Texas Baptists Committed - A Rancher's Rumblings, March 18, 2008

Texas Baptists Committed aspires to represent and include all Texas Baptists. We worked to save our beloved state convention from Fundamentalism so that we could cooperate together in freedom and unity.

I believe it’s important for me, as executive director of TBC, to have a positive and strong relationship with every BGCT-related institution and ministry. However, I’m only one person, so that is next to impossible. After all, every week of the year brings at least one important meeting involving Texas Baptists. No one can attend every one of them.

A couple of weeks back, I missed two meetings that I was eager to attend – one involved the Fellowship of Cowboy Churches; the other was the annual meeting of the BGCT Christian Life Commission (CLC). This was the first time I had missed that meeting in many years.

I have already penciled in – for April – the CLC Board of Consultants retreat, the Buckner Founders Dinner and a bivocational-small church pastors meeting. I will also be preaching in one of our BGCT-related churches and am always ready to accept more such invitations.

I want to share with you about two other April meetings that I am making it a priority to attend, and I want to especially invite you to join me at those meetings.

On April 14-15, the annual T. B. Maston lectures in Christian Ethics will be held on the campus of Hardin-Simmons University at the Logsdon School of Theology.

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This year’s speaker is Melissa Rogers, who teaches at the Wake Forest School of Divinity. Melissa is a good friend. She is, in my opinion, brilliant. She is a former staff member of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. On Monday, April 14, Melissa will speak on “The Past, Present, and Potential Future of First Amendment Rules Regarding Religion in Public Schools.” Her address will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Logsdon Chapel.

On Tuesday, April 15, Melissa will speak in Behrens Auditorium on “Religion on the Stump, Politics in the Pulpit: Faith and Politics in the 2008 Race.”

The lectures are free and open to the public.

Another special meeting will be held on April 28, and I am very honored to invite you to attend it. It is the inaugural session of the Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics at Howard Payne University in Brownwood.

Phil Strickland was my closest friend and a giant among Texas Baptists as he led the Christian Life Commission for over 30 years. Phil died in February 2006. Last year, Gary and Molli Elliston – who have been good friends to both Phil and me – gave the funds to start these distinguished lectures. It is the highest honor I have ever received. I am especially honored that I share this with Phil.

These first lectures will deal with the relationship between ethics and evangelism – both of which have been matters of particular passion for Phil and me. Three very close friends of ours will be delivering these lectures.

The meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28, and conclude that evening. A dinner will be served.

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Dr. W. David Sapp will be the first speaker, addressing the topic, “The Bible Speaks on Ethics.” Dr. Sapp is senior pastor of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He and I worked together many years ago, with Foy Valentine, on the staff of the SBC Christian Life Commission in Nashville.

Dr. Richard Jackson will then speak on “The Bible Speaks on Evangelism.” Richard is a true hero of mine and is currently serving as president of the Jackson Center for Evangelism and Encouragement in Brownwood, after serving many years as pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church.

After dinner, another hero of mine, Dr. Jimmy R. Allen, will speak on “The Church Applies Ethics and Evangelism.” Dr. Allen set a great example as long-time pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, by combining social ministries and evangelistic outreach.

All of the speakers will also take time for a period of dialogue and Q&A with those in attendance. On Tuesday morning, pastors and ministerial staff members are invited to attend a Pastors Conference with the three distinguished speakers.

I would certainly be honored by your attendance at this inaugural session of these lectures. I promise that Mother will be thrilled to see you!

Whether or not you are able to attend, I urge you to maintain a strong commitment – as individuals and churches – to actively preserving and promoting religious liberty, biblical ethics, and evangelism, which are the critical issues and principles that will be discussed in Abilene and Brownwood next month.