The Holy Grail 50/50 Cooperative Program split: When Pigs Fly?

Recent action by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina seems to hit all the necessary notes: Hollifield commits to 50/50 CP split with SBC


1. The BSCNC will move to a 50/50 split on Cooperative Program money they receive. Currently, the split is more like 65/35.

2. “It is imperative that we all understand that a move to increase the SBC portion must be accompanied by an increase in CP support by our churches,” This from the BSCNC’s chief executive, Milton Hollifield.

3. CP giving has been down six of the past eight years in NC.

4. “Hollifield pointed out that if churches had maintained their CP giving percentage of 1995 $15 million more would have been available for missions throughout the state and world annually.”

5. “Hollifield said lower gifts in churches and from churches “is just a symptom of a larger problem of church health. When this problem is solved then stewardship will naturally be addressed with our people.”

As I read this, I do not blame BSCNC executives for desiring to maintain what they have but why wouldn’t a BSCNC church hear these things and conclude:

1. We are blamed for not giving to the CP.
2. The BSCNC leadership is saying we will be blamed if the CP split doesn’t move to 50/50 because we do not give more in the future.
3. It's all our fault...it will be all our fault...let's go home and eat worms.

I commend the call to move to a 50/50 split but am looking for a reason to think that the BSCNC is serious about moving in that direction. Hollifield’s description of the BSCNC making that move “over a protracted period” is not the language of any real commitment to doing so.

I am curious if any BSCNCers have a higher degree of optimism about this.

Rocky, Bullwinkle, and North Carolina Baptists...

Saddest news of the week: Death of Alexander Anderson Jr., creater of the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon series. Hilarious characters, clever stories, and some sophisticated humor made the low budget cartoon television show a big hit with many my generation. I still recall a very ingenious cartoon of theirs with the title, “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t stow thrones.”

Wanted: Editor for The Biblical Recorder. Must be a conservative Southern Baptist with highly developed sensitivities to unwritten non-negotiable demands of certain self-appointed North Carolina Baptist grandees. Position requires reporting to board of Trustees and any other North Carolina Baptist whose nose is out of joint. Journalistic experience helpful but not required.

I suppose we should be praying for our brethren in the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina who have been traumatized by picking up their Biblical Recorder and having to read about the WMU. We certainly hope that reading about women in North Carolina Baptist churches who support our IMB and the Lottie Moon offering has done no permanent damage to the poor souls.

My how the mighty have fallen: Crystal Cathedral files for bankruptcy. "The economy" say the Shuller siblings now in control. "One too many vanity building programs" and "family squabbles" say more credible observers.

Demise greatly exaggerated: Yet another premature obituary, Old models of church don’t work anymore . Add this one to the obits for bus ministry, house-to-house visitation, expository preaching, etc. There's a problem with pronouncing that such things "just don't work" since most of us can look around and see these exact things working. One might say that they do not work with the ease and frequency that they once did...but these are authors who are trying to sell books and be invited to give lectures.

Stink Bugs Invade Georgia. Vast hordes of alien stink bugs (these come from Asia) are on the march in our fair state. Squash them and they, well, stink. Observers note that politicians in Georgia are swarming at the moment and they stink without being squashed.

On a cold day in Gehenna: North American Mission Board trustees voted today to be fully transparent with the Southern Baptists who fund the agency and put the employment contract of their new CEO up on their website.

Lots of people in SBC life ought to be forced to resign...

...but I hate it that this week's sacking is Norman Jameson.

I don’t know Norman Jameson. I don’t know all of the ins and outs of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina nor of their paper the Biblical Recorder. I do know that the Biblical Recorder was once known to conservatives, some years ago, as the Biblical ‘Distorter’ a bit of sarcasm that has long since been inapplicable.

I suppose Plodder and Jameson wouldn’t be on the same page of lots of stuff, but I do know that when I search for commentary on SBC stuff, more often than not Norman Jameson is either first or is the most straightforward in his assessments. I hate to see him forced to resign from the BR.

Statement from one Sandy Beck a DOM in NC:

Sandy Beck, director of missions in the Hendersonville-based Carolina Baptist Association, recently wrote convention leaders warning that if Jameson were not removed as editor, there would be a motion from the floor of the convention to amend the Cooperative Program unified budget to defund the Recorder.
“It seems that Mr. Jameson does not know the mindset of this predominantly biblically conservative state,” Beck wrote. “Enough is enough. If his board of directors cannot influence his lack of sensitivity, perhaps the conservative pastors and laity of this state can.”

'Lack of sensitivity' is generally code for 'Jameson doesn't grovel at our feet and lick our boots.' Yeah. Yeah. We’ve heard this before…'don’t like the news, don’t like the editorials, fire the guy…or we will pull the plug on funding.'

I hope Jameson finds a place to land where he can continue to write.