Texas Baptists Committed

A Little Ironic, Don't You Think?

Southern Baptists of Texas held a state wide rally on April 24. Paige Patterson, the next president of the SBC, spoke and Stan Coffey, Senior Pastor of San Jacinto Baptist Church, Amarillo, served as the conference coordinator.

Casualties of Conflict
By: Charles C. McLaughlin

I know I am not the only one. I am not the only pastor who in earlier years thought that he might be a part of bringing healing to the Southern Baptist Convention. I never felt I could do it alone.

A Contrast In Leadership Styles

BGCT leaders are always trying to be fair. They are constantly seeking to help churches regardless of where they stand on the denominational struggle.

An Exciting Time to be Baptist
By: Jerold McBride

Having served as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, I have spent a good amount of time in the Baptist Building. I know how hard our denominational employees work to assist local churches and associations in carrying out the Great Commission.

An Interesting Outline of Galatians
By: John Field

The letter to Corinth represents a refutation, by Paul, against human wisdom which produced a highly liberal form of Christianity.

Jerry Falwell to Speak at Conference
By: Steve DeVane

Some Southern Baptists are upset that independent Baptist Jerry Falwell will be appearing at Ridgecrest Conference Center this summer during the Baptist Sunday School Board's National Conference for Church Leadership.

The Leadership Challenge
By: Rudy Sanchez, Co-Chair

Church leadership is a problem today.

A Christian Position of Phonics?
By: Rev. Kyle Childress

Question: What is the Christian position on teaching phonics in our public school system? Answer: Ask the Texas Christian Coalition.

Political Wedding Proposed
By: Laurie Goodstein

The "good soldier" strategy, of compromising with moderates in the (Republican) party and settling for incremental gains, was a failure, in the view of many religious conservatives, and they are calling for a new militancy.

Rewriting History!

"Southern Baptists have historically held firmly to a belief in the inerrancy of the Bible."
-From a Southern Baptists of Texas brochure promoting a statewide rally.

Blessing the Unblessable
By: Douglas Ezell

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it does not register with us what an incredible gift of grace God has given us in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.

Significance of Fundamentalist Theology On Southern Baptist Convention Takeover
By William H. Stephens

Moderates fought the fundamentalist takeover on the naive assumption that their differences could be negotiated.

Asking God For Ice Cream
by Dr. Mark Waters

My friend Hardy Clemmons recently passed on a story which he received from his friend Dan Boling.

SBC Growth Slows As Texas Soars

The Wall Street Journal reported in an article on American religion that the Southern Baptist Convention, “whose membership increased so quickly in the 1970s that it emerged as
the country’s largest religious organization outside the Roman Catholic Church… has seen the rate dip, to about one-half of 1 percent or less from 1994 to 1997.”

The Baptist General Convention of Texas grew at 1.% in 1994-95, compared to SBC growth of .03%, and at 1.6% in 1995-96, compared to SBC growth at .02%. Would the SBC be
losing members if not for the growth of the BGCT which is counted in SBC totals?

It is interesting to note that one of the reasons given to justify the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC was that the SBC of the 1970s was led by liberals who did not believe in evangelism
and church growth. Now the SBC, with fundamentalist leadership is barely growing while the BGCT, led by people being branded liberals by Southern Baptists of Texas, continues
to grow.