded the life of the institution, curriculum, etc. that were not particularly germane to my own life situation.” Unfortunately, because individuals gained access to the archives of Southeastern’s library without the knowledge, consent, or assistance of those charged with the responsibility of securing those materials housed therein, material other than your personal papers was inadvertently removed and a fair number of your personal papers were left behind. Presently we have nothing from the President’s office during the time of your tenure. Looking through our archives it would be difficult to know who the president was between Dr. Drummond and Dr. Akin.

Such being the case, I need to see about getting your remaining material to you but I also need to make arrangements to identify those boxes that mistakenly made their way to Southwestern Seminary and see about their return.

I remain, as always, His servant and yours,

CC: Dr. Danny Akin
       Dr. Russ Bush
       Mr. Jim Lutzweiler
       Mr. Bill Youngmark

You will notice that my only concern is that SEBTS and The Library know for sure what at that point resided in Ft. Worth. As a side note, my our extended family resided in Dallas, and we visited it at least twice a year. On one such occasion, I visited the Library at SWBTS and asked to see the Patterson papers (remember how often we were called). I was told that they were not in The Library but rather at Pecan Manor.

So, now we come to Chris Thompson, former Special Assistant to Paige Patterson, and the letter he released May 31, 2018. Chris is the person who took the archives from SEBTS. 

Chris writes a very interesting letter. In it, Chris admits that he took the material ‘from the archival room in the SEBTS library’ and that this was done ‘on a Friday and Saturday during office hours and loaded for shipment’ and that he ‘had access to all locations where these items were located.’ My earlier note indicated that his ‘access’ was the security chief of SEBTS. 

Friday after 4:30 the full-time staff of The Library had gone home. There was no full-time staff on duty on Saturday. Further, Chris names no one from SEBTS who authorized him to take the material and he does not mention which of the staff of The Library he had informed. 

Pastor Chris Thompson repeats what Dr. Patterson did – that the only things that were taken belonged to the Pattersons. We apparently are enjoined to trust them, which I would like to do. But, why in the world was it done on a weekend and why was no one given the Christian courtesy of a simple awareness of what was going on?

This was done back in 2004/2005. As the administration changed at SEBTS, I informed each of my new VPs orally of the missing archives, and the letter indicates a cc was sent to Dr. Akin, the new President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary at the time.

I left SEBTS during Thanksgiving week of 2013. In 2014 my wife and I moved to Dallas to live with and care for her mother. My wife had seen that SWBTS needed a new librarian and wrote to Dr. Patterson about perhaps hiring me because he was the one who hired me at SEBTS. He declined, noting that “Shawn's tendency to speak his mind has not helped his situation. Too many here remember his responses to me when I was departing SEBTS.”

I was raised and trained to ‘speak my mind.’ It is a trait lauded in the Marine Corps but few other places. I own that tendency fully. I find it interesting that The Washington Post notes that 'Akin said he believes files that would help an investigation fo the incident were taken from Southeastern when Patterson left. "You technically could've said they were stolen. I wouldn't say that. I think they took them unwisely," he said. "They're still Dr. Patterson's, in his mind. He doesn't want to return them.' Kevin Ueckert, chairman of the trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a statement that Southwestern has located those documents "and is working on returning them to Southeastern." ’

I really would have liked Dr. Patterson and someone in leadership at SEBTS to tell me that they were going to do. Such would have been the respectful, honorable, polite, Christian thing to do. I would have liked for Chris Thompson to have approached me and informed me what he was about to do in a building I was responsible for and what he was going to do with the material whose security I was responsible for. Such would have been the respectful, honorable, polite, Christian thing to do.

And so,

I remain, ever, His Servant and yours.

Dr. Shawn C. Madden

Elijah Craig, SBC Preachers, Scripture, and Women

One advantage of being a student of history is to know that the world - even the religious world - is always changing.

