The State of the SBC: Chuck Kelly

Here is the thing about bad news.  Life brings it to everyone eventually.  When it is your turn, do not be afraid of it.  Do Not avoid or run away from it.  Do Not ignore it.  Do Not look for someone to blame for it.  Do let it change your behavior, if necessary, so that the bad news can eventually become good news again.  It is a call to action more than a call to judgment.

        (Chart by NOBTS professor Dr. Bill Day)

Southern Baptists got some bad news this week.  LifeWay released the Annual Church Profile report (ACP) that provides a statistical snapshot on how the Southern Baptist Convention and its churches are doing, and the news was not good. Baptist Press has provided a summary of the report here. The SBC did have a larger number of churches, and that is truly good, encouraging news.  However, SBC churches baptized fewer people, had fewer members, and fewer of the members actually attended worship services in spite of adding new churches.  Those are extremely important statistical categories.  The report compared the numbers for the year ending September 30, 2016 to the year ending September 30, 2015, and nearly all the numbers were down from the previous year.  That is not the true bad news.  The true bad news is that when you put last year in the context of all previous years, it indicates the SBC is in the midst of a decline that shows no signs of either slowing down or turning around.  A chart by NOBTS professor Dr. Bill Day shows the total number of SBC churches and the total number of SBC baptisms since 1881.

You can see quite clearly the gap between churches and baptisms that began in the year 2000 and has grown steadily wider ever since.  You can see there is no comparable gap in all our previous years.  You can also see there is no indication the decline is slowing down or turning around.  The gap between the number of churches and the number of people responding to the gospel and being baptized grows steadily wider.  It isn’t the number of baptisms.  In 2015-16 the SBC had the smallest number of baptisms since 1946, the smallest number of members since 1990, and the smallest number of people in worship since 1996.  And those smaller numbers are in spite of a steadily growing number of churches.

What do these things mean?  Consider it official.  The SBC is in decline, and it has been so for a number of years.  The typical SBC church is struggling mightily to reach people for Christ in its city, town, or community, and it is struggling mightily to keep present members engaged.  Pastors, please know you are not alone in your struggles, and nearly everyone leading a church is facing some variation of the same challenges you face.

Also, discipleship is at the root of our struggles.  SBC churches must find strategies to help their people look and live like Jesus in observable ways.  Every strategy for evangelism from the first century until today assumes the life with Jesus is different from the life without Jesus.  We must live distinctively if we are to be fruitful in reaching people for Christ.  There will be no growth in evangelism without a growth in Christlikeness in how Southern Baptists live.

Finally, Southern Baptists must be intentional in seeking opportunities to have gospel conversations with people outside the walls of the church.  There is always a current nudging us away from sharing our faith.  It takes focused attention to make and keep evangelism a priority in your own life and in your church.  All of us need to ask and answer these questions regularly: What is my plan for evangelism, and what am I doing today to execute that plan?

God still moves.  We must never forget He is able to awaken the sleeping church, invigorate the tired church, and resurrect the dead church.  We must cry out for Him to do these things in, with, and for all of us now.

#1983- Anonymity of Babylon

"I've always said that fame is fleeting, but anonymity can last a lifetime." -Joe Johnston

            When God does not do a lesser thing in our lives, he is just waiting to do a greater thing in our lives. From the beginning of man-kind's history, then as now, we know down deep inside (whether we want to admit it or not), that there is a superior being in charge of everything. And, not one of us can plead anonymity. He knows us, especially those of us who claim his name.

            This world traveler has seen the evidence of civilization's/culture's attempting to worship, or please to some measure, a force much greater than themselves. What does it take to convert or convince? The few survivors of the Great Flood of Noah's day surely could testify about the greatness of God, knowing that none could claim anonymity. Noah stood in that one doorway of the Arc, and begged those who had criticized/abused/mocked him to come aboard to escape the judgment lying ahead. There is no record that one person took advantage of the invitation. But, God shut that one door, and when it closed it did not re-open, and all drowned except Noah and his family; plus the animals that God chose to save, by placing them in the Arc two by two so that they may multiply. From that day to this, in spite of every invitation to salvation and redemption, men have chosen death instead of life.

            Within the heart of every human being, there is a need for individualism. Would life have not been much simpler if God had created all men with the same colored skin, the same mental capacity, the same "good looks," with no differences; everyone indifferent. What a dreary world, everything anonymous. The same landscapes, same flora (plants), and the same fauna (animals). No reason for anyone to be suspicious or jealous of anyone else. No reason for anyone not to understand anything, (or be confused in the world). Would man be happier without free-will, the ability to think and make decisions? Why do we all have such an "evil" opinion of God? The 3 million Jewish slaves delivered from Egyptian bondage, never did understand the sovereignty of God.

