An area where the SBC could join the CBF in cooperation

It is sometimes unfortunate that the Southern Baptist Convention and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship cannot find things on which to cooperate, seeing that in some areas we share common goals. Thirty-four years after the beginning of the Conservative Resurgence and twenty-two years after the founding of the CBF, there remains a tendency to look askance at anything associated with the CBF.

Too bad.

I think we are past the CBF being any threat to the SBC, their national organization is about the size of one of the SBC's 177 megachurches and their state organizations are rather smallish in comparison as well. 

One area where the SBC and CBF could cooperate in doing needed ministry is in the area of predatory lending. I wish they would in my state.

Not long ago a woman in my church brought me loan documents from a loan she obtained at one of the many payday/title lenders in our area. The fees and interest were outrageous for a short term loan. Fortunately for her, she had the means to pay it off and get out of the loan. Others, however, lack the means or savvy to do the same.

A CBF staff member, Aaron Weaver, is editor of the CBF's magazine CBF fellowship! and has an article in this issue "The problem of predatory lending." The article may be read on the CBF blog, here. Weaver also had an ABP article back in March: Baptists go after payday loans. 

Be assured, my conservative SBC brethren, there is no danger of contamination from reading a piece by a CBFer. You might even learn something.

The churches I have pastored have occasionally had folks that were hurt by this type of lending which often traps users with small amounts of debt hitched to astronomical fees making it almost impossible to get out. I would also join the haters of big corporations here, there are several, because corporate money is generally successful in stifling any meaningful legislative regulation of these predators.

You may not be aware that, as Aaron Weaver put it, "Predatory lending has become - quietly so - a bipartisan issue so to speak among faith groups. The SBC is involved - Barrett Duke of the ERLC has contributed several helpful resources on this issue and has also worked in coalitions with the Texas Baptist CLC and others to combat payday lending. Mississippi Baptists (SBC) and Kentucky Baptists (SBC) have addressed these issues in their respective legislatures over the past 5 years."

No need for this cooperation to be done quietly. If we can cooperate with Roman Catholics over abortion, we can certainly cooperate with our fellow Baptist on predatory lending. In doing so we aren't in danger of sliding down the slippery slope towards theological liberalism, only of helping those who are exploited and abused. 

Seems like Jesus said something about that.

 

Some Not-Too-Shabby Baptist Blogs and Bloggers

As a group, bloggers certainly score high on the scale of self-importance. I suppose it probably is so internalized that no blogger ever asks him/herself, “Why wouldn’t the whole galaxy want to know what I think about stuff, seeing that I am such a witty, insightful, and provocative guy?” Bloggers instead presume that the world awaits their next display of brilliance.

Indeed.

Plodder admits to a degree of that, the self-importance part, not the witty, brilliant, insightful part. OK, I own up to the provocative part.

Here are a few blogs that I enjoy reading and have found to be more than the usual tepid blogfare, annotated of course with my witty, brilliant, and provocative thoughts:

FBCJax Watchdog Tom Rich’s story about FBCJax, his banishment, lawsuit, and settlement was a prime example of how a church member, when denied any effective voice through proper church channels, can easily go public. Tom’s case just happened to be one of the more exaggerated examples of church conflict and a pastor and church’s inept response to it. Since then, Rich blogs about his version of abusive, manipulative, and misbehaving men-of-the-cloth. Sure, some may think it is just a pastor-hate site, but I encourage my colleagues to read it. They might learn something. I don’t buy all of his stuff but I read it all.

Spiritual Samurai David Montoya is the little Latino pit bull whose persistent small voice exposed one of the SBC’s largest scandals. Give a little guy with a high level of indignation a big bullhorn and see what might happen. There could be nothing better for the SBC at every level than an understanding that, ‘No, you’re not going to get away with untoward behavior and decisions, even if all the people who “count” busy back slapping, glad handing, and looking the other way.’ I don't get the samurai stuff.

SBC Voices is a group thing (six guys without a life, perhaps? Don’t they know that six is a bad number?) where a bunch of people contribute, including moi, occasionally. The blogs they feature have introduced me to a few interesting subjects and writers. The pieces written for SBCV are a mixed offering. As in the OT, I wave on a few, burn a few, and consume a few, and scratch my head over a few. I am told this is a Calvinist site but am awaiting divine judgment about that. Until then, I don't hold it against them. One of the calvinists there even has a sense of humor. Quite rare.

The Big Daddy Weave/ comes from Aaron Weaver who is a few light years to my left and a few decades below me in age. He writes well, is quite informed on church/state stuff, and hasn’t learned to trash mouth everyone who disagrees with him. He is a Georgia Bulldawg, which always helps. I don't get the Big Daddy stuff.

SBC Tomorrow. I like Peter Lumpkins. He has the finest hair in the SBC for one thing; however, he seems to generate some ire amongst the brethren. I confess to not quite understanding why. He is zeroed in on Calvinism and such things as ACTS29, et al. He writes well and thinks deeply about SBC stuff. I appreciate his stuff.

From Law to Grace is Howell Scott's blog, former lawyer, something he reminds us of about once a day, so I try and toss in a few ex post factos, certioraris, and a posterioris for him. Howell is far from being a posterior and writes widely on interesting things and I like his stuff.

I'd list other blogs I read but someone might get the idea that I don't have a life.