Southern Baptists will be gathering in Dallas, Texas next week. Some Southern Baptists pastors are bemoaning the changes that seem to be coming in regards to an increased role of leadership for women in the Southern Baptist Convention. "This should never happen!" they cry. "We who believe the Bible must stick to what the Bible teaches! Women should be silent and submit to men." 

Well, it could be these Southern Baptist pastors who are restricting women are misinterpreting what the Bible actually teaches about women.  I believe they are misinterpreting the Scriptures; big time. I also believe change is coming soon in the SBC to reflect a more biblical approach toward women. The Southern Baptist Convention may even have a female President sooner rather than later.

But if Baptists believe the Bible, how can Baptists change their minds about what the Bible teaches? How can these wrongheaded Baptist pastors ever change their views on women?

Easy.

Let me show you what I mean with a quick history of Baptists changing our minds.

Baptist Pastors Receiving No Salary

Elijah Craig (1738-1808), was one of the most well-known Baptist preachers of his day. He was influential in the Baptists of Virginia helping to adopt the First Amendment of the United States. Elijah later served as pastor of the large Crossing Baptist Church (Kentucky). Elijah is said by one historian to have “played a vital role in communicating the views of the Virginia Baptists to the new state government."

Elijah Craig wrote a book entitled A Few Remarks on the Errors That Are Maintained in the Christian Churches of the Present Day (1801). In it he wrote:

"Pastors…are precluded by the Scriptures from receiving any compensation for their services...”

Well, I would expect that out of the 10,000 Southern Baptists pastors present at Dallas, Texas next week, the vast majority of them will be glad that Baptists have changed our position on what the Bible teaches about paying pastors.

But there's more...

Baptist Drinking and Distributing Whisky

Baptist Pastor Elijah Craig made his living to support his wife and six kids by inventing Kentucky Bourbon, a corn liquor aged in charred barrels, and selling it to the general public. Elijah Craig Bourbon, produced since 1789 in the distillery Baptist pastor Elijah Craig named Heaven Hill, is still available for purchase around the world. This past year (2017), Elijah Craig Bourbon was voted America's best bourbon.

What? I thought the Southern Baptist Convention has always deemed the sell and use of alcohol to be a sin? No. Not even close.

In 1796, the Elkhorn Baptist Association, a Kentucky association (constituted in 1785), ruled that "denying a member church membership because he sold intoxicants was unjustified." It was not until 100 years later (1886) that the Southern Baptist Convention began passing resolutions against alcohol.

So Southern Baptists have changed our minds on paying pastors and drinking whiskey.

But there's more.

Baptists Smoking and Selling Tobacco

The first Baptist church which called Elijah Craig to be their pastor, the Blue Run Baptist Church, met in a tobacco farm shed. That's right. All the members smoked tobacco and sold it to make a living - including their pastor.

Baptists in Elijah Craig's day smoked and chewed tobacco, drank and sold whiskey, and wouldn't pay their pastors a salary.

But there's more.

Baptists Giving Grief to the Government

It was while plowing his field in 1768, that Baptist pastor Elijah Craig was arrested and imprisoned for seventeen days for preaching “schismatick doctrines.”

Contrary to many modern Southern Baptist leaders who believe national government and the church should be one and the same, Baptist pastor Elijah Craig advocated that government and the church should always be separated. Government officials imprisoned him.

But apparently, the prison couldn’t keep Elijah from preaching. Baptists gathered outside the jail, and this Baptist pastor named Elijah Craig preached the gospel through the bars of his jail window. Consequently, the authorities built a high wall around the prison to keep people from hearing.

Eventually, Elijah Craig was released to go back to his whiskey and tobacco business - and preaching the gospel.

Baptists Seeing Slavery as Scriptural

Baptist Pastor Elijah Craig and the members of his congregation needed people to work their tobacco fields, char their bourbon barrels, and carry their fermented corn (bourbon) to the market.

So Baptists like Elijah Craig owned slaves.

