Battening Down the Hatches: How to Take the Ship in Nashville
The story begins in October of 2019. In a group text with some brothers from Perryville Second Baptist, one man shared Jeff Noblit’s video on Leaving the SBC. Another guy responded with, “Maybe instead of jumping ship, we should take the ship.”
After I had watched the Founder’s Cinedoc, By What Standard?, I posted my review at ThingsAbove.Us and said, “Sure, one strategy is we can abandon ship & let the SBC sink. But, there’s another viable strategy too–We can take the ship.”
Take the ship. That little phrase hasn’t made everyone happy. Some have drawn too strong an analogy between my desires and piracy. But this isn’t a campaign against people. This is a war of ideas. And I assure you, I absolutely desire to make all godless ideologies creeping into our convention walk the plank in Nashville.
Sadly, though, we understand that ideologies are perpetuated by people. Thus, if conservatives take the ship, the crew will shrink. Some (many?) may jump off and sail in various directions. So be it. It’s not my desire to unnecessarily shrink the SBC. But competing ideologies cannot both steer in the same direction. There’s only one Captain. And if it’s not Christ, set the ship on fire and let it sink.
There is a storm brewing. It is time to batten down the hatches and prepare for the battle ahead. So, in today’s post let me give you three exhortations on how to take the ship in Nashville.
Recognition
Some people do not like the phrase “take the ship” because they do not recognize the dire condition of the Southern Baptist Convention. Too many are constantly saying “There is no drift in the SBC!” so loudly that others actually believe such an absurdity.
Never mind that SBC churches are ordaining women pastors and allowing women to preach. Never mind that CRT/I is infecting our churches and seminaries. Never mind that we, on the whole, too often pretend to uphold the authority of Scripture all the while abandoning its sufficiency. Don’t mention those things! There is no progressive drift!
The reality is, of course, that there is a drift that has been happening in the SBC over the last several years. Too many think of the 1970s and the way liberalism looked in the SBC then and since they don’t see that today, they look at those of us warning of drift as just fear-mongering.
But guess what? Liberalism adapts to every new generation. This is not to say that the SBC is a liberal convention. It is to say that it is undeniable that liberal trajectories exist within our churches and even within our entities in just the things I’ve already noted above.
At best we are the epitome of foolishness if we refuse to recognize what is happening. At best. At worst we are downright sinister because we are helping perpetuate the liberal push. You do not want to be either of those.
Repentance
We won’t take the ship without recognizing the drift of our beloved convention. And we won’t take the ship rightly unless we first examine our own hearts and repent of our own sins.
What do I mean? First, has any carelessness on your part helped contribute to some of the dangerous trends we are noticing? Have you been afraid to speak up when you should have? Have you found it easier to simply “stay in your lane”? Repent of the fear of man.
Or, perhaps you’ve been prideful about this. You’ve been warning about the encroaching liberalism for years and now that others are on board you boast. Let it not be so brothers and sisters.
What I mean in this point overall is that there is a way to win wrongly. We have a historic moment before us. May God forbid that we walk away with a carnal victory. This isn’t about “winning” for the glory of conservatives. This is about battling for the glory of our King. So, let us be humble servants of Jesus. Let us speak with grace and love and concern for the kingdom. And with that, let us not forget the last ‘R’ word for this post:
Resolve
This point isn’t about the Founders SBC pre-confernce (Be it Resolved), but it’s worth mentioning here that I do hope you come to that on 6/14/21. My wife and I are registered and we’d love to meet you. (Watch the trailer!)
The focus here, which I know the Founders conference will share, is that we must be men and women of truth and conviction. We must be resolved, as the song says, no longer to linger. The days of sitting on the fence in silence are over.
We must be committed to the truth. And we must realize that commitment always carries casualties with it. If you are committed to losing weight, say goodbye to frequent desserts. If you are committed to rearing children, say goodbye to sleep! And if you are committed to the truth, you must realize that it will mean saying goodbye to those who oppose it – not because you want that, but because it is inevitable.
We must be resolved to contend for the truth. We must be resolved not to allow our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to see in their day the SBC and her once strong Christ-exalting institutions be akin to what we see the PCUSA and UMC as today. We must be resolved to stand together.
What does this look like practically? First, it means being resolved to actually come to Nashville. You’ve got to make this happen. If nothing else leave at Midnight on Tuesday, June 15 to arrive in Nashville that morning. And if you have to, leave that night to head home. Preferably you can do more than that, but hopefully, you can do at least that. The time, money, and resources it is going to cost you to come to Nashville and let your voice be heard will be worth it.
This is, if I may use a pirating analogy, time for all hands on deck. Do what it takes to get yourself to Nashville. Do not allow a small percentage of the SBC to steer the ship. Come take the helm.
The only way to take the ship in Nashville will be from a grassroots effort. That means you need to come and bring your church members that might not have social media, but who do love the things that are right and good about the SBC including our gospel partnerships, strong complementarian convictions, and our unashamedness of being Baptists.
Secondly, we must be resolved to do what is necessary in Nashville even if some will call us names for doing it. We must be resolved to rescind Resolution 9. We must be resolved to vote to pass resolutions like this one from Jared Longshore. We must be resolved to go to the microphones and rightly hold NAMB, the ERLC, and our other entities accountable. This won’t be time to collect trinkets from the booths. Come and be resolved to stand on truth and let your voice be heard.
Finally, we must be resolved to pick the right president of the Southern Baptist Convention. I’m voting for Pastor Mike Stone. This is not because I think Randy Adams or Al Mohler are drifting liberal. I am grateful for both of those men and hope they will continue to be vocal about the changes we need to see in the SBC. But from what I have heard and seen, Mike Stone is the man for the hour. He is a pastor. He is a man with a humble heart. And he is a man of clear conviction.
See you in Nashville. You probably shouldn’t actually wear pirate regalia. But I hope you come ready to take the ship.
About Author
Jeff Noblitt had the exact same vision for over 25 years and you see what became of it. Im willing to wager that much of the desire for saving the SBC is an unwillingness to let go of the nostalgia of ones upbringing. I don’t see anything worth saving that can’t be done better elsewhere and either way the necessary changes come, they’ll be a splinter as result. It’s wishful thinking.
Nostalgia? If a pastor has asked his people to give sacrificially to send missionaries through IMB and NAMB there is an obligation to attempt to effect change. There are members of my church who have given tens of thousands of dollars over a span of decades to the CP through our church. Handing over institutions built by the sacrificial gifts of faithful saints is not an option. It certainly isn’t nostalgia,
Thanks Allen. You are correct. Let’s take the ship in Nashville!