An Interview with Jay Scribner
Nominee for MBC 1st Vice President
Jay is the former pastor of First Baptist Church, Branson now retired

1. Why do you feel led to allow your name to be place in nomination for an MBC office?
I agreed to have my name placed in nomination for first vice president because I love the Missouri Baptist Convention where I have served for 30 years. I am pleased that we engaged ourselves in the conservative resurgence and saw God’s favor regarding biblical inerrancy and the exposure of a lack of theological integrity among the moderates/liberals. We need to continue the course which we have been on for the last 8 years. We have undergone some difficult decisions within the MBC during the last several months. I feel that I can be of benefit in helping to bring about healing and stability among the conservatives of our fine convention.

2. Please tell me about your conversion experience and a little about your spiritual journey.
I accepted Christ in college in 1969. I am a graduate of Hannibal LaGrange College, Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Seminary. I served on a multi-staff ministry at a church in inner city Ft. Worth for five years during my seminary experience. After graduation from seminary, I was called to pastor First Baptist Church of Branson. I pastored this great church for 28 years. We are grateful for God’s favor in our ministry. Our church underwent a debt-free relocation process. We consistently ranked high in Cooperative Program support among MBC churches. We developed an aggressive missions ministry, both domestic and international. We enjoyed consistent baptism statistics. I have had the privilege of taking numerous international mission trips and have been privileged to serve a number of years on the Executive Board of the MBC under Dr. Reuben South, Dr. Don Wideman, Dr. Jim Hill, and Dr. David Clippard.

3. What is your vision for the future of the Missouri Baptist Convention?
The Missouri Baptist Convention needs to continue its course toward healing. We need to maintain strong evangelism and mission development. We need to establish an aggressive focus upon prayer, exalt Jesus Christ, and stop “fighting in the barracks!”

4. Please tell me a little about your family.
I’ve been married to my wife, Kay for 40 years. We have two sons, Paul and his wife Jill, as well as Mark and his wife Jaime. We also have 4 wonderful grandchildren, Jonathan, Molly, Andy, and Sophie.

5. What do you believe are the major issues confronting the Missouri Baptist Convention?
Unity and harmony, ending the legal battles, strengthening the Cooperative Program, assisting churches to become healthy through bible-based discipleship.

6. What do you believe are the major issues confronting the local Baptist Church?
Preaching the relevant gospel with doctrinal soundness, A call to uncompromised holiness, a return to biblical basics.

7. Do you believe the MBC should continue its legal case against the five former convention agencies who’s trustee boards voted to go self-perpetuating?
I definitely feel that the MBC should continue its legal case against the five former agencies. We need to put pressure on these irresponsible trustees to make honorable decisions and to stop the exorbitant waste of funds being expended on legal maneuvering. We need to withdraw any and all support, communication, and acknowledgement of these agencies until there is a repentance on the part of their leadership and their trustees. We have wasted a massive amount of money, as well as a tremendous amount of time as they have set about to splinter the MBC. There is no way that God can be honored through this gross display of disunity, disrespect for our history and heritage, and the reprehensible use of God’s resources.

8. Save Our Convention argues that a small cadre of Missouri Baptists are controlling the state convention from behind the scenes. How do you respond to that?
The bible says that it is foolish for a man to answer a matter before he hears it. They obviously have not done their homework, or are ignoring the facts. As a result of the conservative resurgence, more Baptists (from more Baptist churches) are being included in the overall involvement of Missouri Baptist life through the appointment and election process which has been in place for decades. The arguments of Save Our Convention are weak and ill founded, selfishly motivated, and disunifying to the positive direction that we should be moving under the guidance and direction of God’s Holy Spirit.

9. What is your opinion of The Pathway?
It is refreshing to have a newsjournal that is uncompromisingly conservative and to have an editor who is willing to take on any issue pertaining to the life of the MBC. The Pathway is becoming increasingly broad in its focus upon missions and its coverage of individual churches and ministries. We have a first-class news journal which is remarkable because of its extremely young life span.

10. Why should local churches continue to support the Missouri Baptist Convention?
Our theological conservatism, our emphasis on missions, our focus on evangelism, and our desire to help strengthen the churches of the MBC, along with the genius and heritage of the Cooperative Program, blend together to encourage us to “stay the course” as we work to expand God’s Kingdom throughout the state of Missouri and to the uttermost part of the world.

11. Is there anything else that you would like to say to Missouri Baptists?
Lift up Jesus!

An Interview with Jerry Williams
Nominee for MBC Recording Secretary
Jerry is the Director of Missions for the Barry Baptist Association

1. Why do you feel led to allow your name to be place in nomination for an MBC office?
I have been ask by a friend to be nominated for the position of recording secretary, and a number of years ago I prayed about serving Missouri Baptists and I felt lead at that time to serve anyway that I could when I was ask. I still feel that this is what the Lord would have me do. I leave it in His hands.

2. Please tell me about your conversion experience and a little about your spiritual journey.
I was saved at the age of 7 on my knees by my bedside in October of 1954. Followed my Lord in baptism two weeks later in the FBC of Webb City, MO. Church has always been a part of my life, I was born along with a twin brother into a wonderful Christian home. My mother and father were both Sunday School teachers. At the age of 12 at Baptist Hill, Mt. Vernon, MO during camp, I felt the call into special service, not knowing at that time what the Lord wanted me to do. By the time I had reached 17 the Lord had made it clear to me that he wanted me to preach His Word and so on a Sunday night in November of 1964 I answered that call. After graduation from High School, my twin brother and I started the fall semester of 1965 at SWBC (now SBU). My first pastorate was Harwood Baptist Church, Nevada, Association. I did not choose a profession, I answered a call. I am still preaching and serving my Lord, I am now 60 years of age and I am not sorry that I answered His call on my life so many years ago. Truly it has been a wonderful journey, with many mountains and many valley's but He has never left me.

3. What is your vision for the future of the Missouri Baptist Convention?
My vision for Missouri Baptists is to see us all in harmony working together to bring people to Jesus. We must see people as our Lord sees them. We need to continue with our partnership ministries. I believe with all my heart that more people can be reached with the Gospel with all of us working together and giving of ourselves, our resources and our time, than we can by ourselves.

4. Please tell me a little about your family.
I met my wife, Clara, while in college at SWBC (SBU) we married on August 27, 1967 and just celebrated our 40th anniversary this past August. We have three children: Cindy Lou Lacy, Rebekah Lynn Stults, and Daniel Jason Williams. (Daniel just returned recently from the Persian Gulf, he is in the U.S. Navy). We have been blessed with 6 wonderful grandchildren.

5. What do you believe are the major issues confronting the Missouri Baptist Convention?
I believe the major issue confronting Missouri Baptists is the division that we now see among us. Also the support of the Cooperative Program, the break away agencies, and the selling of the Baptist Building. We need to get the building we now have sold and relocate to a newer building that will be cost feasible for us.

6. What do you believe are the major issues confronting the local Baptist Church?
Issues confronting the local Missouri Baptist Church, I believe, is the nearest lost soul. Lost souls are all around us, we must have a burden for lost souls. It bothers me as I visit in the churches, that there does not seem to be a burden for lost souls, or a burden over sin. Our altars are empty, there seems to be no tears shed over the souls of men. I see a lot of programs and activities, but I wonder if we have lost the main purpose of that which we have been called to do. Matthew 28:19-20.

7. Do you believe the MBC should continue its legal case against the five former convention agencies who’s trustee boards voted to go self-perpetuating?
Definitely. We should stay the course in getting our former agencies back. We should not give up in this matter.

8. Save Our Convention argues that a small cadre of Missouri Baptists are controlling the state convention from behind the scenes. How do you respond to that?
I do not believe that to be the case. No one was controlling me when I have been at the convention and voted. I voted as I felt lead. No one controlled me when I was chairman of the state nominating committee. We received nominations from individuals, and prayerfully went over the nominations and chose those that we felt the Lord had laid on our hearts for the nomination. I do not understand the thinking of the SOC group therefore I cannot agree with them on this.

9. What is your opinion of The Pathway?
I am so grateful for the Pathway and Don Hinkle. I appreciate the Pathway and the information that is provided us through it each time it comes. I find it to be most informative of what is going on in our convention and throughout the state. Our churches in Barry County are most appreciative and I have heard nothing but good remarks about it from our people.

10. Why should local churches continue to support the Missouri Baptist Convention?
We should continue to support the MBC because it is ours, it is a work of the Lord as we His people join hand in hand in furthering His Kingdom with the on-going work of the: Children's Home, Hannibal LaGrange College, SBU and as our state workers make themselves available to help our churches in Sunday School work, evangelism, College work through the BSU's, missions (local, state and foreign). Why would we not want to support it, we have worked together over the years and have invested ourselves together for the purpose of spreading the good news of Christ our Lord. We are family.