Southern Baptists for decades believed that holding slaves was not only biblical Christianity, they also preached tens of thousands of messages on the evil of abolition. 

Of course, we've changed our minds...once again. 

Summary

Nobody has ever accused me of holding back from speaking my mind, so let me summarize this little history lesson and bring it back to 2018 and the Southern Baptist Convention's imminent change on its wretched view of women. 

"I'll not believe a Southern Baptist pastor cannot change his mind about what the Bible teaches about women until I meet a Southern Baptist pastor who receives no salary, who smokes tobacco and drinks whiskey regularly, who refuses to identify with any political party to the point of prison, and who can introduce me to the slaves he keeps in his house."

Until then, I'd encourage Southern Baptist preachers to stop the shallow sanctimonious sermonettes on how the Bible is authoritative about restricting women from "authority over men" and from "teaching men." 

Maybe it's all of you who are missing the actual teaching of the Bible on women.

The history of Baptists and the changes that have come our way indicates I know of what I speak. 

The Role of Men and Women in the Home and Church Is Not an Essential of the Christian Faith

A Christian's understanding of any alleged roles of men and women in the home and church often comes from listening to a pastor's rote teaching rather than personal researched learning.

"Be diligent ... to correctly handle the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).

It seems clear through a casual reading of the Bible--much less robust research--that Jesus Christ treats men and women as equals, a behavior that was contrary to the views and practices of His fellow Jews during Old Covenant days (1500 B.C. to A.D. 70).

Though there's disagreement among evangelical Bible-believers on this issue, to say someone who disagrees with your view is "preaching a false gospel" is foolish.

Sinners are saved by the Person and work of Jesus Christ, not by a proper, biblical view on the roles of men and women.

So those who wrongly teach that God designed only men to have "spiritual authority" and women (not men) are to have "submissive attitudes" are directly contradicting the infallible teachings of the New Testament which clearly state that Christ alone has all spiritual authority in His Kingdom (Matthew 28:18), that leadership in His Kingdom is humbly serving others out of the power of one's spiritual giftings (I Peter 4:10), and that all Christians are to "submit to one another" and  to "love one another" (Ephesians 5:21; John 13:34).

But being unbiblical and restrictive on the roles of men and women does not mean these people lack the Gospel.

If, however, there is a demand for conformity to a particular interpretation on this issue, rather than granting the freedom to disagree over the role of men and women in the home and church, then we may be playing the fool.

Let me explain.


Spurgeon Says a Fool Focuses on the Non-Essentials

Charles Spurgeon once began a message on the text "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Hebrews 9:22) with an illustration of three fools.

The first fool, Spurgeon said, is the ship's captain who goes below deck during a ferocious storm to read an encyclopedia on the nature of Atlantic winds rather than fighting to keep his boat afloat.

The second fool is the wounded soldier on the battlefield who asks the arriving medic all kinds of questions about the size, shape, and model of the gun that fired the bullet which wounded the soldier rather than asking the physician if he's able to heal him.

The third fool is the religious person who continually argues the subtle philosophical questions about the origin and nature of evil while ignoring the absolute truth that Christ's blood is able to cleanse his sins (Hebrews 9:14).

Spurgeon said all three fools have one thing in common:

They trifle with subtleties while they ignore certainties. 

A fool is one who spends time and wastes energy on matters that shouldn't matter.

The "role" of women in the church and home shouldn't matter when it comes to Christian cooperation, mission work, and spreading the Good News to a world in need of deliverance.

Some Christian leaders advocate that God's design is for men to rule and lead while women are to receive and submit. Fine. But when Christians demand others churches, evangelicals, and missions organizations conform to such beliefs, then they are in danger of "trifling with subtleties while ignoring certainties."

A demand for conformity on the alleged roles of men and women is taking a non-essential belief and turning into a measuring stick for believing the gospel.


The Danger of Making the Gospel About Gender

The overwhelming New Testament teaching of the Bible regarding men and women in the church is clear -- "gender differences are irrelevant in the church of Jesus Christ."  

