By Shirley Crowder
BMBA WMU executive director
With the coming of summer, it’s time to be on the lookout for poison ivy. Several years ago, a friend said she had a red spot on her cheek that looked like it might be a bruise. Two days later, she called to say that although her eyes were swollen so badly she could barely see, she could see red splotches on her face and arms.
Headed to the doctor
I picked her up and took her to the doctor, guessing it was ivy or oak. Enroute to the doctor, she told me she had been working in her yard pulling weeds. I asked if she knew what poison ivy looked like — she didn’t. The doctor confirmed it was poison ivy.
I went out in the yard with her to the side of the house she had not yet weeded and took a picture and showed her the poison ivy. She commented on what a pretty shade of green it was.
We are taught to recognize poison ivy by recognizing its three leaves. Our skin reacts to the poison ivy oil because it detects the oil as an intruder, thus causing the allergic breakout.
I heard a radio teacher compare poison ivy to sin. He talked about how beautiful and enticing sin can look to us when we’re faced with temptation but how quickly the beauty fades once we give in to temptation and choose to sin. Our own lusts lead us to choose sin (James 1:14–15).
We must be diligently on guard and looking for things that seem to be good or harmless yet are toxic if we touch them.
Through prayer and knowing the Bible, we can be prepared to identify sinful temptations.
Thankfully the Bible tells us how we can resist temptation and choose to glorify God instead of sinning. We are to flee, run away from it and submit ourselves to God (James 4:7 and 2 Tim. 2:22).
Letters to the Editor
A resolution approved by messengers to the recent SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis about in vitro fertilization lamented that unused embryos are “frozen, stockpiled, destroyed and often subjected to medical experimentation.”
The resolution affirmed “the value and right to life of every human being.”
But the resolution didn’t stop there. It went on to encourage Southern Baptists “to only utilize reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation.”
Brent Leatherwood, head of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said plainly, “We oppose the general practice of IVF.”
Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary and the one who drafted the resolution, is well-known for his opposition to IVF.
Resolutions are not, in any way, binding on local churches or individual Baptists.
However, resolutions send a signal. And this signal is not welcomed by many faithful followers of Jesus, including many Baptists who are staunchly pro-life.
The value of IVF for infertile couples shouldn’t be disregarded and disparaged despite the complexities of the conversation.
Although the resolution was not a wholesale rejection of IVF, it was an overreach and not a good resolution.
Travis Collins
FBC Huntsville
Find the full text of the resolution at tbponline.org.
“Regarding the simple question whether or not the implementation of the GCR Task Force reversed the decline of baptisms in the SBC, the answer is a clear and decisive no. However, to be sure, there is more than enough blame to go around for this continued downward trend,” noted task force chair Jay Adkins, pastor of First Baptist Church Westwego, Louisiana.
“God is telling me we are here to facilitate the work of Southern Baptists … to manage and minimize the administrative processes,” said Jeff Iorg, president/CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. “We want to do our work quietly and efficiently so we can get on with the real work of winning more and more people to Jesus Christ.”
“I believe that when people get far away from God, they discover there is an emptiness in their heart, and we [as Christians] are the ones who can point them to the truth,” said Bart Barber, immediate past president of the SBC. “It’s a huge task to embrace, but the more God blesses us, the more work we have to do.”
To read a full report from the SBC Annual Meeting, visit thebaptistpaper.org/SBC2024.
The Great Commission cannot be parceled and assigned to our boards. While the efforts of our boards are critical, it is incumbent on every Christ follower to proclaim the gospel, said national WMU executive director Sandy Wisdom-Martin. This responsibility cannot be abdicated. We have church members who get married in the church and get buried in the church and live their entire life without once sharing their faith, she noted. This is the greatest tragedy of our generation, that we would not personally take responsibility for the sacred task entrusted to each of us. It really doesn’t matter what strategy we put into place if we don’t change the culture of our community of faith. This has to be the foundation.
