SBC Annual Meeting Motions

I’ve never been to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. I’ve also never been able to enjoy the live video feed either. Thanks to the wonder of technology, I got to peek in on the motions that were brought to the floor by individuals at the beginning of the convention.

Not having experienced this before, I have come to the conclusion that this part of the meeting is to allow all the nuts and whackos their opportunity to feel like they are a part of the denomination and have a voice.

I’m sure that there have been wonderful motions brought forth in the past. I’m sure some of these motions, if not immediately effective, cause some stirring in the hearts of the leaders who may reintroduce a similar thought or motion with the backing of a committee.

I’m not so sure that many of the motions proposed this morning were that great. They were sycophantastic! It seemed that people were trying to make the SBC make political statements that praise republicans and challenge democrats to be more like republicans. I am not a democrat. I am not a republican. When I vote, I typically go conservative. But I often feel like I’m choosing the lesser of two evils.

I’m glad that many Southern Baptists are proud of their country. I’m happy they want to see our nation become more pleasing to God. But can’t we focus on matters of Church government before we try to pass resolutions on national government?

Of all the motions, the one I found the most interesting called for either the implementation, or at least the research of, a way for online participation and voting at the next SBC Annual Meeting. This is interesting to me. I’m not sure how this would be developed, especially since the internet allows for anonymity and misuse. I could envision other religious groups getting online access and voting privileges, trying to derail our convention. But I would like to see this possibility researched. Maybe one day I won’t just get to watch and listen from afar, but even participate in the politics and decision-making of my denomination.