The Apostle Paul says:

"All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:27-28). 

Paul is emphatic that there is no room in the body of Jesus Christ for racial distinctions, no room for class distinctions, no room for gender distinctions. You may disagree with this assessment, but to make faithful gospel preaching hinge on an agreement with your views on gender is foolish. People are dying.

God's people in the New Covenant are called to serve based upon the giftings given to them by the Holy Spirit:

"I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17). 

Men who refuse a woman to serve, read, lead, or teach (when men are present) seem to be twisting the gospel of freedom in Christ into a doctrine of bondage by gender. 

To restrict a Holy Spirit gifted and empowered woman from edifying other believers through the free exercise of her Spirit given gifts seems to be a resistance to the Holy Spirit.

Some of the most gifted leaders, teachers, and role models are women!

The Old Hebrew Way Is Not the Christian Way

An ancient Jewish prayer from the Hebrew Siddur (prayer book) went like this:

"Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile. Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a slave. Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a woman." 

Hashem was the Hebrew name for the one true God. It meant "The Name" and was used by Jews to refer to God since the days of Ezekiel.  

The same spirit ancient Jews possessed that caused them to believe that only men were created to rule and lead and that women were created to receive and submit is the same spirit now at work in more than a few evangelical Christian leaders. 

Interestingly, the rise of the Hebrew Siddur (prayer book) coincides with the glory of God departing the Temple of Jerusalem in the days of Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 10). Jewish Temple worship continued, but it was during this Spirit-less intertestamental time period that you have the rise of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other male-only Jewish orders that were continually focusing on male "authority," male "leadership," and male "power." 

A preoccupation and fixation on authority (whether it be conservative patriarchalism or liberal feminism), is a sign that the Spirit of God has departed. 

Jesus Christ explicitly forbids any one individual assuming authority over other adults in the Christian community (Matthew 20:20-28). In fact, after describing the imperialism of political rulers and the authority fixation of religious rulers, Jesus said to his disciples:

"It shall not be so among you" (Matthew 20:26).

The New Testament covenant of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ totally turns the world's concept of authority on its ear.

The world is concerned about position, power, authority, prestige, control, and ruling over others. Jesus Christ teaches His followers to serve, to love, to express their spiritual gifts to their fullest for the good of others, and to never fear what any person in so-called "authority" can do to them because "All authority ... has been given to Me" (Matthew 28:18).

There is to be mutual equality, respect, and submission within the home between husband and wife (Ephesians 5:21-33). There is to be mutual equality, respect and submission of men and women toward one another in the body of Christ based upon the gifts that the Spirit gives to each male and female believer who has been baptized into Christ (Acts 2:15-21; Galatians 3:28).

References to the churches' teaching ministry and other gifts are found in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 and not one of those passages excludes females from being recipients of any one of those gifts. 

Let me say that again in a different way:

The gifts of the Spirit in the New Covenant are never differentiated on the basis of gender.

Paul's Teaching about Women

"But what about Paul telling women 'to be silent' in the presence of men, and 'to learn' in quietness and submission from men?" you may ask. For example, Paul writes:

 "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." (I Timothy 2:11-12). 

Scripture never contradicts Scripture. Therefore, if you believe Paul is giving a general and universal principle that no woman, at anytime or anywhere, may ever teach men or have authority over men, then you believe the Scripture contradicts itself.

All the other Pauline books, including Galatians, Romans, I Corinthians, Ephesians, as well as the other New Testament books written by Peter, John, Luke, Matthew, and other early disciples of Christ, never separate the gifts of the Spirit according to gender. 

So how does one understand I Timothy 2:11-12. I give one explanation for this text here, an interpretation that is consistent with the rest of New Testament teaching regarding men and women.

But for a fuller explanation, I'd encourage you to obtain Jon Zen's book What's With Paul and Women. After reading Zens, you will never again feel the need to restrict women in the home or in the church.