11. Is there anything else that you would like to say to Missouri Baptists?
Yes, be in prayer for the convention for one another. May the Lord's will be done and may He continue to use us all for His glory.

Abortion advocates: Morally Schizophrenic
by David Krueger

Schizophrenia is a mental disease characterized by the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic personalities in the same individual. The word is derived from two Greek words that literally means "split mind." It’s a disease that is marked by impairments in the perception or expression of reality. This describes the current state of mind of most pro-abortion advocates in America today. They are morally schizophrenic.

On Monday of this week in Kansas City a 20-year-old-women delivered her premature baby boy in a McDonald’s restaurant restroom and tried to flush him down the stool. The mother, who worked at the McDonald’s, reportedly appeared to be in pain and said she needed to use the restroom. When she had not returned in 15 minutes, another employee checked on her and asked what was wrong. Fearing that the woman was having a miscarriage, the co-worker called 911.

When the Paramedics arrived, and talked to the woman she told them that she had "flushed three times but that it would not go down." A Paramedic asked her to stand and then saw a baby face down in the water. The 32-week-old baby was rescued and resuscitated, and is doing well at a local Kansas City hospital.
We all recoil at such stories. We are shocked and horrified. What would induce a woman to attempt such a reprobate act?

All of us can sympathize with a young woman who has an unwanted pregnancy. The various difficulties associated with an unwanted pregnancy can create enormous pressures for a young woman. When an unwanted pregnancy does occur, the church ought to be a place where a woman can find encouragement, support, and ministry – not ostracism.

Sympathy ends, however, at attempted infanticide.

But consider this: If the day before her bathroom delivery this same young woman had visited the local Kansas City Planned Parenthood – a.k.a. abortion clinic – and aborted her baby, our culture would not have given this baby boy’s death a second thought. The same pro-abortion advocates who recoil at this botched infanticide, turn around and triumphantly defend her right to abort the very same baby.

Is there something wrong with this scenario or is it just me? Is it not morally schizophrenic to decry a mother’s attempted murder of her baby moments after its delivery, but champion her right to abort the same child just days before its birth? Such thinking, in my opinion, is characterized by a disparate train of thought in the pro-abortion advocate: It’s a ‘lump of tissue’ on the day of the abortion, but a "child" only after it’s birth. Nope, I just don’t understand that kind of thinking.

The Word of God needs no “confirming”
By David Krueger

My guess is that most of you are not familiar with the name “Nebo-Sarsekim” from reading the Old Testament. Thanks, however, to a recent discovery at the British Museum it’s a name worth knowing. Early this week, British Museum officials announced the discovery of a two-inch-wide 2,500-year-old cuneiform tablet that contains details of a financial transaction by a “Nabu-sharrussu-ukin,” who is called in the tablet the “chief eunuch” of Babylon King Nebuchadnezzr.

That's the same person mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3 -- although spelled differently in different translations -- as the chief officer of Nebuchadnezzar who was in Jerusalem when the Babylonians overtook the city around 587 B.C.

Conservative biblical scholars say it's another affirmation that the Bible is true -- even in the smallest of details, such as names.

Babylonian names notoriously are difficult to translate. The Holman Christian Standard and the New King James Version call him "Sarsechim." The New International Version calls him "Nebo-Sarsekim"

The small tablet is one of more than 100,000 inscribed tablets housed at the British Museum, and which were acquired in 1920. It was unearthed about a mile from modern-day Baghdad, Iraq. But because of the painstaking effort to translate them and often to piece them together, it wasn't seen as having a biblical connection until recently. Michael Jursa, a professor from the University of Vienna, made the connection.

"This is a fantastic discovery, a world-class find," according to the British Museum's Irving Finkel. "If Nebo-Sarsekim existed, which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power."

The New International Version of the Bible translates Jeremiah 39:3 thusly: "Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.”

While I always get excited about such finds, the discovery begs the question: “Does the Bible need secular “affirmation” that it is true?” For those, like myself, who believe in the inerrancy, infallibility and reliability of the Biblical record, no such archeological confirmation is needed.

A.W. Pink (1886-1952), a pastor, theologian and prolific author, in his commentary on Genesis, helps us gain perspective on biblical archeology and such finds as the
Nebo-Sarsekim tablet: Pink writes:

The faith of the Christian rests upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture, and we need nothing more. Too often have Christian apologists deserted their proper ground. For instance one of the ancient tablets of Assyria is deciphered, and then it is triumphantly announced that some statements found in the historical portions of the Old Testament have been confirmed. But that is only a turning of things upside down again. The Word of God needs no “confirming.” If the writing upon an Assyrian tablet agrees with what is recorded in Scripture, that confirms the historical accuracy of the Assyrian tablet; if it disagrees, that is proof positive that the Assyrian writer was at fault … The man of the world, and the pseudoscientist may sneer at our logic, but that only demonstrates the truth of God’s Word, which declares, “but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

I love Pink’s logic!

I don’t mean to infer that we should completely discount such archeological finds. They do, after all, reveal the reliability of the Scriptures to a skeptical world. If the authors of the Bible got these kinds of minor details correct, critical scholars, and biblical minimalists may have to rethink their attitudes about the reliability of Old Testament history in general. For the believer, this ought to be just one more nail in the coffin of liberal biblical academia!

“Save Our Convention’s” Message: Resign Don Hinkle, Resign!
David Krueger


I have already blogged about the Save Our Convention meeting that took place at the Harvester, 1st Baptist Church on May 15. In this sequel blog, I'd like to comment on what I thought was the most outrageous comment of that day’s meeting. It was made by Jim Breeden, Assoc. Director of Missions for the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association and one of the conveners of Save Our Convention. His statement concerned The Pathway, the official Newsjournal of the Missouri Baptist Convention. Here is what he said:

"There is a loss of trust in The Pathway newspaper. A large number of Missouri Baptists believe The Pathway has fueled the current conflict by focusing on controversy, reporting events in a very biased manner and writing with inflammatory tone. The vast majority across the state believe The Pathway should work with, and not against, MBC staff. It is a sad day when Missouri Baptists trust secular papers and the Word & Way more than the official state paper."

Breeden’s accusation is as subjective as is Save Our Convention’s accusations that Roger Moran and the MBLA are "running" the Missouri Baptist Convention. Their "facts" have been interpreted to substantiate their personal bias. Breeden accuses, but he offers no substantial facts to prove his case. Talk about an inflammatory!

Perspective invariably colors opinion. I readily admit that I have a vested interest in and a biased opinion about The Pathway and its editor. Don Hinkle is a personal friend. I was the original Webmaster when the Newsjournal began, and cannot help but feel a sense of pride in my small part in The Pathway’s humble beginnings. Even so, I hope to provide my readers with substantial "proof" for my defense of Hinkle and The Pathway in a moment. What Save Our Convention organizers have not admitted to is their biased opinion against Don Hinkle and The Pathway. In their view, Don Hinkle is a co-conspirator with Roger Moran and the MBLA. In their opinion, he is as equally to blame for David Clippard’s termination as is Moran and the MBLA. Knowing that doesn’t make Breeden’s comments about The Pathway any more true, but it does put his comments in perspective.

So then, lets consider some of the accusations:

First, is The Pathway biased – yea, even very biased – in its reporting? You bet it is. Don, and his staff writers (Allen Palmeri and Brian Koonce) are all solidly Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Pro-SBC, Pro-MBC, Anti-Homosexual Agenda, Anit-Gambling Agenda. If the editor and staff of a state Baptist newspaper are going to be biased, this is the kind of bias I want. What Save Our Convention refers to as "bias" I see as a "Biblical World View." These ‘biases’ repeatedly come across in Hinkle’s opinion pieces and staff-writer stories. And I am glad for it.

Second, is The Pathway too political? Though not mentioned in Breeden’s statement, it is an accusation I’ve repeatedly heard from Pathway detractors. The Pathway does indeed regularly report on events taking place in the Missouri legislator. But their coverage has always been on issues of moral concern to Missouri Baptists. The Pathway has never spoken on issues that have not already been spoken to by Southern Baptists through resolution or motion. This is easily verified by logging onto The Pathway’s website and perusing the archives. Indeed, Don Hinkle has helped Missouri Baptists be Salt and Light in the rarefied atmosphere of the Missouri Capitol building.

