More Southern Baptists Vie for Presidency
ByChristian Post Reporter
Wed, May. 07 2008 01:27 PM ET
The number of persons vying for the top position of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, has expanded to five this week, with Johnny M. Hunt announced as the latest to join the race.
Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., will be nominated for SBC president during the denomination's annual meeting in June. His church has grown an average worship attendance of 6,180 over the last 21 years and church membership increased from 1,027 to 16,495.
The Woodstock congregation has also sent out more than 135 missionaries and started more than 78 churches.
Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., announced Tuesday that he will nominate Hunt for the leadership position, commenting that he has a deep concern about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention.
"I believe Southern Baptists are looking for a future that is marked by unity, not division," Traylor said, according to Baptist Press. "Johnny Hunt has one fight in him and that is the good fight of faith. He is a leader who can forge a hopeful future that is centered around the Gospel and connected to the local church."
Also on Tuesday, John Marshall, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church Springfield, Mo., announced that he intends to nominate former missionary Avery Willis for SBC president.
Willis has served as an International Mission Board missionary to Indonesia, worked as an evangelist and church developer for six years, was president of Indonesian Baptist Theological Seminary in Semarang, Indonesia, and led the adult discipleship department at LifeWay Christian Resources.
He developed the "MasterLife" discipleship materials, which has been translated into more than 50 languages and used in more than 100 countries.
Willis and Hunt join three other Southern Baptists vying for the top leadership spot. They include Dr. William L. (Bill) Wagner, president of Olivet University International in San Francisco and a former missionary; Frank Cox, pastor of North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga; and Wiley Drake, a California pastor and former SBC second vice president.
In February, the Rev. Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., one of the country's pre-eminent conservative evangelicals, dropped his bid to become president after a tumor was found during a routine colonoscopy.
The annual SBC meeting opens June 11 in Indianapolis.
Comments 
Most recent comments
Wilderness1- Mon May 12, 2008 11:53 am
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The writings of Irenaeus are quite extensive, and are very greatly lauded; yet it has been well said that "their preciousness bears no proportion to their bulk." A writer in the British and Foreign Evangelical Review (January, 1869), says: "It would be possible to compress into a very few pages all the statements of fact that can be deemed really valuable to us at the present day."
In spite of all the praise that is lavished upon the Fathers, the same thing may be said of all of them. Indeed, we may go further, and say that although their writings contain, as a matter of necessity, some statements of fact, and some principles of truth, if not one of the so-called Christian Fathers had ever written a line, the amount of useful knowledge in the world would not be one iota less than it now is, and the Christian church would be far better off. (Fathers Of The Catholic Church: A Brief Examination Of The “Falling Away” of the Church in the first three centuries. by E. J. Waggoner)
Stay true to God saints, and be not led away from “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
In spite of all the praise that is lavished upon the Fathers, the same thing may be said of all of them. Indeed, we may go further, and say that although their writings contain, as a matter of necessity, some statements of fact, and some principles of truth, if not one of the so-called Christian Fathers had ever written a line, the amount of useful knowledge in the world would not be one iota less than it now is, and the Christian church would be far better off. (Fathers Of The Catholic Church: A Brief Examination Of The “Falling Away” of the Church in the first three centuries. by E. J. Waggoner)
Stay true to God saints, and be not led away from “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
msnchris70- Mon May 12, 2008 11:36 am
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Many non-Catholic Christian Churches and Congregations have helped start non-Christian groups like Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Christ Scientist, etc. From the well spring of Hope and Truth who is Jesus Christ, the fullness and richness of all His teachings remain in the Catholic Church. I could not help, but come to my senses after 20 years and finally become Catholic. I went from anti-Catholic to Catholic. I read Scripture, I studied Scripture and continued my formal education in search of the Fullness of Truth which is Christ. The more I read about the early Christians and compared that with Scripture for proofing I found out that I had been mislead.
I thank God my parents were Jesus loving Bible reading Christians. I began my faith in the Baptists Tradition, refined my faith in the Calvinist Tradition and completed my journed to come home to the Catholic Church. It gives me such joy to celebrate Sunday as the earliest Christians did. I am humbled to eat the flesh and drink the blood of our Lord and Savior, so I can have His life in me so I can radiate the love and joy of Christ. The Sacraments do infuse Grace, but it is up to you to cooperate with it. I am so happy that when I read Scripture that I can compare my interpretation to the earliest of Christians and make sure I am on the same page.