Spirit-Gifted, Humble Servant Leaders in the Home and Church


One of the advantages of being the pastor of a New Testament church where the Word of God is respected, believed, and practiced is that both men and women lead, serve, teach, and shepherd based upon their gifts.

We believe the concept of positions of power and authority held by "elders" is foreign to the New Testament. The word elder means "older." Look to your elders for wisdom.

Again, the notion of some raw authority in an office of pastor or elder is foreign to the New Testament. Every believer in Christ is a priest in the Kingdom of Christ.

Our church has a Leadership Team composed of both men and women. I am a pastor, but there is no inherent spiritual authority in me or any "office" I hold.

Jesus Christ alone is the spiritual authority over his people. I serve people. I love people.

I lead people only if they are willing to follow--and frankly, if I do a poor job of serving and loving, they ought not to follow.

One of these days the church of Jesus Christ is going to wake up to the fact that we have so twisted and corrupted the concept of authority and leadership that what we have abandoned the clear and precise teachings of the New Testament.

The ancient Jews kept women in the courtyard and placed a fence around the Temple grounds lest a woman feel compelled to enter the Holy Place. The sacred rituals were performed by male priests. The sacred services were led by male priests.

Modern-day conservative evangelicals and liberal feminists often violate clear teachings of Jesus Christ and seem to wish to resurrect the Old economy of Temple buildings, gender priesthoods, and religious rituals.


Jesus Abolished all the Old Economy (Old Covenant) the New Agreement (New Covenant). 

The Temple of God is no longer a building, it is the soul of a believer (I Corinthians 6:19). The priests of God are no longer just male, they are both male and female (Galatians 3:28). The rituals of God are no longer holy days, sacrifices, and feasts, but faith in Christ and love for God and our fellow man (Colossians 2:16; John 13:3).

The body of Jesus Christ is to make no distinctions in race, class, and gender. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel that sets the captives free to serve as the Holy Spirit gifts.

To revoke the privilege of a gifted, believing woman from reading Scripture or teaching men, or to have leadership in the home or church is to violate the clear and certain teaching of the New Testament.

Is there room for disagreement on this issue among evangelical Christians?

Sure.

But if conservative, Bible-believing, Christ-loving, Spirit-filled, graced people demand conformity on over the "roles" of men and women in the home and church, then we are trifling with subtleties while ignoring certainties.

Christ Died for Sinners Like Me, Not the Righteous

There will be no links in this post.

There will be no surnames in this post.

Just a one powerful verse:

“This is a true statement and worthy of your full acceptance. Christ died for sinners, of whom I am chief.” (I Timothy 1:15). 

The message of grace is a message of forgiveness. Only sinners, however,  need forgiveness. If we think we have no sin, we need no Savior. If we pretend we have no sin, we lie to others. If we cover our sins, we hide from the world. If we point our finger of blame at others for our sins, we shame our victims.

We are all sinners.

When we sin, we are called to declare: “I did this. I was wrong. I ask you to forgive me.” The knowledge of Christ’s full and free forgiveness of me gives me the power to fully and freely acknowledge my sin to others.

Maybe we’ve lost sight of the truth that the Good News is for sinners.

There’s hope for every one of us. We are to be defined by our Savior, not by our sins.

The greatest criticisms in my life and ministry have been directed at me because I believe in broken sinners, I put my arms around them, I call them my friends, and I help them restore their lives - and eventually, even their ministries.

I believe in the gospel of grace.

I believe in the freedom of forgiveness.

I believe revival starts when we freely admit our sins, take ownership of them, and declare we have no hope but in the grace and forgiveness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - and confess our sins one to another.

Our identity is found in the Mount called Golgatha, not a monument of granite. Our worth is found in our sinful stains being nailed to the cross rather than our sanctified names turned into stain-glassed windows in our chapels. Our future is dependent on the power, faithfulness, and love of Jesus Christ, not our power, control, and lordship over others.

This is a statement worthy of our full acceptance.