Third, has The Pathway "fueled the conflict" in Missouri Baptist life by focusing on controversy? Again, such statements are subjective. What one reader perceives as "inflammatory," another reader will perceive as "factual reporting." Consider the accusation that The Pathway has fueled conflict in the MBC. Sometimes it takes just one word to bias a question or a statement. Inflammatory words include words in the following list. They are words that management analysis and development consultants encourage companies to avoid. Here is the list:

• allege
• allude
• arbitrary
• blame
• claim
• demand
• error
• failure
• fault
• ignore
• ill-advised
• ill-informed
• incompetence
• ineptness
• insist
• just
• maintain
• misinformed
• must
• neglected
• one-sided
• overreact
• peremptory
• purport
• questionable
• rejection
• rigid
• so-called
• unfortunately
• unilateral
• unreasonable

So how many times are any of these words found in Pathway articles? In the hundreds of articles that have appeared in The Pathway since its inception there are exactly 26 uses of words from the aforementioned vocabulary. The word that yielded the highest number of "hits" on The Pathway website was the word "must." In virtually every circumstance the word occurred in a title. Examples included: Draper: young leaders must preach the word, State Evangelism Conference must be covered in prayer, MBC leadership: We must defend the human embryo, etc., etc., etc. I found exactly two examples where any of the above words might be construed in an inflammatory way.

Let’s also consider the second statement that The Pathway has focused on controversy. Consider the following review of articles that appeared in The Pathway between January and April of this year ... the height of the "Clippard controversey."

January 16

• Legislative prayer service settles in as January tradition
• El Salvador trip kicks off partnership
• MBC seeks injunction against Jester, others
• Court-ordered mediation completed; no agreement
• McCoy helps lead staff toward tranquility
• Scroll scholar to speak at Midwestern Seminary – Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls Workshop
• SBC prez brings evangelist’s heart to confab
• Blunt pushing for education reforms
• Gott enjoys serving Lord as a businessman
• Missionaries to Philippines keep sharing
• IMB missionary urges MBC to think missiologically
• Blackaby, Lowry headline bi-vo ministry conference
• Governor’s Prayer Breakfast puts spotlight on absolute truth
• HLG holds first December graduation
• Olford Center preaching classes big on-line hit with Missourians
• MBC worship staff produces new podcasts
  TOTAL - 12 ministry and CP related stories ... 5 convention issue or government issue stories.
  

January 30

• An ice-cold catastrophe
• Showdown coming with Planned Parenthood
• MBC annual baptism number dips below 13,000
• MBC case assigned to Callahan
• State Evangelism Conference offers mosaic of motivation
• McCune prepares to leave MBC staff position
• First Baptist makes donations to Braggadocio Baptist
• Bogey Hills enjoys Romanian partnership
• Soccer ball kicks up evangelism stir
• Memorial children’s ministry bridges gap
• Baptist workers come to aid of people in crisis
• Disaster relief help arrives through Bobcat of St. Louis
• Page gets conference rolling by lifting up name of Jesus
• Sergeant presents church with gift
• Former minister gets 20 years for sex crimes
• MBTS to host Scrolls scholar for workshop
• Hannibal-LaGrange College springs into new year
  TOTAL 16 news and CP stories - even the bad news is valid ... Only 1 story about the lawsuit.
  

February 13

• El Salvador partnership accelerates
• HLG embarks on ambitious $30 million capital campaign
• Memory of Disaster Relief worker honored
• MBC theological panel begins work
• BGCM, Missouri CBF join in liberal event
• Political intrigue surrounds MOHELA bill; MBC concerned about trusting the courts
• MBC staffer McMillan honored to receive Casebolt music award
• Clippard names Taylor state evangelism director
• SBU may soon work with Russian university
• Willis challenges MBC staff to bear much fruit
• Southridge reaches out to poor in El Salvador
• MAHC lobbying day set for March 7 at Capitol
  TOTAL 10 CP and Ministry related stories ... 2 related to MBC controversy.
  

March 6

• Resolutions show support for state exec; some leaders say action inappropriate
• Debate intensifies concerning Emerging Church in SBC
• MBC seeks to achieve $2 million goal in giving
• Church plant grows out of disaster relief
• Missouri women touch Puerto Rico
• WMU training set for March 24
• Dead Sea Scrolls create buzz
• Gambling loss limit targeted
• Lawmakers keep trying to clean up billboards
• Threat to church daycare autonomy may materialize
• Pro-life bills poised to advance in Senate
• Southwest Baptist plans first Christian Summer Music Camp
• HLG moves to add two new sports
• Norman brings passion for theology to SBU
• VBS theme creates opening for Sports Crusaders’ ministry
• Springfield remains in need of Disaster Relief volunteers
• Education Expo offers options in learning
  TOTAL 15 CP or ministry stories ... 1 controversy related.

March 20

• Pro-life rally at Capitol generates hope
• Mark Dever to headline Pastors’ Confab
• MBC churches catch vision for ministry to El Salvador
• McCoy actively pursues qualified nominees
• MBC theological committee work proceeds
• Theological meeting turns political, personal
• Disaster Relief boss offers thanks
• Virginia volunteers help after Mo. ice storm
• Christian at Missouri State stands her ground
• A farmer who is salt and light
• SBU earns award for student missions work
• Missouri Baptist Youth Choir plans summer tour
• SEMO Baptists reach out to international students
• McKenzies reaching deaf for Christ
• Feeding sheep is Founders’ focus
• Ascol to encourage more church planting
• Union Hill growing, meeting needs
• MBTS to host evangelism workshop on Mormons
• Colorado draws Missouri missions effort
• Romanian Baptists cherish freedom of worship
• Soccer ball helps reach Ghana for Jesus Christ
• Buckhorn Baptist watches Lord grow Filipino church
• Hall concert blesses Jefferson City
• Sheriff White keeps walking by faith - What a great testimony...
  TOTAL 22 stories about CP and ministry ... 3 about the controversy.
  

April 3

• Investigation committee to report April 10
• God spares family in crash
• Jim Austin the choice for exec dir. in S. Carolina
• Theological review committee begins policy phase
• The CEF challenge: Evangelizing in schools
• House eyes vaccines for sexually-transmitted virus
• Conference aims to shake Missouri for Jesus
• Bearden seeks to clarify religious freedoms
• Old Bethel rebuilding project nears completion
• Discipleship confab blesses hearts in Slater
• Providence enjoys rich history
• Pilate between a rock, a hard place
  TOTAL 12 stories on CP and ministry ... 2 on the controversy.
  

April 24

• Questions and Answers about the Executive Board meeting, April 10, 2007
• Report of the MBC Investigative Committee
• Missouri board dismisses Clippard as exec
• MBC Executive Board issues official statement
• Board elevates Tolliver to interim executive director
• Board passes alcohol policy tied to funding
• MBC Executive Board issues official statement
• Continuing Review affirms one item, rejects four
• MBC asks court for expedited trial setting
• Springfield BSC turns 50 with great energy
• Cloning ban pops out of committee
• Senate considers rare move to aid pro-life bill
• Ozark church plant rejoices in rapid growth CP giving at work
• Florissant church intentionally seeks diversity
• Dakdok exposes error of Islam at Baptist Building event
• Making Bibles delights Missouri Baptists
• Discipleship trainer creates awareness
• Young Christians Weekend touches many Baptists
• She’s more than a mom
  TOTAL 13 stories on CP and ministry ... 7 on the controversy (due to coverage of the April 12 Executive Board meeting where Dr. Clippard was terminated as Executive Director)
  (My appreciation to Brian Baker who initially pulled most of this information together)
  

Can anyone, with an ounce of objectivity, look at the above list of stories and not conclude that The Pathway prints far-and-away more stories about missions and ministry and the local church than the controversial issues facing the MBC? Are the controversial issues article stories that Missouri Baptists need to be kept abreast of? Of course. The Pathway, after all, is a Newsjournal. As a Missouri Baptist, I want to know the good, the bad and yes, even the ugly, that transpires in convention life.

Forth, does The Pathway work against the MBC staff? This begs the question: "What does Jim Breeden mean when he asserts that The Pathway works against the MBC staff?" Has The Pathway been critical of Program leadership? Has The Pathway been critical of ministries, or programs initiated by various program leaders? Has The Pathway been unsupportive of missions offerings and the Cooperative Program? In an unflattering email that appeared on the MoBaptistList (an online discussion forum for Missouri Baptists) Norm Howell openly criticized Don Hinkle for a number of things. He does, however, grudgingly compliment Don for being supportive of partnership missions. Howell writes: "Has Pathway neglected "Partnership Missions?" NO!"

Lastly, are secular newspapers like the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Word&Way more trustworthy sources of information for Missouri Baptists than The Pathway? I suppose Save Our Convention leaders are entitled to their opinion, but I find the notion so laughable that it’s simply not worth responding to.

