I missed all the fun in Phoenix, then again, my expenses were quite low, zero.
Observations:
I like the business casual announced by Bryant Wright but from the photos it's obvious that the platform brethren aren't comfortable being comfortable. Come on, Frank...come on Kevin, take the tailored suit jacket off too.
The SBC annual meeting has always been a place where some genuine oddballs can grab a mike and get a little face time. Ordinarily, such is not a problem. We understand the process and procedures. When one of the nutcases gets elected to an official position, uses that position to embarrass us, and whose personal life outside of the office is harmful to the SBC as a whole, then we have a problem. I'm speaking of course of Wiley Drake who was a nutcase before he was elected to a VP position, who is a nutcase now, and, unless he gets a brain transplant, will be a nutcase until he dies. Go away, Wiley. Start your own denomination with the 101 idiots or uninformed people who voted for you.
My friend Peter Lumpkins got sufficient notice for Wade Burleson to blog about him. They have had an acrimonious relationship for years, a factor that should be considered when reading WB's stuff. The matter of the SBC and homosexuality bears scrutiny, although I don't see us going down the welcoming and affirming route that the CBF is going. The CBF is doing a stealth W & A at the moment but they will, I predict, exit the closet later.
I withdraw my label of "Gloom and Doom" on the SBC 2011 and will rechristen it "Ho Hum" which is a decided positive for one of these meetings.
Generally: Ho hum, yawn, and let's get to work.
Showing posts with label Burleson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burleson. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
One way NAMB gets it
A gazillion Southern Baptists with not much else to do are regular bloggers. SBC Voices boasts 500+ blogs in their listing and, as it is sometimes put, I are one of them.
I didn’t do much blog reading until about five years ago when I was intrigued by Wade Burleson's blogging about International Mission Board trustee meetings and matters. Starting with him, IMO, it seemed that blogging in the SBC was not an insignificant means of communication about convention stuff.
One of the things that was painfully evident five years ago was that the IMB and especially the IMB trustee leadership was completely inept at responding to bloggers. To many of the trustees blogging seemed to be considered an annoyance, something to be ignored or, if a blogger was heard enough to cause waves in the SBC constituency, a sin.
It's looking like some of our entities are much more sophisticated these days. Southeastern Seminary has a popular blog. I occasionally see a prof respond to something said on some of the blogs.
I get the feeling that some staff of North American Mission Board actively pays attention to what is said on the blogs. At the moment no other SBC entity is under such scrutiny and for the past five years or so no other SBC entity, except perhaps the IMB for a stretch, has come under such criticism. I have a good many articles that feature my rather close, and sometimes dysfunctional neighbor, NAMB. Their new leader, Kevin Ezell, was an easy target, nothing personal mind you, because of his non-support of NAMB prior to being elected head of the outfit.
So, is NAMB trying to manage the information coming out on the blog, or at least respond to it?
Looks like it.
Last week I wrote a piece that was tweeted with a link by someone at NAMB. I check the count on my blog occasionally and it was up one day. Turns out such was because of the attention from the tweet. Fine by me. Puts my vast readership into double figures.
I am aware of one other blogger who has been called by NAMB staff after a critical blog article. Guess I am not critical enough of them to get a low tech, personal response like a phone call, not that I'm looking for it. They could take me out to lunch, though.
Maybe Ezell learned after his intemperate criticism of bloggers a few months ago. Maybe he just has someone who knows the blogging landscape better. Whatever the reason, good for NAMB for paying attention to one slice of their constituency.
It cannot hurt them.
I didn’t do much blog reading until about five years ago when I was intrigued by Wade Burleson's blogging about International Mission Board trustee meetings and matters. Starting with him, IMO, it seemed that blogging in the SBC was not an insignificant means of communication about convention stuff.
One of the things that was painfully evident five years ago was that the IMB and especially the IMB trustee leadership was completely inept at responding to bloggers. To many of the trustees blogging seemed to be considered an annoyance, something to be ignored or, if a blogger was heard enough to cause waves in the SBC constituency, a sin.
It's looking like some of our entities are much more sophisticated these days. Southeastern Seminary has a popular blog. I occasionally see a prof respond to something said on some of the blogs.
I get the feeling that some staff of North American Mission Board actively pays attention to what is said on the blogs. At the moment no other SBC entity is under such scrutiny and for the past five years or so no other SBC entity, except perhaps the IMB for a stretch, has come under such criticism. I have a good many articles that feature my rather close, and sometimes dysfunctional neighbor, NAMB. Their new leader, Kevin Ezell, was an easy target, nothing personal mind you, because of his non-support of NAMB prior to being elected head of the outfit.
So, is NAMB trying to manage the information coming out on the blog, or at least respond to it?
