Tuesday afternoon, Saddleback Church’s founding pastor, Rick Warren, will appeal the EC’s decision to disfellowship Saddleback because of the church’s decision to ordain women as pastors.
Shortly before Warren makes his appeal, messengers will vote for the next SBC president. Running against Barber is Mike Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Georgia. Stone is a former chairman of the SBC’s Executive Committee and a member of the steering council for the Conservative Baptist Network. He ran for SBC president in 2021, but lost to Ed Litton in a run-off.
It is typical for the current SBC president to run unopposed for a second term, but Stone has said he decided to run this year because supporters have asked him to do so. In particular, the pastor has been vocal about his concerns over how the SBC has addressed its sexual abuse crisis.
RELATED: SBC Presidential Nominee Mike Stone Says the SBC Needs a ‘More Biblical’ Sex Abuse Reform Task Force
In his presidential address, Barber focused on Philippians 4:8-9, which says:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul commands believers to dwell on what is true and what is beautiful. Christianity shapes our sense of beauty and our “sense of taste,” which should be oriented toward truth, justice, and everything honorable, said Barber. But “the human sense of taste has been tainted by the Fall. We are fallen people. Your fallen sense of taste needs to be cultivated and trained, just like mine.”
Barber observed that people will never find him dwelling on the beauty of coffee, joking about his disgust for the beverage. “Coffee is bitter water for bitter people facing bitter times,” he said, to laughter. “I think I just lost the election.”
The SBC president suggested that God’s peace only comes when Christians follow his command to dwell on what is true and beautiful, commenting, “Sometimes the peace-giving presence of God seems hard to find in our family of churches.”
Some truths are difficult for people to swallow, said Barber. “‘Boys can’t become girls.’ That’s true, but it’s controversial to some people.” Other difficult truths are “marriage is between a man and a woman” and “local, autonomous churches who want to prevent sexual abuse need help.” Attendees applauded when Barber stated the truth about marriage, but were largely silent regarding his statement about sexual abuse.
Another hard truth is, “I hate to break it to you, but your mother’s passed away.” Barber’s mother passed away on June 11.
I remember it like yesterday. Forty-eight years ago, I knelt by my mother’s bed and held her hand while she led me to the Lord.
Four days ago, I again knelt by her bed and held her hand while she was slowly dying.
A few hours ago, she fell into the arms of her Savior.
— Bart Barber (@bartbarber) June 11, 2023
