Off The Record: Commentary on the Journal of the Mississippi Baptist Convention

With July 4th coming up the editorial and guest opinion were dedicated to "God and Country" material. Let's spend this Independence Day praying for peace. We all know someone in the Iraq war. May God grant them grace and protection!

Much of the Record covered convention matters. Alot of it was BP pieces. One of the more interesting pieces was the cover piece on Frank Page. The highlights for me were:
1. "Page said he believes messengers are calling him to place an emphasis 'not on personality, but a cause of evangelism and missions that we do together.'" I think he got that right. His election was a blow to the cult of personality that has ruled SBC life for a generation.

2. Page gave criteria for SBC appointments and indicated that he would tap a reserve of leaders found in small and medium sized churches. His criteria would be. A) A sweet spirit, B) an evangelist's heart, C) a commitment to the integrity of the Word of God. I can live with these and think Page's openness is a breath of fresh air in Baptist life.

3. Page affirmed the importance of the Cooperative Program but stopped short of placing a 10% mark. He wrote, "I would rather not us a specific percentage amount because my entire point has been to broaden involvement, not to restrict involvement." It seems like Frank Page is free of guile. WOW!

Page believes his election was a defining moment in Baptist life. We will watch and see.