I was encouraged yesterday by this, as much as one can be encouraged by a tired, heavy, bureaucratic government that love George Bush and Paul more than they love Jesus. But I digress. Because then the other guys started talking.

“Many churches are too concerned with extra-biblical standards about what we think church should be like.” – Pastor 1 (You mean like forbidding alcohol use by any SBC staff member or leader and forcing them to sign “covenants”.)

“I try to remind myself that I don’t need the world because I have everything I need in Christ.” – Pastor 2 (As nice as this sounds, way to many people use it to justify their withdrawal from the “world”. I mean if you don’t “need” the “world”, then why work towards making it a better place?)

“The greatest need in the Southern Baptist Convention is not in the pew, it’s in the pulpit.” – Pastor 3 (So out of all the things that are wrong in the world today and out of all the things that the SBC perceives its role to be in that . . . they have determined the greatest need to be the pulpit? Which I’m guessing means better sermons or louder ones at least?)

“I wonder sometimes if we are not accentuating the human side of the equation while neglecting the spiritual.” – Pastor 4 (Ok. Then this resolution makes perfect sense thanking W for Iraq. And this one about Ronald Regan was just because there weren’t more pressing “spiritual” things going on.)

At least President Bush took time out of his busy schedule to congratulate and pat the people who put him into office on the back. I guess this is the equivalent of having two losing teams who both just got beat congratulate each other on how well they played and how deep down everyone knows that they’re still better than the winners. I think if you say something loud enough, believe it deep down in your heart strong enough, and make a wish with a jelly bean and some unicorn hair . . . it might be true.

[tags]Frank Page, Southern Baptist Convention, SBC, Southern Baptists, Baptist+Denomination[/tags]