For Save Our Convention leaders to make such broad accusations against The Pathway – and essentially against Don Hinkle – on only anecdotal evidence, hearsay, and personal bias, is at the least irresponsible, and at the worst, slanderous. To coin an old TV commercial: "Mr. Breeden: Where’s the beef?" Where is your evidence that backs up your outlandish claims? Inquiring minds would like to know.

“Save Our Convention’s” Message: Die MBLA, die
by David Krueger

It was my hope and prayer that after the termination of David Clippard as the Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist convention things would begin to settle down. The Executive Board’s vote of 44-7 for termination revealed a strong consensus among board members that Dr. Clippard’s leadership had become disquieting and troubling. I assumed that most Missouri Baptists would look at that consensus vote and conclude that – as painful as it was for the convention, and for many board members personally – that the Executive Board made the correct decision. I assumed that with the closing of this painful chapter in our convention’s history, Missouri Baptists would take a deep breath, and rally behind David Tolliver as he sought to bring some healing and some unity to the Executive Board staff and the convention. Alas, I assumed incorrectly.

The latest saga in Missouri Baptist life has been the formation of “Save Our Convention” -- a group led by mostly large church pastors who believe: 1) That the conservative resurgence in the Missouri Baptist convention has gone too far to the right, and 2) That convention life is being manipulated by a “political power broker machine” that will eventually “lead to the destruction of the Missouri Baptist Convention.”

Just what we need, right?

Some Background
The leaders of “Save Our Convention” (SOC) include:

• John Marshall, 2nd BC, Springfield
• Mitch Jackson, Miner BC
• Jim Breeden, DOM, St. Louis Metro
• Dwight Blandenship, Parkway BC, St. Louis
• Kenny Qualls, FBC Arnold
• Wes Hammond, FBC Paris
• Tom Willoughby, FBC Eldorado Springs
• David McAlpin, FBC Harvester
• David Sheppard, FBC St. Charles
• Wayne Isgriggs, FBC Lincoln
• Lee Sanders, FBC O'Fallon
  

They believe that a small cabal of influential Missouri Baptist Layman – headed by Roger Moran -- are pulling the strings behind the scenes in an attempt to control the agenda of the state convention. This cabal is specifically accused of “micro-managing” the executive board staff. SOC leaders clearly believe that this cabal is directly responsible for most of the recent turmoil in Missouri Baptist life, and the forced termination of David Clippard.

The express purpose of SOC, as stated at their May 15 meeting at FBC, Harvester is to:

1. To break the power-hold that a small group has on the Missouri Baptist Convention.
2. To halt the spread of a legalistic spirit and allow for diversity of opinion on non-essentials.
3. To include all those who want to work together with the Baptist, Faith and Message as our guide.
   (See Save Our Convention addendum at the end of this article)
   
   How do the plan on accomplishing this?
4. Elect a new slate of MBC Convention officers including President 1st and 2nd Vice President Recording Secretary
5. Reject the MBC Nominating Committee Report if it is not reflective of people who represent the MBC as a whole and adopt a substitute minority report.
6. Reject the MBC President’s nominations to the Nominating Committee if those nominations are power brokers and do not reflect the MBC as a whole.
   (See Save Our Convention addendum at the end of this article)
   

Some Observations
As a long-time Missouri Baptist, let me share some personal observations and perceptions that I’ve gleaned from watching convention life over the last several years. Granted, these are my observations and perceptions, and I’m sure others will radically disagree with them. However, the rhetoric I heard at the “Save Our Convention” rally deserves a response.

Observation #1: The turmoil that has become part-‘n-parcel of Missouri Baptist life can be directly traced to the failed leadership of the past two Executive Directors – Dr. Jim Hill and Dr. David Clippard – not a cabal of power-hungry lay-leaders seeking to impose their agenda upon the convention.

Dr. Hill failed utterly in his responsibility to protect the interests of Missouri Baptists when he refused to inform the convention of pending decisions by various trustee boards whom he knew to be contemplating votes to become self-perpetuating. His actions revealed that if the theological-moderates could not control the convention, they would simply take as much of it as they could with them when they left. The result of his negligence has been a seven-year legal quagmire in the MBC’s attempt to re-assert control over the five boards in question. The length of the lawsuit and the differences of biblical opinion even among conservatives over “taking a brother to court” has been like an un-healing sore in Missouri Baptist life.

Dr. Clippard’s failure is addressed in the Ad Hoc Investigating Committee’s report. His failure essentially revolves around unwise, ill-advised and unethical decisions as well as an autocratic, overbearing leadership style. The IC’s report clearly stated that employee morale at the Baptist Building was low because of David Clippard. This seems to be a nice way of saying that Dr. Clippard had poor people skills when it came to relating to and managing those who worked under him. The IC report also found that Dr. Clippard has not always been sufficiently forthright when confronted on various issues. Again, this seem to be a nice way of saying that Dr. Clippard regularly lied to Executive Board members on any number of occasions concerning any number of issues. Dr. Clippard also acted improperly when he settled the 2004 lawsuit brought by Carol Kaylor and then purposely misled Executive Board leaders about the details of the case. These reasons, and -- due to legal restraints -- other non-reportable incidents, all add up to a failure of leadership that can only be attributed to one person -- David Clippard. No one ended David Clippard’s career as MBC Executive Director but David Clippard.

Observation #2: The MBC Executive Board is not a group of mind-numbed robots blindly following the leadership of Roger Moran. If I were a member of the MBC Executive Board, I think I would be offended at the assumption of SOC leaders – three of whom are MBC Executive Board members. That assumption is that the fifty-plus members of the Executive Board, as well as David Tolliver – MBC Interim Executive Director -- are unwitting pawns in the hands of Roger Moran and his cabal of lieutenants and that Executive Board members, as well as David Tolliver, are just too stupid to realize it.

The men and women, laymen and ministers who serve on the MBC Executive Board are Missouri Baptists attempting to do what – in recent years – has become a thankless job. They are devoted to the Lord, and His Kingdom work, to their local church and to the work of the convention. To imply that they are merely puppets in the hands of a master-manipulator is to dishonor their service and impugn their integrity.

Observation #3: SOC leaders are obsessed with Roger Moran and the MBLA. According to them, they’re the Boogiemen in our midst and the sooner stakes are driven through their hearts the better.

SOC leaders told the Harvester crowd that their concerns are “… not even about the recent firing of Dr. Clippard, though we each have our own opinions of those events. However, that is over and done. It is the past.” This is analogous to the person who demurs “It’s not about the money.” When we hear someone say that, you can be sure that it’s really all about the money. It’s no secret that most of these men personally blame Roger Moran for David Clippard’s downfall and eventual termination. This was made clear by Gerald Davidson’s accusation at the 2006 annual meeting of the MBC. Gerald told the messengers during the annual sermon: “My dear friends I want to say to you this morning Missouri Baptists do not need a political organization to dictate and to build kings and tear down leadership." This was a clear reference to Roger Moran and the MBLA.

To be sure, Roger is a passionate Missouri Baptist, and one of the things he is passionate about is the MBC. But to consider him “the most powerful Baptist in Missouri” just because the St. Louis Post Dispatch says so, is to give the devil more due than he deserves. Is Roger an influential Missouri Baptist? Yes. Should we lay the blame for David Clippard’s failures as a leader at Roger’s feet? No.

Observation #4: SOC leaders have elected themselves the ethical watchdogs of the MBC. There central message? “Die, MBLA, Die!

In their effort to break the “power-hold that a small group has on the Missouri Baptist Convention” (aka – the MBLA) they have adopted a three-pronged plan: 1) Elect a new slate of MBC officers – President, 1st and 2nd Vice President, and Recording Secretary. In their opinion, the MBLA shouldn’t be in the business of “approving” a slate of convention officers. This is, after all, “king-making.” Instead, Missouri Baptists need to support SOC’s approved slate of officers – whoever they may wind up being (see the list of eleven). Isn’t this an illustration of the pot calling the kettle ‘black’? 2) They plan to reject the Nominating Committee Report if it is not reflective of people who represent the MBC as a whole. If it is not, they plan to move the adoption of a substitute minority report. Who is to say whether-or-not the Nominating Committee’s Report is or is not reflective of people who represent the MBC as a whole? (see the list of eleven). 3) They plan to reject the President’s nominations to the Nominating Committee if those nominations are “power brokers and do not reflect the MBC as a whole.” Again, who is to say whether-or-not Mike Green’s nominations to next year’s nominating committee are “power brokers” and do not reflect the MBC as a whole? (see the list of eleven).

