In the race for Southern Baptist Convention President, there are two choices: a committed Southern Baptist or someone unsure about the SBC. Ken Hemphill is an unashamed Southern Baptist who is committed to our Southern Baptist institutions. J.D. Greear is more comfortable with progressives at The Gospel Coalition or the George Soros-funded Evangelical Immigration Table than average Southern Baptist pastors and laymen.
“I am a Southern Baptist by birth and by conviction,” Ken Hemphill said. “Our cooperative way of doing and funding missions is the envy of the entire evangelical world. It allows every church of every size to be an equal partner in a global mission enterprise. It requires kingdom vision which desires no credit and seeks only to glorify God.”
Ken Hemphill is a Southern Baptist. There is no doubt about it. He views the Southern Baptist Convention as a great instrument for fulfilling the Great Commission. His years of service proves it.
In contrast, J.D. Greear is apologetic about the Southern Baptist Convention. Greear has said being Southern Baptist isn’t something his church “wears on its sleeve,” and presented loyalty to the Southern Baptist Convention as something in contrast to the Great Commission.
Greear said on a Baptist 21 podcast, “To younger pastors, I would say, ‘Yeah, you should not be committed to the Southern Baptist Convention; you should be committed to the Great Commission.”
This is a false dilemma. As Southern Baptists, we work together because we feel the best way to reach the world for Christ is by combining efforts. One of the early architects of the Cooperative Program, Monroe Elmon Dodd described its purpose:
“The ultimate aim and end of all the work, whether it be the support of chanceless children, the healing in our hospitals of humanity’s hurt, the taking care of aged and worn-out ministers and missionaries, the support of Christian educational institutions, the employment of evangelists, teachers, editors, mission secretaries, and missionaries, the aim of it all is the preaching of the gospel to every creature.”[1]
That is the point of being Southern Baptist—by giving and working together, every one of us from the biggest megachurch star to the widow sitting in the small, rural Alabama church is participating in The Great Commission. Greear has problems with Southern Baptists, but has no problems engaging with progressive and liberal political groups.
J.D. Greear has made it clear. He prefers his The Gospel Coalition buddies to Southern Baptists. You won’t hear him championing the Southern Baptist Convention on TGC podcasts. He knows his audience smugly rejects the conservative political views of most Southern Baptist voters and he says what they want to hear. In one podcast, Greear insulted a fellow Southern Baptist pastor and compared some Southern Baptists to “crazy uncles over their conservative political views.”
Greear has no problems working with George Soros funded groups pushing for open borders. He has repeatedly signed statements pushed by the Evangelical Immigration Table—National Review and Juicy Ecumenism exposed the group as a tool utilized by George Soros to corrupt evangelicalism.
It is simple. Anything George Soros is involved with isn’t going to be good for evangelicalism in general or the Southern Baptist Convention in particular. Evangelical writer and radio host Eric Metaxes quit the Evangelical Immigration Table once he learned of Soros’ involvement. Metaxes said, “Anything Soros is behind is worth quitting. So glad I’ve had my name removed from this.”
Unfortunately, Greear is pushing their agenda—an agenda that stands in contrast to how average Southern Baptists believe.
The Gospel Coalition is the nexus for progressive infiltration of conservative evangelical denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian Church in America. Thabiti Anyabwile was using his TGC blog to promote Hillary Clinton for president and call President Donald Trump a racist. The group is drifting toward a full embrace of racial identity politics with posts on its website promoting Cultural Marxism.
So, why is J.D. Greear running for SBC president? He isn’t comfortable with wearing the label. He isn’t comfortable with the political thinking of average Southern Baptists. If you can’t be the loudest voice championing Southern Baptists, what is the motivation to be President of the Southern Baptist Convention?
Fortunately, there is a candidate who is a true Southern Baptist who reflects their views—Ken Hemphill. He is unencumbered with ties to outside progressive organizations. He is a man we can enthusiastically support.
[1] The quote is from Monroe Elmon Dodd in Missions is Our Mission as quoted by Ergun Caner, The Sacred Trust: Sketches of the Southern Baptist Convention Presidents (p. 78). B&H Publishing.