The way forward for the BGCT

Significant relationships rest of three vital ingredients: love of some kind; trust; and respect. When one understands that, one can understand a person in a couple saying, "l love him/her, but I no longer trust/respect him/her." It also helps one understand why divorce can be so heartrending. The divorce happens not because love has died, but because respect or trust has died.

Having said that, I believe that is where many folks find themselves with the BGCT and why just saying, "Everything is better now, lets move on," won't work. I love the BGCT. It was the convention of my birth and growing up years. It was the convention whose school I attended that was so life changing for me (Howard Payne University), it was its fraternal relationship with SWBTS that pointed me to my ministerial education, it was another institution that allowed me to gain my second graduate degree (Hardin-Simmons University). I have been honored to serve when asked in the BGCT and at Howard Payne as a trustee. However, I no longer trust or respect the elected or hired leadership of the BGCT.

I know those are strong words, but look at where we are. Look at who has taken us there and who has looked the other way and given assurances that everything was alright. Look at who has pressured, cajoled, and inferred that if one did not quit asking questions and get on board they could/would be left off the train. Look and think. Think about those who give lip service to "free and faithful" Baptists then stifle discussion at the State Convention or in the Executive Board. Think about how such freedom has been suppressed when the wrong questions were asked and were not answered to anyone's real satisfaction.

Now, here is where we are. We have a new administration. I am sure Dr. Everett is a nice guy, but I have been down this loop before. At some level, in Christian circles, everyone has some niceness in them. And in our convention, it is given every leader is a Christian. But like the alcoholic or the serial philanderer not everyone is worthy of our respect and our trust.

The sad thing is that elected leadership has fouled their own back yard. Their refusal to do their work has left some of us not trusting anyone or anything that is said. In one e-mail exchange before the convention, I had an officer tell me what a fine job he had done during his year in office. He was either delusional or worse. That has been the measure of recent elected leadership. Paid leadership has taken the money, the silver, all the time doing a slight of hands that was worthy of any magician.

So, how does one rebuild trust and respect when it has been lost? I will speak to that in my next blog.