Observation #5: SOC leaders are unwilling to allow the various committees of the convention to work the process of convention life. Admittedly that process can sometimes be slow and ponderous. We’re Baptists and we believe in congregational polity. That means involving a lot of people in the decision-making process. It means committee meetings, deliberation and a business meeting or two. It can drive people with A-type personalities nuts, but it’s the Baptist way, and I’m glad for it. The Ad Hoc Investigating Committee made several recommendations concerning the Nominating Committee that would effectively address most of the concerns SOC leaders have. Those recommendations have been turned over to the MBC Committee on Continuing Review which will soon be meeting to discuss them, and then give a report to the messengers of the 2007 annual meeting at Tan-tar-a. Instead of waiting for the CCR report, SOC leaders are politicalizing the convention even further, which will only continue to further divide the convention.

Some Concerns

Concern #1: Is this an attempt by large-church pastors to exert dominance over the life of the MBC? The foundation of Missouri Baptist life is the small church. Not one of the SOC leaders reflect the typical Missouri Baptist congregation. I.e. very small and very rural. Consider:

• John Marshall, 2nd BC, Springfield – 5,517 members
• Mitch Jackson, Miner BC – 1,431 members
• Jim Breeden, DOM, St. Louis Metro – 52,124 (total church membership)
• Dwight Blandenship, Parkway BC, St. Louis – 1,050 members
• Kenny Qualls, FBC Arnold – 5,061 members
• Wes Hammond, FBC Paris – 531 members
• Tom Willoughby, FBC Eldorado Springs – 845 members
• David McAlpin, FBC Harvester – 3,839 members
• David Sheppard, FBC St. Charles – 2,689 members
• Wayne Isgriggs, FBC Lincoln – 553 members
• Lee Sanders, FBC O'Fallon – 3,728 members
  (these statistics are taken from the 2005 Book of Reports)
  

Will their nominations for MBC officers at the 2007 annual meeting reflect Missouri Baptists as a whole? I do not wish to see a return to the day when a few large church pastors and their congregations dominated MBC life as when the moderates were firmly in control.

Concern #2: The character assignation of fellow Missouri Baptists. Named in their indictment of Missouri Baptists who they consider “political power brokers” are Roger Moran, Kerry Messer, Cindy Province, Richard Stone and Ron Turnbull. Considerable time was spent during the Harvester meeting maligning these individuals as co-conspirators who are bent on a coup d’etat of the convention. They were accused of being malicious gossipers, power mongers, and legalists. They were blamed for the lose of quality MBC staff members. They were blamed for a loss of confidence in the MBC Executive Board and current leadership. The potential loss of churches who might abandon the MBC was blamed on them. Finally, the potential destruction of our remaining MBC institution – even the convention itself – was blamed on them. That’s a lot of blame to heap upon five people.

Concern #3: The potential affect on the convention’s legal suit against the five institutions who’s trustee boards voted to become self-perpetuating. One of the arguments advanced by the five renegade trustee boards is that they made their decision to help insulate their respective institution from the politics of convention life. Save Our Convention plays right into the hands of defense lawyers who are looking for every opportunity to take advantage of internal conflicts within the MBC in an attempt to pit potential witnesses against each other. Save Our Convention is asserting that recent MBC woes are not a result of standing on principles of right and wrong, but that our woes are merely a result of convention politics. I can’t help but believe that, while their efforts will not ultimately lose the legal case for the MBC, neither are their efforts helpful.

Concern #5: The ever-increasing polarization of Missouri Baptists.

In Conclusion
I have no doubt that each of these eleven men love the Lord. I have no doubt that each has the best interests of the MBC in mind. I’m terribly concerned, however, that their efforts will increasingly polarize and factionalize our convention. Their efforts will not save the MBC, but more-than-likely, hasten its demise.

I'm not so naive as to believe that we do not have real problems in the MBC. Some of those problems will go away when the legal suit against the five agencies is over and done with. As for the spirit of devisiveness that has taken hold of Missouri Baptists, I'm not sure I have any real answers (other than a firm belief in prayer and the providence of God). I don't believe, however, that "Save Our Convention" is the right way to address those problems. Their agenda is reactionary: They blame Roger Moran and the MBLA for David Clippard's forced termination and now somebody has got to pay.

Essentially, I trust Baptist polity. Missouri Baptists are not stupid. They know when a course correction is needed in Baptist life. They know when things have gone "too far" in one direction or another and they will correct it in due course.

I am comforted by one thought: The Missouri Baptist Convention is bigger than five individual Baptists. It’s bigger than the Executive Board. The Missouri Baptist Convention is not about what takes place at 400 E. High Street in Jefferson City. The Missouri Baptist Convention is about 1,900 autonomous Baptist congregations, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, scattered in cities, towns, villages and open country across the state of Missouri. The heart of Kingdom work is the local church. If we remember that, we remember the most important thing about the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Aaddendum

SAVE OUR CONVENTION

I. Who We Are?
John Marshall, 2nd BC, Springfield – 5,517
Mitch Jackson, Miner BC – 1,431
Jim Breeden, DOM, St. Louis Metro – 52,124
Dwight Blandenship, Parkway BC, St. Louis – 1,050
Kenny Qualls, FBC Arnold – 5,061
Wes Hammond, FBC Paris -- 531
Tom Willoughby, FBC Eldorado Springs -- 845
David McAlpin, FBC Harvester – 3,839
David Sheppard, FBC St. Charles – 2,689
Wayne Isgriggs, FBC Lincoln -- 553
Lee Sanders, FBC O'Fallon – 3,728
We are all Biblical conservatives and endorsed the initial objective of Project 1,000

II. Why We Are Here?
1. We initially met on Wednesday, April 25 to share mutual concerns about the recent events and the future direction of the Missouri Baptist Convention. Several expressed that they and others they knew were considering walking away from the Missouri Baptist Convention. After lengthy discussions and mutual encouragement it was determined that this was not the right course of action.
2. A course of action was determined and a second meeting was set for late May. Because of a schedule conflict this meeting was moved forward to Tuesday, May 16. Each person present was encouraged to enlist 10 others to attend that meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to share our concerns for the Missouri Baptist Convention and to chart a course of action to address those concerns.
3. There have been no secret meetings and we are committed to openness and honesty. The president of the convention was informed of this meeting on Tuesday, May 1 and was invited to attend. We are sharing our concerns and course of action publicly so there can be open discussion and clarity.

III. What Are Our Concerns?
1. This is not about
• Calvinism
• Alcohol
• Emerging Church
2. It is not even about the recent firing of Dr. Clippard, though we each have our own opinions of those events. However, that is over and done. It is the past. We are concerned about the future.
3. Our concerns are two-fold
• The continued power control of certain project 1,000 leaders and the Missouri Baptist Laymen's Association that has led to micro management of the Missouri Baptist Convention staff and the exclusion of many fine Missouri Baptists.
• We are concerned about the spirit of legalism that refuses to cooperate with those who are not in total agreement and sets parameters that exceed the Baptist Faith and Message.
We are concerned that these two forces - A political power broker machine and a spirit of legalism - will lead to the destruction of the Missouri Baptist Convention and more specifically Southwest Baptist University and Hannibal LaGrange College.

IV. What is Our Purpose?
1. To break the power-hold that a small group has on the Missouri Baptist Convention.
2. To halt the spread of a legalistic spirit and allow for diversity of opinion on non-essentials.
3. To include all those who want to work together with the Baptist, Faith and Message as our guide.

Gerald Davidson - Annual Sermon 2006 Convention
"Project 1,000 has done its job and we say thank you and praise God for it. But hear me. It's time that Project 1,000 retired. Now I've been told that Project 1,000 ceased to exist after the year 2003. But now, the parent organization called The Missouri Baptist Layman's Association has risen up to take its place. My dear friends I want to say to you this morning Missouri Baptists do not need a political organization to dictate and to build kings and tear down leadership. "

V. What is the Evidence for These Concerns?
1. St. Louis Post Dispatch - April 2,2007
"For Roger Moran, the most powerful Baptist in Missouri, the past represents victory and personal grace."
St. Louis Post Dispatch - April 15,2007
"WANTED: Experienced Baptist to lead the Missouri arm of the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Position open due to firing of previous director last week. Looking for a fast learner who will recognize immediately that he must conform to the ideology of power broker who brought Missouri Baptists in line with conservative National Southern Baptist Convention."

