Thanks to Bob Allen at Ethics Today for highlighting the contradictions inherent in the teachings of Henry Blackaby. Blackaby, a Southern Baptist, will be speaking at the 100th Anniversary of the Baptist World Alliance. A meeting that Southern Baptists have boycotted by pulling out of BWA for admitting the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Allen underscores Blackaby's acclaim of American CEO's shortly before the Enron and Worldcom scandals, his strange doctrine of spiritual map reading (-- a topic I discussed in a blog on January 26th), and his declaration of the justice of a "pre-emptive" strike against Iraq before its alleged weapons of mass destruction could be used by terrorists.
It's hard to find a better example of a spirituality that has so thoroughly mistaken uncritical nationalism, the pious posturings of self-serving politicians and SBC dominionism for the voice of God.
5 comments:
I think your title of this blog entry really hits the spot. Blackaby's prediction that business was in for a real spiritual awakening simply assumes that big, profit-driven, successful corporations are in step with God's plan. His brand of theology (theology?) never questions the economics of our consumer society. Indeed this spirituality fits right at home in contemporary American culture.
But here's something to ponder: Since Blackaby's theology (again...theology?) is primarily concerned with the way we (internally) EXPERIENCE God, the way we make and spend our money are only secondary matters. In this respect Blackaby's prediction could have been right. There could have been a widespread change of hearts; but really no change of corporate policy.
I am a great fan of the BWA, but wish they had chosen a more robust speaker than Blackaby to lead Bible study in Birmingham.
I have never cared for Henry Blackaby's theology myself, but for different reasons than the ones you indicated. After reading your post on Blackaby's map reading quest, I was greatly disturbed that many more did not come out against his views. However, I think it may have been more of a case of not hearing about it than in not caring about it.
But as a Southern Baptist I reject your association of Blackaby's views with the SBC in general. I don't think the young guns of the SBC (those I feel represent the new SBC) in any way agree with Blackaby's corporate theology/philosophy and most ministers that I know personally would reject any spirituality that has its basis in American consumeristic culture. I will grant that many Southern Baptists will go along with anything that someone like Blackaby says, but I don't think you can made that broad of a sweeping statement. I certainly would be an exception as would many SBC'ers I know.
d.r. nice to know that not everyone in the SBC believes pickles have souls.
Recently found your blog and am excited to read more. It is refreshing to hear the voices of Baptists with brains.
This Southern Baptist will be returning often.
Thanks!
First we scare people into becoming Christians by giving them a way to escape hell. Now we are scaring people into voting the way we want by telling them all the natural occurances are retribution from God. Has it ever occured to them that our weather is changing because of global warming. What is our nations official line on global warming? They just change the reports to fit how they want.
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