One Man’s Perspective on the Current State of SBC Life: Part Two

      Last week I began to share my perception of what is happening in SBC life. In so doing I began to list some principles that will help us transform the “Bad News” that occurs when we become polarized into “Good News.” I began by listing a couple of principles that can help us generate “Good News” in ANY situation. The first two were to keep your focus on the main thing and the other was to use your existing relationships to create healthy dialogue. Some additional ones are:

• Listen with the goal of understanding. This requires us to actually LISTEN to one another. In the normal course of the conversation, we get distracted as we formulate our response to the first thing the other person says. We do this rather than listening intently until they are finished. What makes it worse is we have bought into the misconception that we can multi-task. When we attempt to, we will always lose focus and miss key statements and concepts. Before we respond with “our ideas,” it is always helpful to restate or rephrase what we think we heard. There are times when we get corrected and hear, “That’s not at all what I meant.” We need to be willing to LISTEN until we truly understand both the words and the meaning of what they said. One example of our poor listening skills comes from my seminary classroom experiences. I lost count of the times when a professor would open the last few minutes of class up for questions. Invariably the fourth or fifth question would be one that had already been asked and answered. Somewhere in our disciple-making process, we need to teach one another how to listen.
• Improve your self-awareness. The reality is that wherever I go, I’m there. As I navigate life in a very diverse world, I will constantly misunderstand people around me if I don’t realize that I bring my unique personality, passions, and perspectives into each situation. There was a day when being Southern Baptist could be clearly and narrowly defined even to the point of knowing what would be on the table at a potluck dinner. My perceptions are my realities, but my realities are not always truth. And yes, there is a knowable truth and His name is Jesus (John 14:6). Need I remind you that you are not Him?
• Realize that your conflicts will help you clarify your passion. What hills are you currently willing to fight, bleed, and die on? Are they really Biblical or are they personal passions? Are they culturally based or are they Biblical? Are they really big and important issues or are they trivial issues? Have you honestly discussed the issue and listened with humility to someone outside of your circle? Remember, “The first one to plead his case seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him” Proverbs 18:17.
• Admit your partial blindness. Because of a detached retina, I have limited peripheral vision in my right eye. And because I was born and raised in Wyoming, moved to Oklahoma when I was sixteen, and have served as a pastor and Director of Missions in Iowa and Nebraska for the past thirty-five years, my view of Southern Baptist life is limited by my experiences. At the meeting in Nashville, I visited with a very sharp fellow trustee whose perspective of SBC life is very different from mine. In fact, as I briefly described national issues that are impacting my world, he seemed to be completely unaware that they even existed. 

     In last week’s article, I mentioned four key changes that have radically impacted SBC life over the last 50+ years. I will begin to address the impact of them in the next article. Until then, let me encourage you to find ways to apply the principles above. As you do, God can and will provide Romans 8:28 results to transform “Bad News” into “Good News.”