Interview with Dr. Paige Patterson

Aaron,

Yes, unfortunately Tim sat down with Dr. Patterson in a hotel restaurant instead of at the church or somewhere else. My editing software is not sophisticated enough to isolate and remove the background music.

Oh, well, it’s at least good for a laugh…

Thanks for stopping by.

Tim,

Good job on the interview.

Les

Brother BDW,

I never heard the music in the background. But, thanks for pointing it out. :^)

Brother Alex,

I do not believe any of us at SBC Today consider ourselves professional interviewers. However, some of your responses reveal that you do not know Dr. Patterson. I have never found him anything but gracious.

Brother Les,

You should have been here. Tommy Nelson spoke tonight. He was very good.

Brother Tone,

You are spot on.

Blessings,
Tim

who are these wolves in sheep’s clothing who parade as “conservatives”? are we saying that these men are not true conservatives (that they are liberals) or that they are not true Christians?

name names. out with it. I can not stand when folks take hard stands against “them” and make outrageous claims about “them”. “they” can’t defend themselves or be defended…that’s what makes “them” such an easy target.

I’ve meet Dr. P…he even entertained about 4 or 5 church planters from pioneer regions in his office for well over an hour, answering questions, telling us about the beasts which hang from his walls…it was great! I really like him. But…when you do and say controversial things you’re going to be challenged…he knows that I’m sure. I don’t believe he has received any significant “attack” which has went beyond any “attack” he has launched through the years. We all reap what we sew and what goes around comes around. Not all SBC’ers think in lock step…and he Dr. P says and does certain things…why…what else would he expect? He’s a big boy and is no martyr. If you can’t take it then don’t dish it. That’s all I would say.

I think he was way out of line to fire Dr. Koulda. That doesn’t mean I don’t like him or hate him…I wish he would hush up and strive to be less provocative…I think he makes situations worse at times. I hope that I didn’t just lose my “conservatism”…

(one last thought…to be fair…I don’t think I ever hear Dr. P complain about “the attacks”. Usually his sympathizers do the complaining for him…and as is the case with this interview…he simply responded to a question. I don’t think Dr. P is any wilting violet…and I think deep down he knows that when you launch attacks you will receive them back. I have a feeling that he accepts that and is basically “ok” with it.)

sbc-outpost…is that joke still online? that site went straight down the toilet once Marty turned it over. they kicked me out…I can’t view it anymore, literally, lol.

I think everyone around here has a clue about where I am coming from in this SBC blogosphere discussion. I think the IMB restrictions are too much, I agree with most of what Wade writes (I’m basically sympathetic to his concerns and to the way he has been treated), ect. I’m not sure what the correct labels are…but for the lack of better terminology…sbc-outpost believes I’m too far “on the right” and have actually kicked me off their site (because I vigorously, yet I believe respectfully, took on Ben Cole).

now…if they think I’m too far on the Baptist RIGHT, with what you all have observed from me here, that ought to tell you all where the sbc outpost is coming from. They are nothing more than the “move on dot org” of the sbc.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing who parade as “conservatives?!” What – what?? That phrase was used by Jesus talking about false teachers of the faith, I thought! Are Christians required to be conservatives now? Or are just Southern Baptists required to be conservatives? I’m a Christian, a Southern Baptist, but I’m not completely a conservative!

Ronk,

Tim and the whole crew here have been great. They’ve never been rude. I have never felt any of them drawing any unreasonable lines in the sand. I think they could and would cooperate with the likes of me if the opportunity presented itself.

I think all sides are given a fair shake here.

well…I affirm Dr. Patterson. that doesn’t make him above scrutiny nor is he above criticism. after all…who is? he is a man of God with many shades…just like many great saints of the past. Emphasis one trait (good or bad) well over the others and anyone would have a distorted view of the man…like any such scrutinized reformer. he has (not to my knowledge) never endorsed the public execution of a heretic…so he is a bit more liberal than, say, John Calvin.

Paul,

I clarified in my comment that my banning boiled down to the fact that, “…I vigorously, yet I believe respectfully, took on Ben Cole”.