2. Influence of Missouri Baptist Layman's Association - MBLA
Members
• Roger Moran
• Kerry Messer
• Cindy Province
• Richard Stone - Roger Moran's foreman
• Ron Turnbull - Roger Moran's first cousin Positions Held
• Roger Moran
SBC Executive Committee - term expires 2007
MBC Nominating Committee - Served as chairman in 2006 - term expires 2007
Missouri Baptist University Trustee Board
• Kerry Messer
SBC Committee on Nominations 1998 - that committee's report included Roger Moran's nomination to the SBC Executive Committee Recording Secretary of MBC, 1998
MBC Nominating Committee
MBC Executive Board
MBC Christian Life Commission 1996-2002
• Cindy Province
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Board
MBC Executive Board - term to expire 2007 but resigned from the board in
March
MBC Christian Life Commission.
• Richard Stone SBC Foundation
SBC Committee on Nominations 2000-2001 MBC Recording Secretary -1999 Christian Life Commission - 2000-2006
• Ron Turnbull
MBC Nominating Committee - 2000-2003
MBC Executive Board - Nominated by the Nominating Committee chaired by
Roger Moran and included member Kerry Messer
• Jason Rogers is not listed as a member of the MBLA but is a 6th person in this power group.
Roger Moran's brother-in-law
Elected as Recording Secretary for the MBC in 2005
MBC Executive Board - also nominated by the committee chaired by Roger
Moran and including Kerry Messer.
Note - Four members of this group have served together on the MBC Executive Board this past year - Kerry Messer, Cindy Province, Ron Turnbull, Jason Rogers.

3. Testimonies:
• David McAlpin - Ad Hoc Theological Investigation Committee (see 4-page report, plus Addendum)
• Wes Hammond - Executive Board
• Tom Willoughby - Nominating Committee
• Bruce McCoy - Investigative Committee
• Jim Breeden - Associational Concerns

VI. Why Must This Power / Control Stranglehold Be Broken?
1. Not Biblical for such power / control to exist.
Matt 20:25, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so -with you. Instead whosoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. "
3 John 9-10, "I wrote to the church, but Diotrophes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he's doing, gossiping maliciously about us."
2. Pendulum has swung too far - From liberalism to legalism
3. Narrowness - Now excluding those who have always been conservative
4. Losing quality key staff
5. Churches considering abandoning the Convention
6. Institutions could be devastated and destroyed by legalistic boards.
7. Loss of confidence in Executive Board and current leadership

VII. What to Do?
1. Give Nominations to Nominating Committee (Bruce McCoy)
• Strong CP giving
• Conservative but not legalistic
2. Goals for Missouri Baptist Convention
• Elect new slate of officers President 1st and 2nd Vice President Recording Secretary
• Reject Nominating Committee Report if it is not reflective of people who represent the MBC as a whole and adopt a substitute minority report.
• Reject Presidents Nominations for the Nominating Committee if those nominations are power brokers and do not reflect the MBC as a whole.

"The Nominating Committee shall consist of twenty-four members, serving terms of three year's each, eight of'whom shall be nominated by the president in consultation with other convention officers and elected by the Convention at each annual meeting. " (Article X-Committees Section 2, MBC Constitution)

VIII. Organization
1. 11x10x10 = 1100 Attending the Convention
2. Work with the Missouri DOM Fellowship
3. Enlist churches to send a maximum number of messengers 20 churches x 15 = 300
20 churches x 10 = 200 20 churches x 5 = 100 150 churches x 2 = 300 200 churches x 1 = 200 1100

"Any Southern Baptist Church singly aligned with the Convention and desiring to cooperate with the Convention in her program of single alignment with the Southern Baptist Convention and any Baptist church meeting the qualifications sated in Section 2 shall be entitled to one messenger for every one hundred members or fraction thereof, provided no church shall be entitled to have more than fifteen messengers." (Article IV - Membership, Section 1. Constitution of the MBC.)

Dysfunctional, Disenfranchised Desensitized, Demon Possessed or Just Depraved?
By David Krueger

Text: Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” KJV

Early this week a young, Cho Seung-Hui an Asian college student went on a killing rampage. It was America’s worst mass-murder spree – 30 students and 1 faculty member dead. By the evening of the shooting, talking heads on all the news outlets were already asking the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?” The potential culprits will, I’m sure, be legion.

Some will attribute his rampage to a dysfunctional home. We don’t know much about his home life at this point, but you can bet “there was something wrong in the home” that would produce such a monster. While a dysfunctional home life may have contributed to his actions, a dysfunctional home does not answer the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?”

Some will attribute his rampage to disenfranchisement by rich American white kids that he rails against in the rambling video he sent to NBC. Sorry, but disenfranchisement does not answer the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?”

Some will attribute his rampage to the desensitizing affects of violence-filled TV shows, movies, music and video games, hate-filled websites and a toxic culture. While this may have contributed to his frame of mind, a violence-glorifying entertainment culture does not answer the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?”

Some will attribute his rampage to out-right demon possession. For some in our society, Satan is the easiest way to resolve the issue. While I believe that Satan is the Prince of the Power of the Air, demon possession is unlikely and so does not answer the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?”

The real answer to the question: “What turned the soul of this young man into poison?” is more chilling. He did what all people are capable of doing. He acted like he did because it was in his very nature to do so. He did what his fallen nature coerced him to do.

The Virginia Polytechnic massacre Reminds Us That Man’s Problem Is a Heart Problem.
Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” NIV
and
Ecclesiastes 9:3 “This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.” NIV

Why is the human heart in such appalling condition? Because of something called sin. Sin has affected every part of man’s personality. When the bible speaks of our heart it is not referring to the muscle that pumps our blood. When the bible speaks of our heart it is referring to the whole man, with all his attributes — physical, intellectual, psychological, and spiritual. It is the heart which makes a man what he is, and governs all his actions.

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” NIV

When the Bible says that our hearts are full of evil and madness it means that our character, our personality, our will, and our mind are all affected by sin and reveal the true nature of the human character – it is depraved. Depravity is a doctrine we don’t like to talk about much these days. It’s a doctrine that teaches that, outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ, man has no moral compass or spiritual guidance. Man, by nature, is a fallen creature.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” NIV. This is not just some verse we quote to lost people when we are sharing God’s plan of salvation with them. This verse reminds us of a fundamental flaw in human nature — we sin because we are sinners. And we are sinners by choice. And because we have sinned, we can never, ever measure up to God’s standard of holiness and righteousness on our own initiative. We are all born with a decided bias toward evil, and with an utter hatred of God.

Romans 8:7-8 “When people’s thinking is controlled by the sinful self, they are against God, because they refuse to obey God’s law and really are not even able to obey God’s law. Those people who are ruled by their sinful selves cannot please God.” NCV

Our spiritual depravity does not mean that every man is as sinful as he possibly could be. But our spiritual depravity means that every man is completely affected by sin.
• The Bible says that we are slaves to sin.
• The Bible says that no one seeks after God.
• The Bible says that we cannot understand spiritual truth.
• The Bible says that we are subject to God’s wrath.

Any person who knows the history of mankind, especially the history of the past one hundred years, and thinks that man is evolving upward, is deceiving themselves. Man has increased in scientific, medical, historical, educational, psychological, and technological knowledge to an astounding degree. But he has not changed his own basic nature and he has not improved society. Man’s knowledge has greatly improved, but his morals have progressively degenerated. The Bible says that man was created a little lower than the angels. One thing is clear today — he's been getting a little lower ever since.

Man is infected with the deadly virus of sin, which has no cure aprat from God. Some scientists have proposed that by surgery or careful electronic stimulation of the brain, a person’s bad impulses can be eradicated, leaving only the better part of his nature. Others propose that the ideal, crime-free, problem-free person will be developed through genetic engineering. But every part of every man is corrupt — he has no inherent good traits that can be isolated from the bad. Albert Einstine once said, Evil is the real problem in the hearts and minds of men. It is not a problem of physics but of ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.

Man’s Heart Is So Thoroughly Corrupt That Nothing Can Solve Our Problem Except a Heart Transplant

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” KJV. Our character is deceitful.

The word deceitful is the root word from which we get the Old Testament name Jacob. The Bible is saying that we’re all like Jacob in character. If you remember, Jacob was a schemer and a conniver who would do about anything to advance himself or his agenda. He was double-faced and double-tongued, tricking his brother and lying to his own father. Our character is desperately wicked. The word desperately in this verse literally mean incurable, Our character is not just desperately wicked, it is incurably wicked, Paul speaks to this in his letter to the Christians at Rome:

Romans 1:29-32 “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” KJV

Our character is unknowable. The prophet Jeremiah looks at the human heart and sees it as so wicked and so depraved that he wonders out loud, who can know it? Some men, who by all accounts are good men, will sometimes commit unthinkably horrible acts that leave the rest of us wondering, “How could they have done that?”

