More Thoughts Regarding the Greensboro SBC

With the election of "outsider" Frank Page:

- Progress was made in repudiating Landmarkism.

- The Cooperative Program was loudly affirmed.

- At least for the near future, uncontested races for President are history.

Other preliminary observations:

- Megachurch pastors, while still having a major influence in Convention life, have less influence than they have ever had since the conservative resurgence.

- Bloggers have emerged (don't read too much into my use of that word) as a real force. I remember some six years ago hearing Dr. Ed Stetzer say that the Internet is THE media of the people and will revolutionize the world in ways we've never dreamed of. I'm sure few of us ever dreamed the SBC would be impacted so much by blogs.

- Calvinism is spreading so fast that nearly every speaker at the Convention mentioned it. Mark Dever was nearly elected to the office of 1st Vice President.

- Young pastors in the SBC are tenaciously committed to the inerrancy, authority and sufficiency of the Bible, to the point that they are unwilling to die for traditional Baptist positions on non-essential doctrines. Examples include congegational government and total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. This, of course, creates a tension that will continue to be present for several years in SBC life.

- Expository preaching is clearly the preferred approach to preaching in the SBC. Praise God. It's the only legitimate approach for inerrancy. However, I'm not sure everyone understands what true expository preaching is, as evidenced by some of the messages presented at the Pastor's Conference and Convention.

Finally, I believe that it's well beyond time to change the name of our beloved Convention. Greensboro seemed to me to be a convention that has us headed in the right direction. Perhaps within a few years we will have a name that more accurately portrays the national and international people of God we are.