WHAT THE SBC AND SGM AREN’T TELLING THEIR MEMBERS

My counterpart recently wrote a fascinating article on the contributions that Sovereign Grace Ministries, along with its fearless apostle, Mahaney, have made to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This seminary is the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is also home to one of C.J.’s best buddies, the very reformed president, Al Mohler. A number of past and present SGMers have commented that they couldn’t understand these donations. Their primary reasons for concern are:

1. Sovereign Grace Ministries is a nondenominational “family of churches” and is not a denomination nor is it affiliated with any denomination.

2. The Southern Baptist Convention tends not to be in favor of charismatic expression, which is an integral part of the reformed SGM churches.

3. Those training to be pastors in Sovereign Grace Ministries churches would not be encouraged to attend SBTS, but rather SGM’s own nine-month “Pastors College”.

Well, there is more to learn about all of this. The first point we shall address is directed to those within the SGM embrace. There is a dirty secret that is not universally known amongst the SBC faithful. The SBC has the International Missions Board (IMB), which directs all international missionaries sent by the SBC.  Get ready, folks, take a deep breath, you’ll need it. The IMB has recalled all missionaries that have admitted to using a PRIVATE prayer language! A missionary was never ever allowed to use a prayer language in public. But, now, the IMB is meddling in how missionaries, who are doing the Lord’s work in difficult conditions, pray when they are alone with no one but God to hear them. And some of these dear missionaries have admitted to doing so, resulting in a one-way ticket back to the USA. This policy has been written about extensively, and we have included a link in case you’d like to verify this new development in the SBC.

http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2008/12/three-years-later-that-which-i-feared.html

How about adding some insult to injury for those of you in SGM? The IMB is also demanding that missionaries who were not baptized by a specifically cooperating Baptist church that adheres to the certain “BAPTST DOGMA” be re-baptized by a “correct” church or be recalled. So, I guess your baptism is not good enough if it was done in any other church or group. However, there are those within the SBC who actually think that they are the only “authority” in all matters of baptism, sort of like the Pope. Once again, much has been written on this subject, and here is one link to get you started.

http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/search/label/Baptism

So, SGMers, are you glad your family of churches’ money — at least $100,000 –was contributed to the SBC’s flagship seminary?

Now we turn to our members in our former denomination, the SBC. Did you know that most of the members of T4G who are both Baptist and reformed are best buddies with C.J. Mahaney?  I know my former pastor is.  Did all you good SBC types know that old C.J. doesn’t do much in the way of missions? You see, his churches planted predominantly in suburbia are the missions. Yep, this includes the ones in the rich areas as well. John Piper publicly addressed this issue with C.J. about ten years ago. But C.J. had bigger fish to fry. There is money to be made, doctrine to be made up, and football games to attend. Funny thing about this is that Piper has slowed down on the criticism. Why? Perhaps C.J. is helping him push his books, etc. Please read the TWW’s article on “The Mahaney Money Machine” at this link:

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2010/02/05/the-mahaney-money-machine/

Funny how doctrinal problems suddenly get minimized in the light of making money by selling books and speaking at conferences?

Also, SBC members, while we are at it, make sure you understand that the high school only educated Mahaney has opened his Pastor’s College that takes only NINE months to complete. What is laughable is that he believes his seminary trumps a Masters level education at Southern Seminary!  How do we know? There is an SGM pastor who held a Masters in Divinity and then made the rather unfortunate decision to become a pastor within SGM. Guess what? He was forced to attend the nine months of dumbed down education at the Pastors College!  So, SBC, Mahaney doesn’t think your seminaries are any match for his “boutique” seminary. I wonder if any of my previous pastors are rushing to get more education in C.J.’s seminary? Perhaps it would help to know that when you arrive for your nine months, the local congregation will wash your car and serve you dinner, among other “perks”.

So let’s review this post for both sides.

Sovereign Grace Ministries

1.You CANNOT be a missionary in the SBC if you speak a private prayer language.

2. You may need to be baptized again if you want to be a missionary commensurate to the baptism of Jesus at First Baptist Church, Israel.

Southern Baptist Convention

1. SGM rarely participates in foreign missions.

2. The woefully uneducated Mahaney has created a boutique nine month seminary, the Pastors College, which trumps a master’s degree from any of the Southern Baptist seminaries.

3. All SBC members should question the direction of the IMB and ask why the “au courant” pastors such as J.D. Greear, etc. are not speaking out against this nonsense.

So, what’s going on here?  We have some speculation.

1. There is money to be had on both sides, primarily by individuals.

2. The SBC admires Mahaney’s “hyper-authortarianism” over his family of churches.

3. The SBC is hemorrhaging members and the possibility of adding in a “family of churches” to  increase numbers is far more important than doctrinal issues.

4. Wouldn’t Mahaney enjoy the continued adulation (and subsequent money) for adding to the membership numbers of the SBC? Mahaney and Mohler could sell a lot more books if all SBC churches add a bookstore like Sovereign Grace churches have in their lobbies.

