A few observations on the SBC developments regarding the pastor's conference, the BF&M, etc.
1) Defenders of the move toward egalitarianism are pretending to be obtuse. The objection is H. Wong takes the title "teaching pastor." Condoleezza Rice does not.
1) Defenders of the move toward egalitarianism are pretending to be obtuse. The objection is H. Wong takes the title "teaching pastor." Condoleezza Rice does not.
2) I have stated for 20+ years that the BF&M suffers from "holditalltogetherism." That is, it lacks the specificity that comes from a unified theological tradition. It "bends" to allow for the "big tent," and as a result, can be abused by those seeking redefinition.
3) The issue is rarely seen in its proper light. A "teaching pastor" has authority to...teach. This is a claim to authority that must have a basis in divine revelation, not societal pressure or acceptance.
And this, to me, is where the issue lies. When you remove the pulpit, replace it with a guy who is just "sharing," you've missed the centrality of the authoritative proclamation of something OTHER THAN the mental product of a human being. Anyone can "share their feelings."
In fact, women are generally better at that than men are! But that isn't what preaching is. If we had a conviction-based, settled belief that we are actually handling the very words of God in Scripture, that resulted in our doing the serious work of exegesis, we would
see that there is true authority in preaching the content of the "whole counsel of God" (over against our personal experiences and feelings). And that application of authority is what is properly, in God's economy, invested in and entrusted to, a man.
Which, in conclusion, is a tremendous burden, for our judgment will be much greater as a result. The reason egalitarianism is progressing in the SBC is due to a degeneration of the denomination's view of Scriptural authority and its basic ecclesiology.