            Just think, a pillow of fire lighting their lifestyle for night, a cloud pillow protecting them during the day, free food falling out of the sky (manna); and later, expensive bird meat flying in at just the right height for capture. Yet, these "stiff-necked" Jews were in a state of constant rebellion, and all died in that desert wilderness (delivered by God through the Red Sea), except for Joshua and Caleb.  Then came the toleration of the seven civilizations/cultures that inherited the Promise Land...all Pagans. Such Paganism, as attempting to satisfy their false God by throwing their babies into a fire; but really, is it any different today...mothers and doctors hiding behind anonymity, killing their babies even before birth.

            I'm an old man, but still cannot understand why Christians prefer anonymity. In present day Babylon, most Christians only exercise a Christian spirit inside a church-house. Outside the church-house, as in the market place, civic/social/country-clubs, we want to be popular and accepted like our "heathen" friends. We don't even attempt to explain our faith (action based on belief, sustained by confidence). I know very few professing who could explain their possessing... even baptism or the Lords Table.

            I had a young man working for me in a construction business. He had a young family, and maybe (I hope) because he had been around me, had decided that his family should attend Church. There was a Church near his house, so on a Sunday morning, they put on their best and went to that Church-house. He said to me, "It was our first experience with 'religion' and enjoyed the singing, the people were nice. But, I want you to explain to me what they were doing passing around small pieces of bread and small cups of something to drink...WHAT WAS GOING ON?" Anyone who has ever witnessed the implosion of a building, timed explosives strategically placed inside a building so that the building implodes from the inside, falling into its foundation, could compare it to most churches. Most Christian churches have imploded, dying/crumbling internally. Certainly, the pastor or someone should have explained to this family the observance and passing of the Lords Supper.

            Evidently the Church just wants to be anonymous internally, as well as externally...at least in America. My friend, an attorney, has made many mission trips. He said on a recent trip to India, "Small Church, but these marvelous spirit-filled and humble people sat he and his fellow travelers on the front pew." He said that it was a hot, dirty day. But, the first thing these Christians did, in this Christ-centered church, was to bring basins of water, and washed their feet. He said, "If this does not bring tears to your eyes, then nothing will."

            Jesus told us that we should profess him, never be ashamed of him:

                " For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26)

#1982 God as Cosmic Boss

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."

-John Donne (Holy Sonnet 10)

            The basis of civilized society, boundaries. When I was a child, at a nearby beach, there was an area of entertainment for children called "bumper cars." Children could pay a certain charge and get into the car, drive it all around the area, having great fun bumping into one another. There were no boundaries, no lines separating anything; it was just mechanized madness, much as it would be in our local cities/highways/race-tracks if there were no rules...no do's and don'ts, no absolutes, just a free-for-all to drive any way you wish.

            This writer has been totally blind for about fifty years, and owned many nice cars, which I have never seen. I hire someone to drive for me. Often my driver would say, "Doc, it's a good thing you cannot see, because you would not believe the madness on this highway." Do people with an IQ above room temperature actually believe that they can keep producing motor vehicles for highway's that can travel at great speeds, while in this world of technology, driver's are actually talking and texting on telephones. Their minds completely away from the job at hand. And, we wonder why there are so many vehicle crashes, so many lives lost, so many drivers recuperating in hospital beds.

            There has always been a necessity for boundaries, for absolute rules of (distinguishing) right from wrong. America has the world's largest prisoner population, because when young people begin to make their own decisions, they make the wrong ones...whether it be addictions, out of control sexual appetites, taking property (thievery) of someone else, or just thinking they can live in this world without boundaries. In my maturity, we went to school and prepared for work. Getting a job was as natural as breathing, it was even important to KEEP a job, to develop a good reputation, a good resume. With this same liberal silliness of an eclectic who makes money by selling liquor to the people they will later arrest for drinking it, we now make life so comfortable, all for laziness. The Government allows you to just sit home and do nothing, while receiving monthly checks. In fact, if you know how to play all your cards right, work all the Government programs and disability rackets, you could make more money staying at home watching trash on your T.V. or computer screens, than you can by working an honest job.

            The honor of work/labor is no longer acceptable. The scam is now preferred and hallowed by the incompetent incorrigibles. Most lazy people have no fear of God, or Government. And, who needs God when you have Government? There was a time when people prayed to God to take care of their needs. Now, the lazy citizen just looks to the Government for everything. There were church boundaries, but the lost just look at Church as a place for promoting guilt and greed. The very first thing you hear from an unsaved person, when you present to them the beautiful message of salvation, "I am as good as the hypocrites that go to church!" And, we are sorry to say, many of them ARE.