Predictions:

1. If the merger of SGM into the SBC occurs, we believe that trouble would emerge within one year. C.J. likes being the only Apostle in town, and there are far too many “megachurch” pastors (who function like kings) in the SBC that  will attempt to eat him for  lunch.

2. Over the next several years, SGM churches would continue to see the leadership discourage the use of charismatic gifts even more than thay have already in order to make their churches more palatable for the SBC.

3. The SBC will continue to develop more restrictive doctrinal practices which will contribute to further membership decline in the SBC.

The upcoming SBC Pastors Conference should prove to be VERY interesting as pastors from SGM and the SBC get together for a rip-roaring time in Orlando.  Maybe it’ll be the start of new things to come for both groups.  We’ll just have to wait and see…

In the meantime, do you know what happens in the scientific world if two different species are combined to breed new offspring? The new species is usually sickly and sterile. Hmmm, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea with the latest trends within these two groups.

Comments

WHAT THE SBC AND SGM AREN’T TELLING THEIR MEMBERS — 5 Comments

  1. “The upcoming SBC Pastors Conference should prove to be VERY interesting as pastors from SGM and the SBC get together for a rip-roaring time in Orlando. Maybe it’ll be the start of new things to come for both groups. We’ll just have to wait and see…”

    What will be even more interesting is to see how the Fla SBC state president is received now that he flew to Dallas to defend Ed Young to his church.

    Funny now strict the SBC is about private prayer languages but not about secretive greedy preachers who make the news and those who support them. They were not even strict about Steve Gaines keeping an admitted pedophile on staff.

  2. I have said it for years that the ONLY difference between Actors, Professional Athletes, and many men like these and others within the Ministry, Baptist Mafia, S B C, G B C – is that these men use GOD, the Bible, guilt and intimidation to obtain their wealth.

    These Baptist and Evangelist now run the convention, revivals, and universities as if they are a Sports Franchise or under some kind of Team Ownership or sport’s game.

    They think they deserve all kinds of perks – income w benefits – for whatever financial rewards and numbers increase they bring to a local church that HIRES them.

    And if you cross them….all their disciples and cult member followers attach and provoke you in ways only Satan himself can design, promote, implement and activate.

    If you have not been on the inside like I was, you have not seen or heard anything!

    I saw it and heard it first hand. Right Mike, Robert, Gerald, G B C, ETC…..

    The Internet, The Great Equalizer

    Need I say more?

    Still signing my name and
    Following Christ, Not Man;

    Doug Pittman

  3. Think about it.

    I know for a fact many of these men now in the ministry, especially the Baptist ministry bunch, were former athletes in either the higher level schools with sports as the only way to make a name for themselves, stars of High School Sports teams, and / or Collegiate Football, Baseball. and or Basketball wannabe players.

    They did not make it to that higher pay level, so what have they done? Turned to the next best thing with a crowd – Ministry!

    Many have used the ministry to get themselves to the level that they could not achieve as a Sports Star or Icon, so now they use the Ministry, and in that ministry they can now feel “wanted” and “special” by using GOD, the Bible, guilt, and intimidation and to get their Earthly Rewards – just as they wanted when they played sports trying to get that attention, wealth, and “the lifestyle.”

    They scratch each others backs and continuously encourage the masses to ” wrap and accept ” themselves to whatever they and/or their buddies garbage spew out from their mouths while using the PULPITS of the church to lift themselves and their back scratching and Baptist Mafia buddies up.

    This is not saying all MINISTERS do this as there are many many small church pastors who do deserve that “STANDING OVATION!”

    Anyone want to challenge me on what I have posted?

    My email is doug@dougpittman.com

    Following Christ, Not man

    Doug Pittman

  4. Doug!!!!!
    So nice to hear from you. Even better, you are in rare form! I feel bad I haven’t spoken with you in awhile but my surgery was very hard on me and I have only just started to drive again. Let’s talk soon. needless to say, I agree with you.

  5. Dee,

    Glad your feeling better. I have not bothered due to your much needed rest necessities.

    Yes, I am in a bad mood and as you put it “in rare form”. When I get continuous request to help many of the normal church attendees and ask to be helped, from what I consider the “religious perfect storm”, by those who are fighting to keep the POWER ESTABLISHMENT anchored, I get very disturbed.

    These earthly me are spiraling out of control. I am stunned at what I receive and have prayerfully considered what should be done to help.

    For instance I received an email about a church where the pastor commanded the church membership give above and beyond anything ever given for the next 156 weeks…..this being commanded when he and his whole family had just gotten back from a two 1/2 week expensive luxury vacation….

    I think we need to expand our efforts to expose these frauds!

    I look forward to speaking with you Dee and others soon.

    And no, no one has challenged my post yet either here.Purify, FBC JAX, or minister watch, etc.,…..

    I think—–oops, I know what I am speaking of well! Experience is immeasurable!

    Following Christ, Not man

    Doug Pittman