“What turned the soul of this young man into poison?” The answer is that his soul was dead. Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” KJV

What does it mean to be dead in trespasses and sins? It means that his lost nature was totally in control of his life. If all lost people are dead in trespasses and sin then why don’t all lost people commit the kind of evil acts that Cho Seung-Hui did? It’s a wonder that they don’t. It’s clear that when man feeds the darker side of his character, he becomes more prone to commit evil.

Dysfunctional families can feed man’s evil spirit.
Being disenfranchised in one’s school or culture can feed man’s evil spirit,
The desensitization that results from a culture saturated in violence can feed man’s evil spirit.
And the demonic forces that influence lost men to commit unspeakable acts cannot be underestimated.
But none of these in and of themselves reveal the reason why Cho Seung-Hui went on his rampage – only the Biblical doctrine of depravity gives us the real answer.

Finally, the Virginia Polytechnic Massacre Reminds Us That Tomorrow Has No Guarantees
James 4:13-15 “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” KJV

This is the fundamental reason why a commitment to Christ cannot be put off.

Sad chapter in Missouri Baptist life ends
serves as reminder of how Baptists work
by David Krueger

A two-year saga came to an end on Tuesday of last week with the firing of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Executive Director, David Clippard. The April 10th, vote to dismiss was 44-7. Over the last two years, Dr. Clippard leadership style had become the focus of ever-increasing division between Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board members.

The process that led to Clippard’s dismissal began when Wesley Hammond, pastor of First Baptist Church, Paris, presented a motion at the December 2006 board meeting calling for the formation of a committee to investigate the sources and veracity of allegations regarding leaders within the convention. Hammond’s motion passed 29-19, with three abstentions. The committee presented its report in a two-hour closed-door meeting to the MBC Executive Board at last week's meeting. The investigating committee made a finding of a “lack of confidence” in the continued leadership of David Clippard as MBC Executive Director and recommended the termination of his employments effective immediately.

Because the investigative committee’s report included some legally sensitive matters, the board appointed Michael Whitehead, MBC’s legal counsel, as spokesman for the MBC on the matter. Mr Whitehead has yet to release the report’s findings that led to David Clippard’s termination so I cannot comment with certainty at this time as to the specifics of the findings that led to his firing.

David Tolliver, one of the MBC’s associate directors, was elected to serve as interim Executive Director.

The events of recent days serve as a reminder of the importance of Baptist polity. Dr. Clippard’s termination reminds us that authority in Baptist life flows from the churches to the convention, not from the convention to the churches. In many denominations, such a termination would have been impossible.

Southern Baptist congregations are autonomous New Testament Churches. Their Head is none other than the Lord, Jesus Christ who guides His church through the Holy Spirit who indwells believers and guides them through the Scriptures which we believe are all-sufficient for faith and practice. As autonomous congregations, Baptist Churches make their own decisions about missions giving, ministerial calling and staffing, budgets, doctrinal positions, and their degree of cooperation with other churches and para-church organizations. There is no higher ecclesiastical authority in Baptist life than the local church. I think that denominational workers sometimes forget that.

Baptists, however, also believe in cooperation. We recognize that there are some missions that the local church cannot accomplish by itself and so most Southern Baptist churches voluntarily choose to cooperate on a number of levels. This includes local, state and national Baptist bodies. On the local level, we cooperate with other Baptist churches within our county or perhaps several surrounding counties. This is called the Association. As the name implies, this is a loose association of Baptist Churches cooperating together to do missions and ministry locally.

The next level of cooperation is the State Convention. In Missouri there are almost 2,000 Southern Baptist Churches with 600,000 members. We cooperate with these churches to accomplish missions and ministry on a state-wide level. This includes such institutions as two Baptist Colleges and the Missouri Baptist Children’s home as well as all of the ministries that the Executive Board staff is responsible for.

Finally, we cooperate on a national level through the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is composed of sum 45,000 congregations across the country. Through the cooperation of so many, the SBC is able to field one of the largest mission forces of any denomination in the world. Through our North American Mission Board and International Mission Board, over 10,000 Southern Baptist missionaries serve throughout the world.

Every level of Southern Baptist ministry is guided by the local church which sends Messengers to the annual meetings of the Association, State Convention, and National Convention. Even the use of the term “Messenger” carries with it the core concept of Baptist polity. These men and women who represent their local church bring “a message” from their congregation as to what they want to see the association or convention accomplish and how they are to accomplish it.

These messengers vote on budgets and other business that comes before these bodies. In between annual meetings, each level of Baptist ministry is guided by an executive committee – men and women, laymen and pastors – who are, again, approved by the messengers from local, autonomous Baptist congregations voting at annual meeting. These executive committees have the responsibility of overseeing the work of the association or convention between annual meetings. The employees of the association, the state convention, and the national convention take directions from the local church. All three of these Para-church entities exist to help the local church accomplish its mission.

The temptation at every level of Baptist life is assuming the local church exists so that some higher level of ecclesiastical authority can accomplish its mission, ministry or agenda. NO! NO! NO! We must zealously guard against and resist this kind of thinking in Baptist life. The local church does not exist to help some higher level of ecclesiastical authority can accomplish its mission, ministry or agenda. They exist to help the local church accomplish its mission, ministry and agendas as mandated by our Lord’s Great Commission. The paraphrase a banner that hung in then candadate Bill Clinton's campaign headquarters: "It's about the local church, stupid!"

As of right now, I do not know why our Executive Director was terminated. It is always a sad day in church life when something like this takes place. We need to pray for David Clippard and his family. At the same time, however, this chapter in Missouri Baptist life serves as a reminder that it is the local church, and those who represent us, who have the final say in all levels of Baptist life.

Think about it!

Here we go again!
"The Lost Tomb of Jesus" a made-for-television flight of fancy
by David Krueger

Around the world, news headlines blared, "The Tomb of Jesus Found!" Startling news to say the least. Could it be true? And if so, what would be the ramification for the world’s largest faith family? Some newsmen were purporting the death of Christianity as we know it. "If the discovery proves true," writes Ariella Ringel-Hoffman "it could shake up the Christian world as one of the most significant archeological finds in history." Aside from the sensationalism of such stories, newsmen like Ringel-Hoffman are correct. In 1 Corinthians 15:14-15 the apostle Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ.”

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central pillar of proof put forward by the New Testament authors to substantiate Jesus’ claims to deity and the forgiveness of sins offered to humanity through Jesus shed blood on the cross. The Apostle Paul argues that If Jesus didn’t bodily rise from the dead then Christianity is a FALSE religion and should not be followed or observed.
The important question that needs to be answered is “Did Cameron and Simcha indeed find Jesus’ remains, or is their case as ‘unsinkable’ as the Titanic?” (Cameron, if you remember, is the producer of the Hollywood block-buster movie, 'Titanic').

The documentary titled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," aired the evening of March 4th on the Discovery Channel. The show sought to present archaeological, statistical and genetic science evidence that demonstrate a tomb unearthed in 1980 contains the remains of Jesus and his family -- including his wife, Mary Magdalene, and their son Judah.

The story begins in 1980 just south of Jerusalem, with the discovery of a 2,000 year old burial cave containing ten coffins (ossuaries). Six of the ten coffins were carved with inscriptions reading the names: Jesua son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Matthew, Jofa (Joseph, identified as Jesus’ brother in the documentary), Judah son of Jesua (Jesus’ son according to the film makers).

The findings in the cave, including the decipherment of the inscriptions, were first revealed about ten years ago by Israeli archeologist Professor Amos Kloner. Since their discovery, the caskets were kept in the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) archive in Beit Shemesh. Although the cave was discovered twenty-six years ago and the casket inscriptions decoded ten years ago, the filmmakers claim to be the first to contend that the cave is actually the burial site of Jesus and his family.Executive producer James Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici tell viewers that the DNA evidence from the tomb makes a compelling case that the ossuaries contained the remains of Jesus and his family.
Cameron and Jacobovici also used statistical analysis to prove their case. They say the statistical improbability of having Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Judah, “Jesus’ son,” in the same tomb, give significant credibility to the documentary’s thesis. Jacobovici said the documentary aims “to report the news and not to engage in theology” and argues that DNA technology not available in 1980 has helped to identify the tomb’s occupants.

Why concern ourselves with what have become traditional holy-season attacks of one kind or another on the Christian faith? Why not just ignore “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” as the bunkum it is? Because the Apostle Jude reminds us "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." (Jude 3, NASB95). As Christians, we must passionately defend the truth of the Christian faith.

While it is impossible to go into great length to show the fallacies of the show's claims let me offer a few rebuttals.

