WELP: Willy is Out in the Wake of Deacon Controversy
Will Rice’s removal from consideration did not come without a veiled swipe at Founder’s Ministry president and pastor Tom Ascol,
Willy Rice has removed his name from consideration for the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention in the wake of the church’s removal of a deacon from service in his church due to past sexual sin.
Rice’s statement:
While it is admirable to place his church above his seeking the SBC presidency (as we pointed out near the end of a previous article), it remains concerning that Rice apparently believes a deacon should be removed from ministerial service for sins committed before his conversion when the Bible clearly teaches that believers are made new and are under no condemnation (Romans 8). What Calvary Church knew or didn’t know about this deacon’s Christian confession and faith at the time of his sin is now a question that has no clear answer.
Will Rice’s removal from consideration did not come without a veiled swipe at Founder’s Ministry president and pastor Tom Ascol, as Rice remarked, “I do hope another candidate will emerge whose minister has been characterized by leading in the local church with a passion for the Great Commission,” apparently implying that noted candidate Tom Ascol does not fit this description.