May you always follow your conscience. May your conscience be always well informed. May your information always stand the test by using Scripture to proof it. May you always search out how the earliest Christians interpretated the same Scripture verse because their witness is closests to the fountain of life which is Christ Jesus. May you love thy God with all your heart and love thy neighbor as yourself. May Love Christ by keeping the 10 commandments. May you always live the Beatitudes and put your Trust in the Saving Grace of Christ.
I thank God my parents were Jesus loving Bible reading Christians. I began my faith in the Baptists Tradition, refined my faith in the Calvinist Tradition and completed my journed to come home to the Catholic Church. It gives me such joy to celebrate Sunday as the earliest Christians did. I am humbled to eat the flesh and drink the blood of our Lord and Savior, so I can have His life in me so I can radiate the love and joy of Christ. The Sacraments do infuse Grace, but it is up to you to cooperate with it. I am so happy that when I read Scripture that I can compare my interpretation to the earliest of Christians and make sure I am on the same page.
May you always follow your conscience. May your conscience be always well informed. May your information always stand the test by using Scripture to proof it. May you always search out how the earliest Christians interpretated the same Scripture verse because their witness is closests to the fountain of life which is Christ Jesus. May you love thy God with all your heart and love thy neighbor as yourself. May Love Christ by keeping the 10 commandments. May you always live the Beatitudes and put your Trust in the Saving Grace of Christ.
msnchris70- Mon May 12, 2008 11:19 am
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Then it hit me. Which Church has historically come from the Apostles? Which Church has the most Biblical form of Hiearchy? Which Church decided what books went into the New Testament? Which Church defined the Incarnation, the Trinity and all other Christological Theology? Which Church fought against heresy from the very beginning? Which Church today still follows the ancient liturgy? Which Church has safeguarded the Scriptures? Which Church has spread the Christian faith to every corner of the Earth? Which Church has the final authority as revealed in Scripture through the Keys given by Christ?
All these questions can be answered with three words: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. The fact is relativism is not only secular it is Christian. Secularists become relativists when it comes to morality. Liberal Christians become relativists when it comes to morality and theology. Conservative Christians become relativists when they have to create their own worship style from scratch and do not hold to the earliest beliefs of the founding Christians.
The farther you are from the fullness of Truth, which is the Church founded by Christ the more watered down your Tradition will be. On one spectrum you have the Catholic Church and on the other you have non-denominational Christian Churches. All people who ever broke off fromt the Catholic Church are still Christian.
All these questions can be answered with three words: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. The fact is relativism is not only secular it is Christian. Secularists become relativists when it comes to morality. Liberal Christians become relativists when it comes to morality and theology. Conservative Christians become relativists when they have to create their own worship style from scratch and do not hold to the earliest beliefs of the founding Christians.
The farther you are from the fullness of Truth, which is the Church founded by Christ the more watered down your Tradition will be. On one spectrum you have the Catholic Church and on the other you have non-denominational Christian Churches. All people who ever broke off fromt the Catholic Church are still Christian.
msnchris70- Mon May 12, 2008 11:07 am
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The summit of worship for the early Christians was the "Eucharist". All the Scripture they read and prayers they said during the service prepared them to recieve the Eucharist in a worthy manner. The early Chrisitan service was not a Bible study, it was communion. Being in Communion with one another was the most important part. They shared the same faith, because of the same Lord. They always shared the Eucharist on Sunday, but they also did it during the week too. I couldn't become Anglican, because that was just a Protestant version of Catholicism and was only a shadow of the real thing. I looked at the Orthodox too. While they definitely have Apostolic origins without question and a liturgy that comes from the Apostles, they are very ethnically divided. The Russians, Ukranians, Coptics, Greeks had the same faith but they could never come together as one church because they saw their National origins as paramount to their unity in Christ. I remembered from Scripture that we are neither Jew or Gentile right? A Christian is just a Christian. The Orthodox Church really began in the 9th Century and more formally in the 11th as a Eastern Chrisitan Church not under the authority of the Pope.