Looks like it.
Last week I wrote a piece that was tweeted with a link by someone at NAMB. I check the count on my blog occasionally and it was up one day. Turns out such was because of the attention from the tweet. Fine by me. Puts my vast readership into double figures.
I am aware of one other blogger who has been called by NAMB staff after a critical blog article. Guess I am not critical enough of them to get a low tech, personal response like a phone call, not that I'm looking for it. They could take me out to lunch, though.
Maybe Ezell learned after his intemperate criticism of bloggers a few months ago. Maybe he just has someone who knows the blogging landscape better. Whatever the reason, good for NAMB for paying attention to one slice of their constituency.
It cannot hurt them.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wade Burleson, Peter Lumpkins, Dave Miller and the worst of blogging
No need for links or further explanations.
Dave Miller, Peter Lumpkins’ provocative article on SEBTS and alcohol isn’t the worst of blogging. If you want to use a superlative like “worst” then you set the bar very high. Your discussion on Lumpkins didn’t make the bar, bro, but everyone can have a bad blogging week.
No, Wade Burleson, Peter’s use of a certain biblical word for you wasn’t the worst of blogging nor does such destroy the SBC, though I think my fellow Georgian was intemperate to make the statement and wish he hadn’t. I don’t think Peter would even make your next edition of ‘Hardball’ if that is the best he can do.
Seems to me that this business of the worst of blogging comes when bloggers make each other the subject of their stuff and unleash a stream of sordid blog comments. It's not so much the conflict between two bloggers that is the worst but the people who know no better than to feel uninhibited in defense of one or the other.
If I had to pick this week's worst blogging, it wouldn't be Peter or Wade or Dave but would be the comments that have followed.
Peter is said on Burleson's blog to be insecure, weak emotionally, hypocritial, hateful, sick, twisted, envious, miserable, sad, and a farce. The poor fellow is said to exhibit classic narissism, to have little self worth, and to be a miserable soul. Paul of Tarsus, who has a couple of pretty good sin lists in the New Testament, was a piker in compiling such things compared to this one. Lest any of Peter's brothers in Christ be left with the slightest pang of Christian charity towards him, mention is made of Peter and others on the blogging enemy list as having being fired from churches, teeny tiny churches.
In the light of the above how about someone explaining exactly how one can conclude that it is Peter Lumpkins who is an example of how the SBC is being destroyed as well as being an example of the worst blogging?
The worst of blogging looks to me a lot like the worst of congregational life. When two of the brethren or sistren are in a conflict, others feel compelled to take sides and to make it worse. So, we have commenters weighing in with psychobabble, slander, and old fashioned unkindness. Good grief.
Is it any wonder that people like Kevin Ezell envision bloggers and commenters as being do-nothing saps in their basements in housecoats? I think not.
Sad thing is, I’m afraid we haven’t see the worst of blogging just yet. Too bad.
PS: For my vast readership, reported to be in double digits now, I actually like each of these three guys even though I have solid evidence that each falls short of the glory of God. I’ve swapped cordial emails and comments with the three but have actually met and conversed only with Peter. From that, I can confirm that Peter Lumpkins is the only other guy in the entire Southern Baptist Convention whose hair is as nice as Wade Burleson’s. That has to count for something. Check their photos and tell me I’m wrong…they are both a work of art. Dave Miller's hair isn't so hot, best I can tell.
Dave Miller, Peter Lumpkins’ provocative article on SEBTS and alcohol isn’t the worst of blogging. If you want to use a superlative like “worst” then you set the bar very high. Your discussion on Lumpkins didn’t make the bar, bro, but everyone can have a bad blogging week.
No, Wade Burleson, Peter’s use of a certain biblical word for you wasn’t the worst of blogging nor does such destroy the SBC, though I think my fellow Georgian was intemperate to make the statement and wish he hadn’t. I don’t think Peter would even make your next edition of ‘Hardball’ if that is the best he can do.
Seems to me that this business of the worst of blogging comes when bloggers make each other the subject of their stuff and unleash a stream of sordid blog comments. It's not so much the conflict between two bloggers that is the worst but the people who know no better than to feel uninhibited in defense of one or the other.
If I had to pick this week's worst blogging, it wouldn't be Peter or Wade or Dave but would be the comments that have followed.
Peter is said on Burleson's blog to be insecure, weak emotionally, hypocritial, hateful, sick, twisted, envious, miserable, sad, and a farce. The poor fellow is said to exhibit classic narissism, to have little self worth, and to be a miserable soul. Paul of Tarsus, who has a couple of pretty good sin lists in the New Testament, was a piker in compiling such things compared to this one. Lest any of Peter's brothers in Christ be left with the slightest pang of Christian charity towards him, mention is made of Peter and others on the blogging enemy list as having being fired from churches, teeny tiny churches.
