Two months ago was our last day worshipping in our SBC church because it was becoming more and more liberal. One Sunday morning in June, the teenagers were on the platform doing hip-hop dancing to promote the upcoming VBS. It was the choreography outlined on the CD in the Convention material for 2011 VBS. While the kids were gyrating, the head deacon’s wife was in the choir loft doing a kind of hand jive.
At Christmas, the special music was “The Little Drummer Boy”. When I mentioned it to our pastor, he said, “Well, it does refer to the baby Jesus in a way”; he thought it was absolutely fine.
They’re now using some goofy version of the Bible — Holman, I think. Pastor said they use it ‘cause it’s easier for people to understand. I guess before Holman was published, the Holy Spirit wasn’t powerful enough to convict people via the pesky KJV.
They’ve tossed the traditional hymns and brought in a “hymnal” with the contemporary choruses. I mentioned this to the pastor and he said, “Well, I have to tell you that we’re going to go more in that direction quickly.”
SBC’s platform on amnesty is unacceptable. “It asks government officials to support ‘a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country.’ The vision for a path toward legal status mirrors what President Barack Obama has offered as he’s urged support for immigration reform.”
Now we’re attending an independent Baptist church and are happy there.
Your story reads exactly the same as ours does. Thank you so much for sharing.
The Holman translation was made by and is owned by Southern Baptists. Good info here:
http://www.bible-researcher.com/csb.html
I prefer the ESV or NASB myself.
A lot of the “teachers and leaders” at some of the SBC churches I have visited seem to be into Tony Campolo big time....especially those who are somewhat recent grads of protestant seminaries...and are generally in the 25 to 40 age group. I have watched as memberships have started to decline in these same churches and that leadership has suddenly become feckless in dealing with interpersonal issues that have arisen. I see many homosexuals attempting to put themselves into positions of authority in some of these churches(though if penitent and celibate I have no issues but there is a tendency to attempt to blunt the harder truths of faith when these folk teach).
“We must become more ‘missional’ and ‘socially inclusive’ is the hue and cry but some how passion regarding the “power in the BLOOD of the LAMB” has been lost; the older members have become uneasy and the kids see thru the PC sharade and want nothing to do with it!
Lifeway’s VBS was New York City themed this year - I thought it was tastefully done and not a sign of creeping liberalism. The sight of our balding, white children’s pastor leading a rap was.....interesting.
I think that Lifeway is running out of original VBS themes and should start recycling them - the kids that did “Truth Trackers” and “Ocean Odyssey” are now old enough to have kids of their own and would enjoy a blast from the past.
But this was not during the service, surely?