Ronnie Floyd has 100 days remaining at the helm of the SBC. The prophetic mantle shall be passed to another. The fire from heaven shall be enjoined to the next mega-church golden boy of the Convention. The power of vision casting will transfer to the next anointed one, the next one in line as “God’s man for the hour”.
Floyd wrote “My Last 100 Days As Southern Baptist President”, posted March 7 in the Baptist Press. You can read his musings here.
Much of his article is a summary of the many things he’s done as President, including the preparations for the upcoming convention in St. Louis. Surprisingly, he failed to actually tout his longstanding plea of “Awaken America”. Presumably, SBC brethren are still praying for this. (Please don’t; instead, please be on your face before God pleading with him to awaken the SBC … back to Scripture, back to the Great Commission, and back to obedience.)
The first few sections of his article outline his action as president in making various appointments to various committees of the bloated convention. He appoints 68 people to the Committee on Committees; he appoints people to the Committee on Resolutions; he appoints parliamentarians; he appoints to the Credentials Committee; he appoints to the Tellers Committee. It’s a chore of such magnitude that no mighty prophet of the Old Testament would likely dare assume such duties.
(Please understand, fellow SBC-er, these numerous committees are absolutely essential to the core goal of the Convention … no, not the one of spreading the Gospel … the other one. The one that insures a heirarchy of bureacracy so entangling that no one lacking appropriate anointing ever rises to any leadership in the Convention proper. The effective use of appointments and the plethora of committees prevents the woeful possibility that a non vision-caster might rise to influence.)
In the section of his article where he comments on his media responses, particularly those before Super Tuesday, Floyd says,
“I am honored to be able to represent Southern Baptists in the media during a time when evangelicals may not be presented in the best light.”
While we can be certain that he surely looked crisp and dapper in the latest Armani fashion, I’m not so sure about “presenting evangelicals in the best light”. Is this why he bounded over to IHOP to participate with WOF & NAR heretics … so that he could present evangelicals in the best light? Or does he view his NAR buddies as authentic evangelicals too?
Yet, it’s the next section of Floyd’s article that is most bristle-provoking. Here’s the except:
“Weekly SBC article released each Monday
Each president of the Southern Baptist Convention has to fulfill their vision as God leads them, but I have chosen to write articles related to our convention weekly. These are published on my blog each Monday.
My team informed me that by the time I finish my term at the conclusion of our 2016 convention in St. Louis, I will have written no less than 110 articles related to the Southern Baptist Convention. Yes, I have written a lot about our work together as Southern Baptists.
I have done this because I believe in the power of Habakkuk 2:2: “The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.”
God has used many of these weekly articles to forward the vision not only within our convention, but way beyond. Therefore, in these last 100 days, I will continue to write. God uses the written word.”
(Highlights Mine)
Umm … Is Ronnie Floyd suffering from Narcissistic Prophet Syndrome? The thoroughly unbiblical presence of vision-casting has been prevalent during Floyd’s tenure, and still runs amok among SBC leadership and agencies. (Click HERE for a link to a Baptist News search for “vision-casting”. Five pages of all sorts of visions being tossed about the SBC. Click HERE AND HERE for some articles on the spiritually dangerous practice of vision-casting.)
That Floyd is prolific is not a problem, and that he is encouraging other pastors and leaders to write is not worrisome. Leaders need to lead. Leaders need to guide through any and all media available. Nothing at all wrong with that.
What is worrisome with Floyd is that, as he did in the excerpt above, he writes as if he has some special anointing that brings greater weight to his tomes, that he has some unique prophetic vision from God that he is bound to share with the unenlightened. You almost expect Floyd to announce he’s bounded the zenith of Mt. Carmel and is summoning fire from heaven in order to “forward the vision“. (Yes, it is that ridiculous.)
(Just a reminder, if you are a believer, you too are anointed. Neither Floyd, nor his NAR apostle pals, nor anyone else, has some “super-anointing” unavailable to you. “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you…” 1 John 2:27)
Ronnie, sir, you are not Habakkuk. Despite the fact that you have buddies who claim to be modern day apostles (no, they’re not), you aren’t one either. Neither are you a prophet. The last Old Testament prophet died, beheaded by Herod. (for proclaiming the truth, oddly enough) Remember John the Baptist?
The Words Habakkuk received from God were for him, not you. The vision he received was for him, not you. There is no super spiritual power in the verse you quoted that imbues your words with any greater, or less, import than the words of any other man. Nor have you received a vision from on high.
That you believe Habakkuk is the Word of God is good; that’s a no-brainer for an SBC president. There is much for us to learn from all Scripture; but that Scripture is not about us … it is about God, His “vision”, and His Revelation. Habakkuk isn’t about you.
To suggest that this verse give you some greater prophetic, vision-casting credence is …. WRONG. Ronnie, you’re succumbing to (and encouraging) faulty hermeneutics that is awfully, awfully characteristic of prosperity gospel heretics over on TBN. (Ask Beth Moore about them. She’s joined them there daily! Hopefully, you’re not going for a bouffant hairdo too.) In fact, you’re encouraging what already abounds around the evangelical church, especially the SBC, a heretical “HUMAN-neutics”.
Floyd’s use of “way beyond” is reminiscent of the oh, so worrisome words he uttered at the Executive Committee meeting in February, evidently justifying his embrace of participation with blatantly heretical “evangelicals” …
“Furthermore this price was not paid for Southern Baptists to become like some exclusive club that is so narrow we cannot cooperate with other evangelicals and even beyond,..” (Emphasis mine)
“Even beyond.” Okay. The Gospel? Yeah, it’s exclusive, very exclusive. I’m still sticking with the “Avoid them” command from Paul with regards to false teachers. (Romans 1:17) Shouldn’t we be telling Southern Baptists to obey that command, too?
But, let’s move on…
“I will continue to write. God uses the written word.”
Umm, yeah, well … NO. You aren’t an apostle; you aren’t a prophet; and, your written word, Ronnie, is as equally inspired as mine. Last time I checked, the canon of Scripture was closed. You may quote it; you may cite it; you may preach it; you may exhort others unto it – all things you should do … but you may not add to it. (Rev. 22:18-19) Nor ought you suggest that your writing is somehow, again, specially endorsed by God.
God does use the written word …. HIS WRITTEN WORD. The singular focus we lack in the SBC is the one saturated with His Word … the exegetical preaching and teaching of it; the proclamation of the Gospel from it; and the use of it as we claim to do in the Baptist Faith and Message … “the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried…” (Yeah, can we, umm, please, do more of that?)
It’s woeful that we have a president of our convention who actually promotes, openly, patently unbiblical “vision-casting”. We have a vision in God’s Word. There are no new “visions” emanating from heaven; we have it.
Our problem is that our self-aggrandizing human-neutics require us to elevate ourselves above the mere “written word,” unless those are words we (or Ronnie) penned. We take upon ourselves Christ’s job, “I will build my church,” and fail in basic obedience to our task, “preach the Gospel.” (Mark 16:15)
Still, we only have yet days to go until the current prophetic tenure ends. Yet, another one lies in the wings … one with no less concern. Where Floyd may be writing God-usable words, J.D. Greear, the apparent “next anointed”, doesn’t just write them; he teaches believers how to hear God speak them and, apparently, how to jabber back to Him in tongues. (See HERE and HERE for more on that.)
Folks, it’s not the end of a prophetic era in the SBC.
It’s just the continuation of a drought of focus on the Word. (Not yours, Ronnie … God’s).
Friends, please pray for an awakening in the SBC. We need an avalanche of repentance and a reformation within our ranks. Pray for that.
[Posted by Bud Ahlheim]
