I’m not often a conference guy. I know some guys who would probably go to every church-related conference under the sun if schedule and wallet allowed, but that’s not me. I go to one, maybe two conferences a year—and I gotta say that I really like the one that has been on my schedule three years running now. In 2014, Midwestern Seminary launched their For the Church conference (complete with a change in school motto and website: ftc.co, which has many useful resources). I’ve been each year, and each year I’ve been able to convince more friends to come with me. There is just something … [Read more...] about Why go to a conference?
Archives for September 2016
My Kind of Cessationism and David Platt’s Resuscitation Story
David Platt has reported what appears to be a case in which an apparently dead man came back to life while believers were praying for him and sharing the gospel in his village. … [Read more...] about My Kind of Cessationism and David Platt’s Resuscitation Story
Cooperative Program receipts will show an increase this year
The SBC Executive Committee is always prompt in reporting monthly Cooperative Program receipts. Their fiscal year ends Friday so I look for a Baptist Press story on Monday that announces a significant increase in yearly CP contributions to SBC national and international missions. This is only the minority portion of the total Cooperative Program, since state conventions keep about 60% of every CP dollar given by local churches. The increase over last year looks to be about 3% but the exact figure will be known Monday. Calling a 3% increase "significant" is subjective but based on the past … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program receipts will show an increase this year
Three Reasons for Christians to Stay Quiet on Social Media Tonight (Joel Rainey)
Dr. Joel Rainey is husband to Amy, father of three, and Lead Pastor at Covenant Church, Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He serves on the adjunct faculty of two seminaries, and the author of three books. This was originally published at Joel's blog, themelios. "Clinton-Trump Debate Expected to Be Rare Draw in a Polarized Age." That was the New York Times headline that led my news feed yesterday. The article predicted the possibility of as many as 100 million viewers--20 million more than the 1980 debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan that has thus far held the record for the … [Read more...] about Three Reasons for Christians to Stay Quiet on Social Media Tonight (Joel Rainey)
Is the Annual Church Profile dying a slow death?
"We don't report anything," sayeth a younger pastor colleague whose church is biblical, Baptist, active, growing, missions-minded, and non-traditional. This is the time of year when about 40,000 of the 50,000 or so Southern Baptist Churches gather their statistics and compile them in a report usually called the Annual Church Profile (although here in Georgia it is called the Annual Church Report) the aggregate numbers of which are reported next June at or just prior to the SBC annual meeting. The churches I pastored always filed the report. Why would anyone not respond to the request … [Read more...] about Is the Annual Church Profile dying a slow death?
Tulsa, Charlotte, Media Bias, Racism, and the Church: a Moral Morass
I watched this video and got a little knot in my stomach. Oh, no, not again. A black man with his hands in the air is shot to death by Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby. The video has become another Rohrshach test for our racial divide. It is pretty clear that when we see a video like this we tend to see what we want to see while thinking we see exactly what is there. I've watched the video, and the helicopter video, and I've read the testimony of the officer Shelby. I don't know if she's telling the truth or trying to save her bacon. Was Terence Crutcher on PCP? Did he try to reach … [Read more...] about Tulsa, Charlotte, Media Bias, Racism, and the Church: a Moral Morass
In the Year That America Died
In the year that America died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1 ESV, modernized a bit) I confess this is a bit of an misstatement. I say that because the truth is the American experiment died a long time ago. Her death happened when “We the people” slowly morphed into “We the nation”. I’m referring mostly to the jingoism which rose out of the ashes of the Civil War and became entrenched in the American way of life somewhere around the McKinley administration. So, I’d argue that America died awhile back, we’ve … [Read more...] about In the Year That America Died
The Seeker and the Church
Over at The Gospel Coalition, recently, Erik Raymond chronicled an encounter with a non-Christian friend who had been visiting a church for a while but then decided to not go back. In the conversation that ensued, this “seeker” said he grew tired of the church experience being too shallow. In response, Raymond wrote: This makes me ask uncomfortable questions. Why are they doing this? Who are they doing this for? Why the music? Why the teaching? Why the whole production? Is Wilson right . . . is this whole thing not for the seekers after all but for the consumer-minded Christians? Are we … [Read more...] about The Seeker and the Church
The pastor and inappropriate interactions with women in the church
When a pastor is said to be "inappropriately involved with a woman or women in his church other than his wife", it used to be that the phrase was our ecclesiastical euphemism for breaking the seventh commandment. The pastor got physically involved in an adulterous affair. Once that is known to be true, the pastor is effectively finished at his church while church leadership attempts to arrange his departure in a way that shows grace towards him and his family but upholds ministry standards. Opinions vary about whether or not the adulterer pastor is finished for good. LifeWay Research did a … [Read more...] about The pastor and inappropriate interactions with women in the church
Lordship, Liberty, and License: Making Lifestyle Decisions that Honor Our Lord
Are you going to go see that great new movie, “Forty Shades of Yellow?” Is it fit for a Christian to see? How do you go about making a decision like this? At the risk of oversimplying a difficult topic, there are three ways a Christian can seek to deal with lifestyle issues like this. We can walk under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, be guided by the spirit of legalism or give ourselves to license. Which will it be? Preliminary Thoughts I am focusing here on issues often labeled disputable matters. No Christian needs to pray about whether to commit adultery or to engage in murder. … [Read more...] about Lordship, Liberty, and License: Making Lifestyle Decisions that Honor Our Lord