Let’s be honest…if my vigor was directed at Dr. Patterson, Johnny Hunt or Dr. Caner I would not have been banned. SBC Outpost wants (or wanted at the time, I don’t know…I’m banned, lol) to be able slam good men in public without being challenged in the public comment section for it. I’ve never been banned on Wade’s Blog, Tom Ascols Blog, Ed Stetzers blog or this blog and I’m the same guy. The difference is the character of the individuals administrating each blog. I believe that brother Tim here on this blog and I do not see eye to eye on all of these Baptist Identity issues…yet we’ve always been civil, respectful and constructive…because that is our aim. That is not (or was not) the aim at SBC Outpost. Paul…we all know it. Notice that no one who frequents this blog piped in to take up for you all…

SBC Outpost has a well established reputation…there is a reason why every respectable endorsers unceremoniously removed their endorsements.

It is the move on dot org of the SBC.

I’ll close with my last email that I sent you, after being asked to more or less lay off Ben Cole…

“you guys at sbcoutpost have a lot of nerve and not much class (since the change, Marty was and is fair). or perhaps, on second thought, you all don’t have much nerve…you have no problem hitting hard yet will censor a hard hitting comment. I can not believe, I am truly shocked, that my comments have been repeatedly taken down and now I’m not able to even view the site. I’ve not hit you guys any harder then you have hit your targets. censoring a vigorous challenger is very immature. my points were on target and relevant and in no way unChristlike. booting me was completely uncalled for…it’s very immature.

you all have lost your credibility and painted yourselves into a corner as malcontents.

congratulations.”

littleton,

I’m not going to keep up with this. I clarified the situation in the very first comment. I’ve done so again. Let me try a third time and be done with it.

I was banned because I was vigorously challenging the methods and statements of Ben Cole. Had I be equally as vigorous with Dr. Patterson, Caner or a guy like Johnny Hunt I’m sure I would not have been banned. SO…I concluded that it was not simply that I had dash in the comment section…it was that my dash was not aimed at the SBC Outpost hit list…it was aimed mostly at Ben Cole. SBCO (Cole specifically) received my dynamism because of the outlandish way in which he attacked good men. As I said at SBC Outpost…I in many ways sympathize with the original concerns of the team…but the WAY in which the SBC Outpost wrote about men of God, questions not just their judgment…but their character and motives…I challenged.

So to be clear…I was banned not simply because I was perhaps (I really don’t know the correct term) my “on the right” than you all AND that I was vigorous in the comment section. That is what happened…had my energy been focused on challenging the SBC Outpost hit list then of course I would have been a welcomed commenter. It was not simply my punching that was the problem…it was the target.

And, again…SBC Outpost is the only place where I’ve been too much. I contend that I’m not the problem…SBC Outpost is the problem. The fact that you all would ban a guy who never used abusive language, stayed on the topic like a laser beam, raised relevant questions yet was challenging the attacks found in the entries is not, at this point, surprising.

None of you are (or were perhaps) interested in a the exchange of ideas and opinions.
Which is why your reputation is what it is.

Since you have your own little blog why not write about it there instead of here, ok?

Fox,

Ok. I’m not sure why you felt the need to re-hash all of that. As I’ve said, I’ve never disputed that that is your perspective and I really don’t have a problem with it. What I have a problem with is your suggesting that you were too conservative for us (a point which you continue to refuse to address). Calling us the moveon.org of the Baptist blogosphere is like calling us the liberals. We may have a different perspective than some and we may approach our writing differently, but liberals we are not, and it is that accusation that you continue to refuse to acknowledge that is causing you problems.

If you want to write another long comment about your disdain for SBC Outpost that is your prerogative, but at some point it might help the conversation if you’d acknowledge the actual point I’ve been consistently making which you have not addressed, though I guess I’m ok even if you don’t. I think my point has been made and those who read this interaction can judge for themselves.

If you are now a contributor to SBC Today then I apologize if I have commented where I should not have. If I have offended the other contributors of SBC Today with my comments here then I will stand corrected by them and submit to whatever direction they choose to take regarding my commenting. If you are not a contributor to SBC Today then I would think that I have as much right as you do to comment here until told otherwise.

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