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Reflecting on the recent SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, we can underscore the good news that came out of the meeting, said Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. A few notes:
- Clear mission focus
Those in attendance witnessed the sending or commissioning of 83 new IMB missionaries. Our Lord continues to call out people and send them on mission to places where we cannot, for security reasons, identify either the missionary or the locale by name. The North American Mission Board brought updates on church planting efforts across the U.S. and Canada. These church planters represent those who are willing to answer God’s call to do something new in the name of Christ.
- Stellar leadership
Jeff Iorg, newly elected president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, set the tone for the future by transparently updating messengers on the current situation facing the EC.
His stellar leadership has come at the right time for this strategic committee. He is the right man for this moment to lead Southern Baptists.
Bart Barber presided over this year’s meeting with a calm and steady hand. Even in the few moments of tension and confusion, you could sense that Bart was in control. His humility and dignity were evident during all sessions.
- Alabama connections
A group of your state missionaries from Alabama was in the exhibit hall to connect with fellow Alabama Baptists in personal ways, and I thank God for them. I have never been so proud to serve alongside such dedicated people.
Our new SBC president has Alabama Baptist connections. From 2004 to 2010, Clint Pressley served Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile. He did a superb job of leading that congregation during his tenure. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him when he was in Alabama. In 2010, he returned to his home church at Hickory Grove Baptist in Charlotte, North Carolina, serving the Lord there since.
- Our missional heartbeat
Southern Baptists are people who seek always to be faithful to the Bible, even concerning complicated issues. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 represents a consensus of our biblical beliefs. This confessional statement has served us well through the years, and I think it will do so in the future as well.
Our hearts beat with a “clear mission focus.” We are by far the largest missions-sending faith group in the world. That mission is fueled by our giving through the Cooperative Program and the approved special offerings. Next year marks the centennial celebration of the CP. That is a major cause for us to celebrate.
- Difference makers
Do we have moments of conflict and confusion? Absolutely! The past several years have illustrated that for certain. We are not a perfect people, but we are only “clay in the Potter’s hand.” Indeed, I believe we have the hand of God upon us.
Let’s remember to celebrate what God is doing among us. Let’s also delight in the fact that God has used us even when we were not at our best. As a Southern Baptist and an Alabama Baptist, I am so glad we can join together to be difference makers for Christ in today’s world.
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I had the opportunity to serve as organist for Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile under Clint Pressley when he was pastor there.
He was enthusiastic about the Savior, the Church, the surrounding city and the people. Clint is personable, very biblically minded and wants to only do what God tells him.
Clint is driven … and will work with all his heart for things he knows God is leading, but he will oppose whatever he feels is contrary to the Bible regardless of whoever is pushing him otherwise. He will serve the churches of the SBC well.
Iris Lundy Anderson
Mobile
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I’m thankful to be part of the diverse SBC family. We worship. We study. We send missionaries. We share the gospel. We make disciples. We are far from perfect in our pursuits, yet today I am thankful that God continues to use us in spite of our weaknesses to build His Kingdom. May we grow in unity. May we remember that the mission matters most.
Jennifer Foster
Montgomery
State Board of Missions plans to exit X
As of July 1, all Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions accounts on X — formerly known as Twitter — will be deleted.
“Our exit is because of X’s announced, formalized policy related to pornography,” said Rick Lance, SBOM executive director.
“Beginning on July 1, we will begin deleting those accounts such as the SBOM corporate account and those of various SBOM offices.”
Lance noted that his own X account will be deleted as well.
Incompatible values
Recently, X told its users, “You may share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior, provided it’s properly labeled and not prominently displayed. … Adult Content is any consensually produced and distributed material depicting adult nudity or sexual behavior that is pornographic or intended to cause sexual arousal.”
Lance declared that the new policy is incompatible with the SBOM’s values of biblical fidelity and sharing the gospel of Christ which calls for repentance from sin.
In addition, Lance and his state missionary colleagues each affirm a confession of faith known as the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, which declares that Christians should oppose “all forms of sexual immorality,” including pornography.
“As the SBOM along with other ministries and individuals declare our intentions to leave X, we hope that X may significantly change its policy regarding adult content,” Lance said.
“If such a change occurs before July 1, the SBOM may well stay. … Before now, X has been a place for often serious conversations on important topics.” (The Alabama Baptist)
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