In the light of the above how about someone explaining exactly how one can conclude that it is Peter Lumpkins who is an example of how the SBC is being destroyed as well as being an example of the worst blogging?
The worst of blogging looks to me a lot like the worst of congregational life. When two of the brethren or sistren are in a conflict, others feel compelled to take sides and to make it worse. So, we have commenters weighing in with psychobabble, slander, and old fashioned unkindness. Good grief.
Is it any wonder that people like Kevin Ezell envision bloggers and commenters as being do-nothing saps in their basements in housecoats? I think not.
Sad thing is, I’m afraid we haven’t see the worst of blogging just yet. Too bad.
PS: For my vast readership, reported to be in double digits now, I actually like each of these three guys even though I have solid evidence that each falls short of the glory of God. I’ve swapped cordial emails and comments with the three but have actually met and conversed only with Peter. From that, I can confirm that Peter Lumpkins is the only other guy in the entire Southern Baptist Convention whose hair is as nice as Wade Burleson’s. That has to count for something. Check their photos and tell me I’m wrong…they are both a work of art. Dave Miller's hair isn't so hot, best I can tell.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Burleson, demons, Ezell and other random Friday plods
My dear alma mater, Univ of GA, doesn’t play their first game until tomorrow but already leads the SEC in one category…players arrested. How about that?
Our Atlanta zoo was missing one of their critters, a rattlesnake, but they didn’t tell partons or zoo neighbors because they had folks looking for it. After all, they explained, it’s nocturnal and probably slunk away to a dark corner of the non-public building where it was housed. The snake was found…by a 4 year-old kid…on his front porch…in the residential neighborhood near the zoo...and the kid got within 4 feet of the thing. The zoo people say that maybe they should have knocked on a few doors. Indeed. Preachers may wish for a good illustration about not sounding the alarm about sin. It could be deadly to some people.
SBC cliché watch: NAMB search committee chairman describing Kevin Ezell, nominee for NAMB CEO as, “God’s man.” So was the last guy…so was the guy before that…both of whom were dispatched by trustees. Let’s at least be creative, guys. I hate to say it and it ought not to be but that phrase is completely worn out.
Speaking of our NAMB nominee, who will be the first to use our wonderful new nomenclature, “Great Commission Giving,” when referring to his church’s giving, beside Plodder that is? And, will anyone object, preferring to “embrace and celebrate” such?
September has never been so welcome to Plodder, far too much heat and humidity. Global warming? Better candidate: age.
The SBC’s most read blogger, Wade Burleson, is back from his blogging hiatus and to get started his readers are treated to…well…a picture of his smiling self. Well, you look about the same as you did a few months ago, bro.
College football game to watch: Northwestern State vs Air Force. Last hear NWS was 0-11 and lost their two games against big time opponents by 48 and 53 points respectively. Oddsmakers are giving NWS and a staggering 48 points. Take the points. I think the NWS Demons will do better than expected. Never underestimate a demon, I say.
Have a nice weekend.
Our Atlanta zoo was missing one of their critters, a rattlesnake, but they didn’t tell partons or zoo neighbors because they had folks looking for it. After all, they explained, it’s nocturnal and probably slunk away to a dark corner of the non-public building where it was housed. The snake was found…by a 4 year-old kid…on his front porch…in the residential neighborhood near the zoo...and the kid got within 4 feet of the thing. The zoo people say that maybe they should have knocked on a few doors. Indeed. Preachers may wish for a good illustration about not sounding the alarm about sin. It could be deadly to some people.
SBC cliché watch: NAMB search committee chairman describing Kevin Ezell, nominee for NAMB CEO as, “God’s man.” So was the last guy…so was the guy before that…both of whom were dispatched by trustees. Let’s at least be creative, guys. I hate to say it and it ought not to be but that phrase is completely worn out.
Speaking of our NAMB nominee, who will be the first to use our wonderful new nomenclature, “Great Commission Giving,” when referring to his church’s giving, beside Plodder that is? And, will anyone object, preferring to “embrace and celebrate” such?
September has never been so welcome to Plodder, far too much heat and humidity. Global warming? Better candidate: age.
The SBC’s most read blogger, Wade Burleson, is back from his blogging hiatus and to get started his readers are treated to…well…a picture of his smiling self. Well, you look about the same as you did a few months ago, bro.
College football game to watch: Northwestern State vs Air Force. Last hear NWS was 0-11 and lost their two games against big time opponents by 48 and 53 points respectively. Oddsmakers are giving NWS and a staggering 48 points. Take the points. I think the NWS Demons will do better than expected. Never underestimate a demon, I say.
Have a nice weekend.
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