What is a Baptist in today's world? This is the question I am asking myself in recent days. It began after I stumbled onto some blogs that are wrestling with issues within our Baptist group. Every day I try to read a few of these blogs just in order to remain current on the conditions in our denomination. Last week I attended a meeting in Mesquite dealing with some issues about our state convention. The name baptist means so many different things today. When I started in this journey over 25 years ago it was not nearly so complicated. If you were a Baptist it meant you could pretty well connect with anyone else who shared that name. Today there are as many different types of Southern Baptists as their are varieties of cars. It sure is hard to figure out where we belong now.

I grew up in the traditional Southern Baptist church in Linden, Texas. We believed in the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon and Vacation Bible School. If you got those three things down then you were a duly deputized Southern Baptist. You may not be aware but the Cooperative Program is slowly being changed into something I do not recognize. In our great state of Texas there is not one state convention now but two! The wonderful seminaries where I did graduate study look nothing like they did when I attended. Even now, missionaries that we revered in the past are scrutinized for every theological position possible. Seminaries that served as institutions of learning are fast becoming "one note" schools that teach less than indoctrinate.

When I look at us here at FBC Tatum, I see terrific people who strive to live life in the likeness of Christ. We are sadly far from perfect but we do much better now than before. We never changed the type of Baptist we want to be. We gave over $2300 to Lottie Moon this year. We contribute a large portion of the Association budget every year. We will absolutely have Vacation Bible School this summer! We never moved in our Baptist heritage. We never will. We are going to be the Baptists that desire to follow our Lord as we understand scripture. As Baptists we believe the local church is the ultimate authority in denomination life. We will not alter that approach one iota.

You are welcome to go to the blog aintsobad.typepad.com. for more insight on where I am as well as others in understanding Baptist life now. I interact on a regular basis with Rick Davis who serves as Pastor of FBC Brownwood. Please know the best thing you can do is to keep after our mission here. The best is still yet to come.

Bro. Trey