            Christians are supposed to be different; not entangled by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or lust for the sinful nature of the world. But, Christians do not want to be different. Most Christians I know want to dress, talk, and enjoy the same entertainment, etc, that the lost of the world enjoy. The Christian wants popularity, and God told us that popularity with the world is enmity.  "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2 15:17)

            There is no substitute for a life of obedience. Look at any person past the age of fifty, and note that they all were creative...creative in a job, creative with talent, even creative in producing good family life. Why would any parent spend the time, go through the risk, expenses, to raise children who never amount to anything; while knowing, down deep inside, that your own children will probably spend eternity in Hell. You have wasted your life, and wasted years of productive life with your children, if you do not think they will spend eternity with you in Heaven. It is time for the truth, God is BOSS. Most parents do not actually believe in Heaven or Hell. Rather, they just think that at death their bodies will simply become fertilizer...that everything they have been told about their soul is just superstition.

            As one black woman said to me, "I keep going to Church, just because there may be something to it." If this is the only reason for doing it, your belief system, you're wasting your time. If the love of God, the sacrifice of Jesus, is not as real to you as breathing, then your life is for nothing. God requires two things from those he has chosen for life; trust in him, and love thy neighbor.

Many Lines in the Water

            The human brain is the most complicated (complex) entity in the human universe. The only common area for human activity is dirt...the ground. From that dirt, God made man, and that is where our likeness ends. The great Atheist, Friedrich Nietzsche, who could play the piano, could never understand why he could not play as well as Brahms, or Schopin. Some are blessed with the "stroke" of an artist on canvas, some with the ability to manipulate numbers and understand chemical equations. There is no line between good and evil in the physical world; that is only found in the heart. There is no line between those who have talent and those who have none. Accomplishment is a matter of attitude. Only your lack of talent and brain-power, you never dealt with, you attempt to cram into your children.

            It is easier to cool down a radical, than to warm up a corpse. The time comes when you realize that life is too complex, that even the human brain cannot comprehend everything. In other words, "we cannot know it all." And, there is no sense building resentment towards those who have a genome of superior ability. There was only ONE Einstein, only ONE Edison. Much of our quandary of competition is self-imposed. The brain needs much rest.

            Until the early 1900's, when electricity became available to the common man, when artificial lights were installed, and human beings started staying up longer and longer...getting less sleep; minds were much more productive. Our ancestors went to bed/sleep at the end of daylight. They rose from their sleep at the (onset) beginning of daylight. In the bottomless ocean of technology, artificial lighting everywhere (some cities so bright that you can no longer see the stars), staying up watching trash on television (the average person spends 11 hours a day staring at a screen, computer, cell phone, television, etc); everyone, even children, aren't getting enough sleep...enough "brain-rest."

            In order to catch more fish, the modern-day fisherman puts out several lines. My entire life, I have always pursued several jobs at the same time. After the Military, even after I was unable to see, I still pursued monetary reimbursement from several sources...writing, preparing buildings for rental, studying stock market investments, writing AND the editing in professional journals. No one person can any longer live on one income, most men require several jobs, and the mother of the home must also work. This is what "progress" has brought to a Nation, which at one time, was proud to have the father leave home with a lunch box (heading to work, knowing he was providing livelihood for his entire family. His children were raised by their mother, not by a social, welfare, or other type system. Yet, we wonder why children do not adhere to the spiritual values taught to them in their home by concerned parents, who know that their soul is the most important thing in their child's body. If your children are lost to Satan's "thrills," addictions, sexual promiscuity, atheism; then you have lost everything....forever.  

            The next line to which Satan wants every man and woman attracted, using every type lure (drugs, immodesty, flagrant use of language, and just dire lust...trying to catch all in his trap), the fatalism of concupiscence; the attraction that has brought down men and women from biblical times to the present. It is in the genome/DNA of every human being...perhaps the most deadly of all the cardinal sins...pride, anger, greed, gluttony, etc. The next line which we draw from the water is that consuming attitude of competition, with its accouterments of popularity and prosperity. The bookshelves are full of wonderful stories, detailing success brought on by networking, right clubs, right golfing courses, right Colleges, country clubs, and even right churches. Our willingness to sin to benefit ourselves, in a world of unbelief, a world of "keeping up with the Joneses," a world of future ease and coveted retirement, is concupiscence.  

            Even though we have all looked down in the casket of persons, who used every area concupiscence's...working sales, and people to their advantage...idols of prosperity, they still left this world with empty hands. The only line left in the water to draw up and evaluate, a line on which we seldom have anything on the "hook," the knowledge that we only have one life to live, and that every day of that life, from birth to the time of maturity, we are either one day closer to Heaven, or one day closer to Hell. No atheist, no unbeliever, no radical of any religious or other sect, can offer you an escape after death.