Did Christ want His Church to be ethnically divided? No. Did Christ want His flock to have one Shepherd? Yes. Christ also wanted His Church to be Universal. I realized that Christ founded a Church, and this Church would be protected by the Holy Spirit to never fall into error. Well, in the first 1000 years only areas that had Bishops from the Easter Christians created heresies, and who was the final judge....The Bishop of Rome. The Bishop of Rome was the final court of apeals. He had veto power and had the power to bind and lose and had the Power because of the Gift of the Keys given to Peter's office as Bishop by Jesus.
Cont'd.
Did Christ want His Church to be ethnically divided? No. Did Christ want His flock to have one Shepherd? Yes. Christ also wanted His Church to be Universal. I realized that Christ founded a Church, and this Church would be protected by the Holy Spirit to never fall into error. Well, in the first 1000 years only areas that had Bishops from the Easter Christians created heresies, and who was the final judge....The Bishop of Rome. The Bishop of Rome was the final court of apeals. He had veto power and had the power to bind and lose and had the Power because of the Gift of the Keys given to Peter's office as Bishop by Jesus.
Cont'd.
msnchris70- Mon May 12, 2008 10:51 am
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I read the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Irenaus, Clement and then Origen. I read the Didache and many other writings of the first 500 years of Christianity. You see, Star2, I was taught as a Baptist child that the Catholic Pope was the anti-Christ and Catholics were very dangerous because they were a "NEAR-Christianity" type group that could mislead people very easilly. I even remember going door to door on a Saturday outreach program and targetting Catholic households for conversion. I was raised a anti-Catholic, which was only given more fuel when I attended Seminary.
I couldn't help reading the early Christian writings concerning their; worship style, hiearchy and prayer life without thinking it sounded pretty Catholic. Being anti-Catholic, I assumed it wasn't Catholic but maybe Anglican or Orthodox. Well, their denominations didn't exist yet so I just ignored it.
I flirted with leaving the Reformed Tradition and becoming Anglican. I saw the rich Liturgical Tradition in Anglicanism that found its roots in the Earliest style of worship in the 1st and 2nd century. The majority of the service was Scripture. In fact, 90% of the service was Scripture with a 15 minute message on the readings. I could worship like the early church and yet still be Protestant, which was great. I certainly didn't want to be under the "PAPAL DICTATOR".
Cont'd
I couldn't help reading the early Christian writings concerning their; worship style, hiearchy and prayer life without thinking it sounded pretty Catholic. Being anti-Catholic, I assumed it wasn't Catholic but maybe Anglican or Orthodox. Well, their denominations didn't exist yet so I just ignored it.
I flirted with leaving the Reformed Tradition and becoming Anglican. I saw the rich Liturgical Tradition in Anglicanism that found its roots in the Earliest style of worship in the 1st and 2nd century. The majority of the service was Scripture. In fact, 90% of the service was Scripture with a 15 minute message on the readings. I could worship like the early church and yet still be Protestant, which was great. I certainly didn't want to be under the "PAPAL DICTATOR".
Cont'd
msnchris70- Mon May 12, 2008 10:29 am
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Star2,
None of the above. I was raised Baptist, then after Seminary I became a Calvinist of the Reformed Tradition because I found that Baptists had a non-Scriptural and a non-historical position on Baptism for infants and its effects. I am happily married.. I resigned as a Pastor and got a teaching job at a University. I am preparing to become a Deacon in the Catholic Church.
Why did I resign? About 10 years in to my ministry work I began my Doctorate work in Theology through an Evangelical University on the west coast. I already had my Masters from Seminary, so I thought it would be good to continue my learning. My specific area of interest was the "Early Christians". I really wanted to know what they believed and how they worshipped God, etc. Although this was an Evangelical school I attended, one of the books I had to read was by an Orthodox Priest. I started reading the "Early Church Fathers" who were personally discipled by the Apostles.
Cont'd.
None of the above. I was raised Baptist, then after Seminary I became a Calvinist of the Reformed Tradition because I found that Baptists had a non-Scriptural and a non-historical position on Baptism for infants and its effects. I am happily married.. I resigned as a Pastor and got a teaching job at a University. I am preparing to become a Deacon in the Catholic Church.
