I first detected something wholly unhealthy in #SBC culture in 2005. I had just begun work leading church planting in Maryland and was sent to a sponsor church about to pull both considerable funding and endorsement from a planter we had just placed in the field. (1) The reason? They asked him if he was a Calvinist and he said “yes” because, well, we try our best not to appoint liars to the mission field. But that was enough to send this pastor into orbit. (2)

On the invocation of "God-language" by political candidates and leaders, a thread. (1) As a young pastor, I was always encouraged when I heard a politician at the local or national level invoke "God language." (ie "My Christian faith guides me" or "I feel a responsibility before God....") (2)

Confessionalism in Baptist life: A 🧵.

What’s next? Beyond the question of @Saddleback Southern Baptist should be asking where all of this is eventually going. (1) First, strict adherence to our confession was meant to hold out entities accountable, not churches. This is spelled out pretty clearly in past statements that go back 23 years. (2)

Aside from introducing me to the Lord Jesus, one thing the #SBC gave me that I'll always be thankful for is a fierce loyalty to the local church.
It is precisely that loyalty that at this moment puts me at odds with the denom I've been part of my entire life. A 🧵 (1) The church I am privileged to serve as pastor has also been #SBC since it was planted in 1986. But discussions/decisions/declarations in recent years leave me wondering if we are still truly valued by this larger family of churches. (2)

Liberal democracy isn’t going to be saved by forcing progressive narratives on the country. It also won’t be saved by government officials leveraging authoritarianism.
You can’t fix liberal University indoctrination by replacing it with conservative government indoctrination (1) The free exchange of ideas is fundamental to ongoing liberty—neither government nor the academy have any business silencing anyone. Their role is to curate an environment that encourages exactly the opposite. (2)

Short 🧵
A few facts about #Roe that are getting lost:
1. Court decisions are not-and should not be—decided on the basis of what “most people want.” They are based on what does and does not constitute sound law. (1) 2, if Roe is overturned it will neither “end” nor “outlaw” abortion in the United States. It will simply shift the question of legality back to state legislatures. The question of Roe is not “should abortion be legal” but “who should decide if abortion should be legal?” (2)

THREAD:
Step One: Convince the church that faith is all about the individual soul, and that political and civil issues therefore have no place in the church. (1) Step Two: Make absolutely everything a political and civil issue, effectively stealing the prophetic voice of the church from any subject. (2)

Throughout the Scriptures, there is a lesson God's people have to learn over and over again. It is as inescapably clear that to deny or minimize it can only be the result of ignorance or willful disobedience. Character matters in leadership. (1) Character, in the long-run, outweighs personality, charisma, skill, effectiveness, and it certainly outweighs the consequentialist, pragmatic ethics that cause people to put way too much faith in men with low character. (2)

I am pro-life. I find the Democratic platform on abortion to be beyond repulsive and an unconscionable attack on the very image of God.

But Republicans had control on that issue for 24 of the past 40 years. (1/2) For six of those years they controlled all three branches of government. Planned Parenthood is still fully funded, no personhood amendment was even proposed, and Roe has been turned back by multiple GOP-appointed judges. (2/2)