Speaking the Truth in Love
Published: June 06, 2008
As of Tuesday night it appears we are finally at the end of a long and often bitter primary season. As the contest wore on, it got nastier and nastier, and the truth was frequently a casualty of the process. We have seen parsing of words, manipulation of numbers, misstatements of facts and relentless dodging of straight answers.
Watching the spectacle one can't help but wonder how long a politician would last if he or she always told the unvarnished, unspun truth. I heard a great definition recently of a political gaffe — it is when a politician accidentally tells the truth.
To be honest, sometimes we in ministry suffer from the same malady. We are not immune from political correctness. We have been guilty of telling only the part of the truth that supports our position. I watched a little bit of the Democrat's Rules Committee meeting last Saturday, and to be honest, it reminded me of a Baptist business meeting!
It is always refreshing when a leader goes against the tide of correctness and publicly admits the truth, even when the truth is not flattering to his position or his constituency.
Dr. Frank Page, the outgoing President of the Southern Baptist Convention, has been such a leader in his two year term. He ascended to the SBC post in a surprise victory over the candidate who was hand-picked by the powers that be. I didn't know anything about Frank Page when he was elected in 2006, but I have grown to love and appreciate him over the last two years.
Dr. Frank Page represented what many people wanted to see in an SBC President: A kind, articulate, conservative who deeply desired to see the SBC repair its damaged reputation. He even dared to publicly admit that the SBC did indeed have an image problem.
"I believe the Bible. I'm just not mad about it." These words out of the mouth of the newly-elected President of the largest Protestant denomination telegraphed that he was going to be a new face on the SBC.
Too often SBC leaders have railed against sin, immorality and theological liberalism, but have steadfastly refused to recognize the beam in our corporate eye. Such glaring omissions have contributed in large part to the stunning devaluing of the "Baptist brand" if I can be forgiven for applying a marketing concept to a spiritual issue. A generation ago, Baptists were admired and respected. Today...not so much.
We can ignore or deny it all we want, but the sad fact is that the word "Baptist" conjures up decidedly negative images for the majority of the people we want to reach with the message of the Gospel. And in the words of that great philosopher Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us." We Baptists have no one to blame but ourselves for this situation.
From the outset of his Presidency, Dr. Page spoke out against what he called "bad politics" in the SBC. What did he mean by "bad politics"? "By that I mean breaking the ninth commandment of bearing false witness, of rumor and innuendo. That is absolutely not of God; that’s bad politics and that happens far too often in our convention."
A couple other quotes from Frank Page:
Our churches are dying. Our young people are leaving in massive numbers, saying, 'I'm not so sure I don't like Jesus, but I know I don’t like the church.'
The early church was met with persecution. The modern-day church is met with a yawn.
We exist ... in a Southern Baptist Convention that is thought by some to have lost its relevancy. In the minds of many ... we have become an archaic, burdensome bureaucracy that no longer has relevancy for today or for the day to come.
We have become an arrogant people. We must understand our un-deservedness, and that without Him we can do nothing. Holy Spirit, bring us to a point of absolute repentance and confession and revival.
By any measure, that is speaking the truth in love. Frank Page will be missed at the helm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for 316 Networks and serves as Managing Editor of 316Networks.com. He blogs at www.alansblog.com.
Copyright © 2008 Alan Riley. All rights reserved.
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Speaking the Truth in Love
Published: June 06, 2008
This week in Indianapolis, Dr. Frank Page ends his tenure as SBC President. I didn't know anything about him when he was elected in 2006, but I have grown to love and appreciate him over the last two years.
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