Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Former Southwest Baptist University Trustee, Dr. Tom Elliff, Steps Down from International Mission Board as Senior Vice President

Dr. Tom Elliff -- a Trustee of Southwest Baptist University at the time of Marie's first and second acute pesticide poisonings and later president of the Southern Baptist Convention -- has announced today that he is stepping aside from his role at the International Mission Board.

Dr. Elliff was
cited in the yesterday's post (here) -- under Document: SBU: A Sacred Trust What Would Mickey Say, Dr. Elliff (Former Trustee of Southwest Baptist University and President of the Southern Baptist Convention)?!

Did Marie ever receive a response from Dr. Elliff concerning her several inquiries to him?

No. None.
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From the Baptist Press, "Elliff: Economic crisis stimulates faith ":
Posted on Mar 10, 2009 | by Erin Roach NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Baptist Press)--Obedience to God's call does not depend on the state of the economy, Tom Elliff, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said after announcing that he was stepping aside from his role at the International Mission Board.

After serving the past three years as senior vice president for spiritual nurture and church relations, Elliff said he and his wife Jeannie are answering the call to devote the balance of their lives to urging people toward living by faith and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

"It has been nothing short of a delicious experience," Elliff said of his time at the IMB. "I can tell you that every minute that we have had with the International Mission Board has been wonderful. Now we are just taking one more step toward the arms of God."

The Elliffs will continue teaching at IMB field personnel orientation sessions to support the work of taking the Gospel to the nations. ...

Through the years, Elliff and his family have walked through some challenges that most would consider quite serious. Earlier in their marriage, while serving as Southern Baptist missionaries in Zimbabwe, Jeannie and the children were in an automobile accident. One of their daughters suffered an injury that caused them to cut short their overseas service and return to the United States.

Other trials include the loss of their possessions twice -- once to a house fire and again to a tornado. Most recently Jeannie underwent surgery for breast cancer.

"As we look back on each of those events and what God taught us about walking with Him and living by faith, it was certainly worth the experience. We wouldn't take anything for what we learned," Elliff said. "He has taught us that He is trustworthy, absolutely trustworthy."

Now as they step out with excitement toward the next phase in life, Elliff said he is eager to share what he and Jeannie have learned about the importance of intimacy with Christ.

"At the heart of discipleship is intimacy with Christ," he said. "That's the arena in which you learn to take God at His word. We are to be living illustrations of the faithfulness of God to everyone who will take Him at His word."

Elliff is concerned with the overly pragmatic approach he sees in many Southern Baptist churches.

"We sometimes opt for the marketing approach at the expense of the mystical, the unfathomable ways of our sovereign God," he said. "If we're not careful, we'll become more interested in filling pews than filling the heart of the man in the pew. ...

See remainder of article (here) ...


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