Actually these are trackbacks, plus they were very popular topics.
The first is Bart Barber and the topic of the [then upcoming] Southern Baptist presidential election
The other is Jarrod Morris (on the same day he was linked by flowerdust.net) and the topic of christians and drinking. Something everyone has an opinion about.
And the places where it bottoms out are Sundays. Apparently no one reads blogs on Sundays.
I left this comment in this blog earlier today. So I'll ask my readers to answer it.
Here’s a question no one has ever answered satisfactorily for me. -Why does a Christian want to drink a beer?- If you know it’s wrong to get drunk and you don’t need a little alcohol to stay dysentery free, then why?
I do not want a discussion about legalism and christian freedom in my comments. I simply want an answer to this question, "What advantage do you get from drinking?" Why do it?
I get the idea from all the people who argue that it's ok that the main reason that they want to drink socially is because they were taught that it is wrong. It is pure rebellion. In fact, the best reason I've ever gotten from anybody when I asked this question in person is that it is fun. Also I'm probably not going to buy the argument that it is delicious. Nobody lives the taste of beer the first time, and most of us are not in the habit of drinking stuff we think is nasty until it starts tasting good.
I am conceeding that the Bible doesn't say "thou shall not consume alcohol" and that it does say "be not drunk with wine." Let's not have a discussion of whether or not it is okay. I want to know; why drink at all? Especially since there's no clear line between sober and drunk.
One of the major concerns we hear about in Southern Baptist life is the lack of “young leaders.”
You often read that people under age 40 feel somehow alienated by the processes of the SBC. I am under 35, and seminary educated, but I don’t feel either jaded or disenfranchised with the processes of the SBC.
I have no idea what all the commentators mean by “leader” but I’m pretty sure I don’t qualify on that front. I’m the youth minister at a small church, and I have no ambition to ever preach the convention sermon, but I do want to see the Southern Baptist Convention be the best it can be. I obviously am a blogger, (hopefully the stigma from that label is gone now) and I read a handful of SBC blogs. Some I agree with, some I don’t. I would very much like to one day earn my PhD and my readers already know I want to be a certified apologetics instructor. It would be great to have a bunch of readers on my blog, but this blog is too often about fishing to ever catch on in a big way. So, surely I am not a “leader.” All I want is to bring glory to God in whatever position He puts me. And if that means being a youth minister to 10 kids, then hopefully I can help them to grow closer to Christ and have an impact on their world.
Despite not being a “young leader” I believe I am the very person that many people are concerned about. As an under 35, seminary educated, Southern Baptist, I am interested in what happens, and deeply concerned with the baptism decline. I hope this doesn’t sound arrogant, really I just believe I fit the mold. I’m sure there are many like me.
I will be attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, and I can honestly say that I do not know who I will be voting for for president. There are 6 candidates. (<update>I am only seriously considering 3 </update>of them.) I am genuinely undecided. This is your opportunity to lobby for my vote. Use the comments to convince me that your choice for SBC president is the one who will best lead the convention.
Here are some things you may want to know about me before you begin your defense. Some of this is a repeat.
Let the lobbying begin