Why did I resign? About 10 years in to my ministry work I began my Doctorate work in Theology through an Evangelical University on the west coast. I already had my Masters from Seminary, so I thought it would be good to continue my learning. My specific area of interest was the "Early Christians". I really wanted to know what they believed and how they worshipped God, etc. Although this was an Evangelical school I attended, one of the books I had to read was by an Orthodox Priest. I started reading the "Early Church Fathers" who were personally discipled by the Apostles.
Cont'd.
star2- Sun May 11, 2008 2:48 pm
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msnchris70
You said that you were a Protestant Pastor for 20 yrs. Since you have been a part of a SBC Baptist Church then I assume you were a Baptist Pastor.
Were you married during your Protestant Pastorship? If yes, then are you still married? If not, then are you a widower or a divorcee?
If you are a divorcee then, did your congregation require you to resign according to the by-laws of the Baptist Church that says that divorcees can not be Pastors of a Church? I believe that is a part of the Baptist Faith and Message.
Are you now a Priest? If yes, why did you become one? Is it because you thought that the Catholic clergy had a closer relationship with God and you desired that in your own life? Or was it because you still wanted to be in the ministry but could not be in the Baptist Church but the RCC would accpet you if you took a vow of celibacy?
You said that you were a Protestant Pastor for 20 yrs. Since you have been a part of a SBC Baptist Church then I assume you were a Baptist Pastor.
Were you married during your Protestant Pastorship? If yes, then are you still married? If not, then are you a widower or a divorcee?
If you are a divorcee then, did your congregation require you to resign according to the by-laws of the Baptist Church that says that divorcees can not be Pastors of a Church? I believe that is a part of the Baptist Faith and Message.
Are you now a Priest? If yes, why did you become one? Is it because you thought that the Catholic clergy had a closer relationship with God and you desired that in your own life? Or was it because you still wanted to be in the ministry but could not be in the Baptist Church but the RCC would accpet you if you took a vow of celibacy?
Wilderness1- Sun May 11, 2008 12:22 pm
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“We have 265 Successors to the Seat of Peter…The majority of all our Popes have been Godly men …” --msnchris70
You do err in not understanding the magnitude of the situation:
-265 men in a position that was not established by God make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that promotes gross scriptural error, even unto blasphemy, make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that paints biblical Mary over pagan goddess worship make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that has deceived millions and wrought devastation make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
May God raise up an army of messengers of fire, whose tongues are as the pen of a ready writer, who will boldly rise up against this position with the sword of the Spirit, crushing the error therein, to rescue all that can be saved therein.
You do err in not understanding the magnitude of the situation:
-265 men in a position that was not established by God make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that promotes gross scriptural error, even unto blasphemy, make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that paints biblical Mary over pagan goddess worship make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
-265 men in a position that has deceived millions and wrought devastation make them deceived, a deceiver, or both.
May God raise up an army of messengers of fire, whose tongues are as the pen of a ready writer, who will boldly rise up against this position with the sword of the Spirit, crushing the error therein, to rescue all that can be saved therein.
star2- Sun May 11, 2008 2:14 am
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msnchris70
(I flagged myself)
Re:Why is it that all the most educated Protestants are becoming Catholic or at least Orthodox in droves. Why is it the best and brightest and the people who are the MOST CONSERVATIVE in Morals are coming in droves to the Catholic Church?
The reason is they have lost their ability to discern truth from error. They look to man for understanding of scripture instead of looking to God.
(I flagged myself)
Re:Why is it that all the most educated Protestants are becoming Catholic or at least Orthodox in droves. Why is it the best and brightest and the people who are the MOST CONSERVATIVE in Morals are coming in droves to the Catholic Church?
The reason is they have lost their ability to discern truth from error. They look to man for understanding of scripture instead of looking to God.
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This term, strangely enough, is never applied to the apostles, to whom it would seem to be more applicable than to any other men, but to certain men who lived in the first few centuries of the Christian era, and who exerted a great influence on the church. As a matter of fact, the true church has but one Father, even God; therefore whatever church recognizes any men as its Fathers, must be a church of merely human planting, having only human ordinances. (Fathers Of The Catholic Church: A Brief Examination Of The “Falling Away” of the Church in the first three centuries. by E. J. Waggoner)
Take heed saints, lest you give ear to, “Yea, hath God said?” and you be led away from “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).