• Regarding a Jesus family tomb found in Jerusalem. If Jesus had indeed been wealthy enough to afford a rock-cut tomb, it most likely would have been in Nazareth, not Jerusalem. Nazareth is where the family was from. It seems unlikely that Jesus’ family would have had the wealth necessary to afford such an extravagance. The Scriptures indicate that Jesus had no residence he could truly call home (Matt. 8:20). When he died, he was placed in a borrowed tomb, not a family tomb (Matt 27:57-60).
• Regarding the "Christian tradition" that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was buried in Jerusalem. First, the biblical accounts provide no information whatsoever about the end of Mary's life or the place of her burial. All we have is church tradition. Cameron and Jacobovici assertion that this is the Jesus family tomb depends partly upon the tradition that Mary was buried in Jerusalem. This tradition is an early tradition (2nd or 3rd century), and firmly believed by many. What Cameron and Jacobovici fail to tell viewers is that there is another, equally strong tradition, that Mary died in Ephesus and is buried there. This tradition comes from the 4th and 5th century). This second tradition is based on the assumption that Mary spent the last years of her earthly pilgrimage in the company of the Apostle John -- to whom she was entrusted by Jesus at his crucifixion (John 19:26-27) – and that she spent that time in Ephesus where John pastored. Neither tradition can be historically verified.
• Regarding the names found in the tomb. All the names found inscribed on the tomb's ossuaries were common in 1st-century Palestine. Yeshua, Joseph, Maria, Mariamene, Matia, Judah, and Jose – are extremely frequent Jewish names for that time and place, and thus most scholars consider this merely coincidental. Over the years at least three ossuaries have turned up in and around Jerusalem with the inscription "Jesus, son of Joseph." In the first half of the first century, one in four women were named "Mary." Dr. Charles L. Quarles, Chair of Christian Studies, Louisiana University estimates that in 1st-centuary Palestine approximately 1 out of every 442 families had a Jesus, son of Joseph combination. When you consider that one-quarter of the women in that day were named Mary, it would not be unusual to find a tomb with those combination of names.
• Regarding the ossuary containing the supposed remains of Mary Magdalene. The ossuary in question contains the names Mariamene and Mara (short for Martha). Cameron and Jacobovici, in a convoluted logic, deduce that these duel names must refer to Mary Magdalene. They assert that Mariamene refers is a proper name and interpret the other name appearing on the ossuary – Mara – as meaning “master.” Thus the two names taken together, they believe, refers to “Mary the master” and must obviously mean Mary from Magdala or Mary Magdalene. That this combination of names must refer to the Mary Magdalene of the New Testament is a dubious association to say the least. Mary Magdalene is never referred to in the bible as Mariamene.
• Regarding the DNA testing. Cameron and Jacobovici did not have the actual bones from the ossuaries. By Israeli law, the bones were removed and reburied by Orthodox Jews. What were found in the ossuaries were very small bone fragments. Even the Canadian laboratory that performed the tests admitted that the DNA was very difficult (their word) to extract and very fragmented (their words). What did the DNA testing prove? That bone fragments in the supposed ossuary of Mary Magdalene, and the bone fragments in the suppose ossuary of Jesus were not maternally related. From this bit of non-evidence, Cameron and Jacobovici conclude that the occupants of these two ossuaries must have been married! The program does not report on other possible relationships that DNA cannot establish such as, father and daughter, paternal cousins, half brother and sister (sharing the same father) or simply unrelated individuals. The DNA tests prove nothing.

Taken at face value Simcha and Cameron seem to have built a rock solid case against Christianity. However, if you spend even a little time critically analyzing their claims -- as I've tried to do -- then you realize that Cameron and Simcha have done nothing more than – in the words of Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary -- build a Da Vinci Code like house of cards that crumbles as soon as you blow on it.

When you consider their “facts” you’re left with only one conclusion: There is more truth in Dan Brown’s fiction than in James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovichi’s fact.

Authority in the Believer's Life
by David Krueger

Perhaps you've heard the story of the ship's captain who was sailing late at night and he saw a distant light on a collision course with his ship. He told the signal officer to send the message, "Alter your course ten degrees south." The message came back, "Alter your course ten degrees north." The captain became angry with the impertinence and signaled back, "Alter your course ten degrees south; I'm a commander." The response was, "Alter your course ten degrees north; I'm a seaman third-class." By then the captain was furious, and signaled back, "Alter your course; I'm a battleship." The response was, "Alter your course; I'm a lighthouse."

God's authority is like that lighthouse it doesn't move. No matter how much authority we have in life, God's authority trumps our authority. Either we alter our course, getting our lives in line with God's authority, or we crash onto the rocks of life. This means that no government, no family member, no nation, no court, and no church can trump God's authority.

Now please understand we all have to live under proper authority in our lives. Children need to respect their parents. Citizens need to respect the law of their land. Athletes need to respect referees. Employees need to respect bosses, and so forth. Authority is an important part of our lives, and without it total anarchy would break out in our communities. But our ultimate allegiance is always to God first.

Sometimes we're faced with circumstances where a person in authority over us demands that we do something that goes against God's authority in our lives. Not too long ago, my brother-in-law was asked to use some "creative accounting" with the books he had oversight of. As a Christian man, he made the decision that it was something he could not and would not do, and he quit that position. He still has a job with the same company, but he is making significantly less money then he was making previously. God's authority in his life was more precious to him than man's authority. His decision to remain faithful to Godly principles of honesty was not a difficult decision for him, but it was a costly -- in worldly terms -- for him.

Have your placed yourself under God's authority in your life?

Remembering a life of courage and sacrifice
by David Krueger

One of the realities of our day is a growing absence of “denominational loyalty” among church goers. There was a time in American life when, if your grandparents were Presbyterian, it was understood that you would also be Presbyterian and so too your children. Generations of families often grew up in the same church. Times have changed. For a whole host of reasons I’ll not go into here, many Americans no longer feel obligated to remain in the same faith group as did their parents or grandparents. One of the results of this influx of other faith traditions into our churches is that many congregants in Southern Baptist churches have no knowledge of our history or traditions. Consequently, when I refer to Lottie Moon, and our annual Christmas Offering for International Missions, a growing number of worshipers have no idea who I’m referring to. It’s actually a wonderful opportunity to re-tell the story of a remarkable woman.

No one would think twice in today’s culture of Lottie Moon doing what she did. But in mid-nineteenth century America , her decision and her accomplishments were truly extraordinary.

Lottie was born on December 12, 1840. She was educated at Virginia Female Seminary (later known as Hollins) and at Albermarle Female Institute, Charlottesville . Lottie rebelled against Christianity until she was in college. She was converted in the spring of 1859 in a meeting by John Albert Broadus, then pastor at Charlottesville . She taught at Danville , Ky. , and Cartersville , Ga.

She volunteered for missionary service in Feb., 1873, in response to a sermon on the text, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest," and she was appointed to China, July 7, 1873, by the Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. Lottie served 39 years as a missionary, mostly in China ’s Shantung province. She taught in a girls’ school and often made trips into China ’s interior to share the good news with women and girls. She was passionate about sharing Christ with the Chinese. In one letter home she wrote: “How many million more souls are to pass into eternity without having heard the name of Jesus?” That question compelled her to flee the safety of the Baptist missionary compound in order to live among those “heathen” to whom she felt called. In middle age, it gave her the strength to place her 4-foot-3-inch body in the path of an anti-Christian mob intent on harming believers and saying, “You will have to kill me first.” As an older woman, it compelled her to give away her food so others might live and have one more opportunity to find Jesus.

Lottie frequently wrote letters to the United States , detailing Chinese culture, missionary life and the great physical and spiritual needs of the Chinese people. Additionally, she challenged Southern Baptists to go to China or give so that others could go. By 1888, Southern Baptist women had organized and helped collect $3,315 to send workers needed in China . That first Christmas offering provided three additional missionaries. Lottie spent 14 years in China before taking her first regular furlough.

Toward the end of her days, she suffered with her Chinese people in the terrible famine. She gave away all she had. In the time of deepest trials she wrote, "I hope no missionary will be as lonely as I have been." Literally starving, she grew steadily weaker. Just before Christmas, 1912, Cynthia Miller, Lottie’s faithful nurse, started back to America with Lottie Moon. Death came to the frail missionary on Christmas Eve while her ship was at harbor in Kobe , Japan . The present Christmas offering for foreign missions, sponsored by the W.M.U., is named for Lottie Moon.

But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren’t growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever. Let me leave you with the following quote from Lottie herself:

“Why should we not … instead of the paltry offerings we make, do something that will prove that we are really in earnest in claiming to be followers of him who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor?”

— Lottie Moon
Tungchow , China
Sept. 15, 1887