12 Witnesses

Right now they are going through a host of Ex. Comm. recommendations.

Trustee qualifications is up. This will rip the heart out of the nepotism, connectionalism, etc. problems with entity Trustees.

Bill Sanderson is speaking against the change that would disqualify those who have been employed by and entity saying that Seminary students who work for the seminary would never be available.

The committee is offering to put the word “full-time” in front of the word “employee.” That was rejected and we will vote to pull the restriction.

The restriction is pulled and the convention has no idea that they have been hoodwinked.

The thinking currently is that Wade will endorse the referral. If we attempt to reverse this, and lose, we lose everything.

As it is, the SBC would take the unprecidented step of asking the IMB BOT answer specific charges.

Frankly, the motion was so complex that it could have been ruled out of order. Instead, a compromise giving both grace to the Messenger, Wade Burleson, and the Trustee system.

Wade is speaking now.

He has endorsed the referral with the suggestion that the selection of the ad hoc committee and is giving background to what brought us here. Bob Clevland is speaking against the referral.

[update]

They called the question before I could speak to it.

Oh well, it was referred.

[/update]

I’m going to speak for it.

The convention defeated a move by the Executive Committee to “invite” them to affirm their SBC loyalties by becoming an SBC entity.

In effect, the Convention stopped the move to put the WMU in a place where they had to reject the SBC. Of course they couldn’t do that, so they would have been under extreme pressure to become an SBC agency and allow the SBC to begin to assert a level of control over it.

This motion was defeated which is an affirmation of the WMU’s status as an Auxilary.

Jimmy Jackson is elected as 1VP.

Akin is nominating JD Greear. It is a good nomination speech. No innuendo as to ties to anybody, but a solid referral.

Co. state exec. is nominating Dr. Bender from Co. Springs. Strong CP support language.

Joe Ed Rice is nominating Jay Adkins of New Orleans. Mainly talking about his strong efforts after Katrina.

Bill Dodson is making a hilarious nomination speech for Wiley Drake. You have to watch this at sbc.net. Still, it is powerful and he has my vote, for sure! Like Ben Cole once said, “Wiley was missional before missional was cool.”

I don’t know that Wiley could accurately define “missional,” but he lvies it accurately every day.

Bobby Welch, after Frank Page was announced, said to Dr. Page, into the mic, that 50.48 percent was not mandate, and Dr. Page was president of whole SBC.

I like Bobby, but that was not his finest moment.

When asked, Frank told me and some of my friends that he was not moderate. Someone asked if he would be bringing in CBF guys as officers and said he would not and wanted to know where that came from.

Of course, no one knew.

They started the press conference early and I missed it, but I hope to catch the Pres. later.

Gene Mims, as he was addressing the convention, said that “there is too much bloggin’ and communicatin’ goin’ on out there.”

If you want the convention to be uninformed and for about 35 men to control the SBC, then I suppose that is true.

If you want a well informed convention, that elects men that reflect the breadth of the SBC, then we may need a few more.

I just sat down next to a messenger from Texas who asked if I was the Art Rogers from the blog. When I told him I was, he thanked me for the information.

No. He is not a Younger Leader.

Presidential press conference at 5:25 pm Eastern. Thanks to my handy dandy Press Pass, I’ll be there.

Floyd 2,247 - 24.95 percent

Sutton 2,168 - 24.05 percent

President Frank Page 4,546 - 50.4 percent

Johnny Hunt nominated Ronnie Floyd laced with phrases like, “He’s one of us.”

Jerry Sutton is nominated with the same phrase, but not the same rhetoric throughout.

Both indicated ties to the establishment.

Frank Page is nominated with calls for unity and CP giving.

All talked about the CP, but Johnny rang very hollow.

When we voted the sound of chads being punched out was audible when the number of the chad was announced if we were voting for Frank Page.

I don’t even think there will be a runoff.

Wade’s motion is scheduled for debate at 7:40 pm. The debate is whether or not to refer it to the IMB first, which is like asking the ship’s captain which way he would like to sail while he heads for the shoals.

The referral must be overturned, but it will require a 2/3 majority of the house.

This is the big debate for which we have come.

Ben Cole has questioned Bill Sutton and Nathan Lino as IMB Trustees.

There was no motion to replace anyone and they will serve.