Dr. Russ Moore will succeed Richard Land at the ERLC

[Sandy]

http://www.dennyburk.com/congratulation ... ommission/

The press kit can be downloaded off the blog.

This represents a change in direction from Land, and is an excellent choice for this position.

[William Thornton]

Fully expected. Earlier predicted. A surprise would have been any other person.

[Dave Roberts]

The SBC "old boy network" is working to perfection, just as Sandy has said it always has.

[Sandy]

[Tom Parker]

Sandy, what is the significance of Moore's Calvinism?

[Dave Roberts]

[Sandy]

[Tom Parker]

Sandy: I am not aware of anyone wanting to do any bashing over Doctrinal differences in the SBC.

[Tim Bonney]

[Stephen Fox]

See my comments there at that site on Moore

[Stephen Fox]

[Sandy]

I went to both links in the thread, Stephen, and I didn't see your comments at either place.

As head of the ERLC, Moore will specifically be representing the Southern Baptist Convention. That would tend to lead me to believe that he is probably in general agreement with the expressed view of the convention on most issues that they deal with. It's not so much about the "position," since that is pretty much pre-determined by the SBC where it goes on record via resolutions and through the commission's trustees. It's about the way it is presented. Land was an iron fist. And the end result was that he didn't come anywhere close to having the kind of reputation or support among Southern Baptists of which he dreamed, and never was able to hitch his wagon to some kind of appointment in the Bush administration. Moore's approach hasn't isolated himself from having influence where he needs to have it, not only from the various constituencies in the SBC, but even among Democrats. Take a look at the link to the press package on Denny Burke's site, Stephen.

[TrudyU]

[William Thornton]

And the Oxford educated Land was very good on that job for years, until he decided he was a talk show personality.

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

[Tom Parker]

Sandy:

You said:"On the contrary, I think that his appointment is evidence that the rifts and divisions in the convention that the anti-SBC and ex-SBC aristocrats love to speculate about (because they have so much time on their hands and they don't have anything else to do) are not anywhere near as serious, or have anything close to the effect on denominational life that they would like to see. First, Fred Luter's election, and now this appointment, provide clear evidence that the SBC that exists in Leonard's prognostications is not the reality."

The part about having so much time on our hands and nothing else to do is just a bunch of hooey. Those of us that invested our lives in the SBC and have seen it disentigrating before our eyes for years now--do not expect us not to give our opinions.

You and others just can not see the emperor is not wearing any clothes. You and others may just need to get your eyes checked.

[Sandy]

[David Flick]

[Dave Roberts]

Actually, if you believe in the priesthood of all believers, Moore will speak authoritatively for only one Southern Baptist, himself. He can speak that on a specific date that 8,300 Southern Baptists assembled in convention voted on a resolution speaking to such an issue. To say he speaks for all Southern Baptists is to misrepresent Baptist polity, the nature of resolutions, and the authority given to the ERLC (which got its new initials because the BJC remained true to being Baptist).

[Sandy]

[Dave Roberts]

[Tom Parker]

[Sandy]

[Stephen Fox]

I just went to the facebook page for ethicsdaily.com and saw my comments on the Russ Moore article Sandy says he could not find there.

Here is one link I hope Sandy and Thornton in particular with study as they monitor Russ Moore in his new position.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/20 ... left-turn/

You don't have to read much between the lines to see this Edsall piece as a great plumbline to assess Richard Land's career as Pressler, Jesse Helms and Karl Rove's stooge and see what it forebodes for Russ M's future.