We spent the drive up listening to interviews with the six candidates for SBC President. We got to Indianapolis in the evening and attended a Presidential forum with all six together. The major points discussed both in the interviews and the forum were the Law Amendment mentioned in the first post, the Abuse Response Task Force, financial transparency, and the priority of the Gospel.
One moment stuck out to me in the forum when they were discussing sexual abuse and appropriate response. One of the candidates and pastor of FBC Lawton, Mike Keahbone, took a moment to address the crowd and recognize that there were probably abuse survivors, he spoke with empathy and compassion. He also expressed heartfelt apologies to survivors on behalf of everyone on stage. It reminded me that in all this business, the church and the Kingdom is always about people. It is about God’s love and the people who need, all of us.
The candidates were respectful and gave space for some diverse opinions on a few of the topics. I hope that spirit continues through Wednesday. Please join me in prayer for just that.