Tonight Dwight McKissic has issued a call for Southern Baptists to stop tightening the doctrinal noose around our own necks. He pleads with us to stop the lynching of those who are open to the continuation of all spiritual gifts or whose private devotional lives are more intense and expressive than our own. He begs us to let brothers and sisters like him ride at the front of our denominational bus. He stands before us and opens his heart for everybody to hear him.
Click here to read his response to Patterson’s statement, and judge for yourselves which agenda for the SBC promises a brighter future. There are two paths before us, and Dwight McKissic has captured the essence of the choice.
The Baptist Blogger 
Ben,
When I read Dr Patterson’s address to the trustees, I nearly cried with heavy sorrow and deep disappointment. When I read Pastor Dwight’s response I did tear up, and I said to myself, “Thank you, Lord! And way to go, Dwight! True, eloquent, gracious, brave, necessary.”
Todd Nelson
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
todd-jeni-nelson.blogspot.com
BridgeChurchKL.org
Help,
I tried to download off this site yesterday and today…I get a blank screen.
I’ve even come off my VPN.
Can someone please post his letter?
Thanks,
Those of us who were raised in churches with Southern Baptist missions education programs (I started in Sunbeams and went all the way through the entire R.A. program) have an understanding of the SBC that is different from that which is being articulated by Dr. Patterson. The key word is autonomy, not conformity. Our strength has always been in the fact that, while there are many disagreements over the finer points of interpretation, their is a common acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that as believers in Him, it is important to work together to grow his kingdom.
What possible purpose is being served by all of this? How is the Kingdom being advanced by this? Each church in the SBC is autonomous and independent. There is no such thing as “The Southern Baptist Church,” consequently, there is no such thing as a “Southern Baptist distinctive.” How can there be, if each of the 40,000 churches is independent and autonomous?
With 80% of our churches plateaued and declining, with aging congregations, with baptisms continuing to drop, with attendance and participation declining, we are still taking the time to argue petty doctrinal issues in front of the seminary students that we are in the process of training to send out to the churches and mission field in a few years.
Does anyone else have a problem with that?
Ben:
Just a comment on bibliography….
While somewhat dated, Don Carson’s treatment of the tongues issue in his book Showing the Spirit is still worth reading. For those who see this as a choice between viewing tongues as “known languages” vs. tongues as ecstatic utterances, Carson argues for a third alternative. He concludes that the Corinthians passages are referring to “real languages,” by which he means that they bear “cognitive content.” Thus, it is possible that “tongues may bear cognitive information even though they are not known human languages.”
Even though Carson is suspect of much charismatic phenomenon, he concludes that “I could not find any unequivocal criterion for ruling out all contemporary tongues-speaking…”
If nothing else, I would encourage those who want to think carefully about this issue to read Carson’s “reflections of a pastoral nature” in the last chapter.
Ben,
Doesn’t Dr. Paige Patterson’s Wife Dorthey teach Men at His Seminary???
In His Name
Wayne Smith
I read his remarks, in a cursory way. I did note that he said if a person had a “private prayer language”, that would never be known by the world, and would not be an issue.
The IMB, as I understand it, asks the candidates about this matter. If a candidate has the Holy Spirit-given gift of speaking in an unknown tongue, and exercises it in private, in accordance with 1 Corinthians 14, it’s my understanding that they are disqualified from serving.
SO .. Dr. Pattersons says it’ll not come up, but the IMB brings it up and acts on it.
MY QUESTION: Can Dr. Patterson’s remarks be construed as critical of the IMB?
Will the seminary continue to allow people to read his remarks free?
Dr. Mckissics respose is both gracious and Christlike in its content, however, once again Ben, your response is neither. For you to once again use racial analogies such as “He begs us to let brothers and sisters ride at the front of the denominational bus” when he in fact said no such thing is shameful. For you to continue to use this kind of race filled rhetoric as you have here and as you have in previous posts ( at one time you even made analogies compared to Nazi Germany concerning current SBC leadership) makes one wonder concerning your own thoughts and views on race and equality. Shame on you Brother Ben…I cannot help but think you know better and if I am amiss in my presumption someone should teach you better. I may disagree with Dr. Patterson on this issue (and I do) but to continue to insinuate that he is driven by some kind of a racist overture is simply wrong.
jrmaddox,
I think Ben know something to which he speaks. I Do Not see the Heart of Dr. Patterson in any matters. Why is that??
in His Name
Wayne Smith
Well Wayne…if you are insinuating that Ben knows something of Dr. Patterson’s heart concerning the race and issues of equality, I would agree. I am sure Ben knows well that to make racial insinuations towards Dr. Patterson over this issue simply because Dr. McKissic is black is as I have said, shameful and wrong! TO disagree with someone is one thing, to insinuate racism is another…it is wrong and I will continue to challenge Ben on this. Why does Ben not clarify that he does not inted to insinuate racism? Why does he himself not state that Dr. Patterson may be in gross theological error, but his motivation has nothing to with the fact that Dr. M is a African American? Ben should well know that a man who has dedicated his life to taking the gospel to the world is no racist. As far as your question of you not being able to see the heart of Dr. Patterson in any matters and why that is….I do not have the slightest idea what you mean and have no way of answering.
Blessings
Jack