Holy. Cow.

The Nashville Tennessean posted a potentially explosive article about the future state of the Southern Baptist Convention from outgoing President Frank Page, who was surprisingly elected in 2006. The actual article is here, but let me give you a few snippets:

"If we don't start paying attention to the realities … by the year 2030, we will be proud to have 20,000 rather than 44,000 Southern Baptist churches,'' Page said. Page believes the 16.2 million-member convention faces the same challenges that bedeviled other Protestant denominations — lower birthrates, aging demographics and a culture increasingly hostile to Christianity. In response, churches tend to circle the wagons and hang on for dear life.

Me again: So the SBC shrinks in half, not because it has no choice, but because the churches refuse to innovate and adapt? Wow.

Page: "You've got massive numbers," he said, "maybe not a majority but massive numbers of evangelical churches out there, yes, Southern Baptists also, who are small groups of older white people holding on till they die."

Me yet again: The article has a bit more on SBC politics. Being raised an "independent" Baptist, I've never been too connected to SBC life, but I was shocked to read that Page's election was the first time they've ever had to actually vote for a President- the convention has always been a rubber-stamp ceremony. This year, they have 6 up for the spot. The fact that the SBC is just now getting around to having real elections with real choices makes Page's predictions that much more startling. How far behind is the SBC?

The wife and I are strongly considering an SBC church for membership, and while I think the political intrigue of the SBC is not quite so important at the local level, I still like to learn about the cart I'm considering hitching up to. In some ways I hope Page is wrong-- but if the losses he predicts are just dead weight, than I'm inclined to say that I hope he is RIGHT.

Purple Politics

Check out this great article about God and politics in the US of A:
Vanguard Church: America: Gods Providential Blessing or a Humanist Political Experiment?

I have never been really into politics; but I was raised staunchly Republican and for many years never questioned it. Come to think, I don't know if I ever knew otherwise or ever actually had a converstaion with . I recall hearing the Dukakis "potatoe" joke over and over, and was interested in Rush Limbaugh for a time (Rush is very good at what he does, but I don't consider him to be operating in the best interests of the citizenry). I remember voting for Bob Dole, even though the only reason I chose him is because he had not committed adultery, and I had never considered if he was Presidential material. (Sidenote:I have voted in every Presidential election, and have in the last 8 years voted in the midterms as well.)

But in all my church-attending years, it was drummed in that America was THE nation of God for the end-times. A local Pentecostal minister actually goes into great detail, comparing the line of Hebrew kings to our line of Presidents! I blindly followed these teachings, and as I reflect I think it was more because of the way it was sold (charisma, delivery, and quotes by Famous Dead Americans, or the F.D.A) than it's legitimacy as Biblical fact.

I'm going to stop short of getting into the theology of this, specifically Kingdom Now and Dominion Theology. I will say that I am starting to understand that the disillusionment that I have felt toward the political arena is not because the wrong people are in office, but because our government is not a representative of the Kingdom of God. Evangelicals like to think it is, but I am not fooled. I do believe God has blessed this country and I believe God has used this nation mightily, but do we have special status over all other nations? I think not.

Back to work....