Baptist and Reflector - On Communications to TBC Churches

Lonnie Wilkey, the editor of the Tennessee Baptist Convention's newspaper, The Baptist and Reflector is asking for trust and good communication within our convention. He includes a mention of Belmont University as part of his commentary:

"There have been stories in the media, including this paper, in recent weeks about Belmont and TBC going to court. But there are other examples. A Nashville church is being sued by some members to get access to financial records, and a Southern Baptist seminary is in court over a lawsuit by a former faculty member.

These cases need to be settled out of court, but it involves the effort and desire of people on both sides of the dispute. And it won’t be accomplished without cooperation, which won’t occur unless we communicate and build trust."

I agree completely with Mr. Wilkey in this matter. I also challenge him to step up and begin the communication and trust building process regarding the Tennessee Baptist Convention and Belmont University lawsuit. Mediation appears to be over. A trial date has been set. It is time for those with the facts to be open and honest with TBC churches. The Baptist and Reflector has the responsibility to do this instead of a blog written by a crotchety, old, fundamentalist reject (me).

It is time for transparency. I challenge the B&R to print the facts and answer the following questions:

1. What did the TBC bring to the table in terms of negotiation with Belmont during mediation?
2. What reasons were given for rejecting the Belmont offers?
   
3. How much of the $750,000 allocation from this year's budget has been spent?
4. Where (specifically) did those funds go?

I ask the same questions (1 & 2) of Belmont University. What (specifically) did you bring to the table? What reasons do you offer for rejecting TBC terms?

I have spoken with friends at Belmont. The campus is not hearing much about the lawsuit other than what has been printed in the paper. We are hearing even less from our Baptist state paper and there is no legal reason why, at this juncture, they cannot tell their constituency the whole truth. If you detect a bit of disdain in the tone of this post, it is partly because searches (Google) for information regarding this lawsuit bring up more posts here on Refugee Baptist than on the Baptist and Reflector web site. Only the Baptist and Reflector can change that.

Please, Lonnie, if there is an ounce of truth to your desire to communicate and build trust, be a journalist. Do your job. Give Tennessee Baptist churches the information that they deserve, not some pablum version of half-truths.