Here are ten stories from Church History that I tend to use in my ministry as the pastor of a local church. They are not listed in any particular order: Monica of Hippo and Her Son Augustine: Augustine was a little hellion. He grew up to be a big hellion. His mother, the pious Monica, despaired of seeing his redemption from a life of squalor and dissipation. She was tempted to throw in the towel until her pastor told her, "Woman, the child of so many tears shall never perish." I don't know that this is always true, but it proved to be true in the life of Augustine, who was converted and … [Read more...] about Useful Church History
Helping Heretics Come Home
This year's SBTC Empower Evangelism Conference features at least three former heretics as a part of the official program. These are men whose previous spiritual affiliation was theologically deficient and—according to the teachings of scripture and the consensus of orthodox Christianity for two millennia—accomplished their damnation to eternal hell. The three men in question are Ed Stetzer, Russell Moore, and Fred Luter. In fact, after looking a bit closer, every name on the program represents someone who was formerly a heretic, a blasphemer, a rebel against the rightful rule of God, and … [Read more...] about Helping Heretics Come Home
The Potency of Proclamations
According to this story, Mayor Tom Hayden of Flower Mound, TX, has proclaimed 2014 to be the Year of the Bible in Flower Mound (complete with website that is performing about as well as healthcare.gov under the increased load that accompanies media attention). Hayden collaborated with area churches in making the proclamation, and he hopes that his community will "connect through the Bible" (those are the reporter's words, not necessarily Hayden's). If you are a Bible-believing Christian, this kind of thing FEELS good. In an environment of heavy-handed government oppression of the … [Read more...] about The Potency of Proclamations
Belonging and Giving
The following article was originally published at Bart Barber's personal blog, Praisegod Barebones (link). The Southern Baptist Convention faces few questions more important than that of cooperative giving. Not that I'm trying to categorize it as a crisis, the lugubrious tone of some of our prophets and sons of prophets notwithstanding. In the boomiest of boom years, there are still few questions more important for our convention than that of cooperative giving. The voluntary cooperative giving of our churches makes the ministries of the SBC happen. We never take our eyes entirely off of … [Read more...] about Belonging and Giving
Sunday Night Church: Blessing or Burden?
VIII. The Lord's Day The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10. FBC … [Read more...] about Sunday Night Church: Blessing or Burden?
On Being a Blogger-Officer in the SBC
In 2006 I told every blogger-friend who would listen to me, "Of course you realize, by blogging today we are guaranteeing that we'll never work as or be elected to anything in Southern Baptist life, and it might even be very difficult to move from one church to another." Some of us chose to blog anyway, for a number of reasons. Foremost among them would have to be (a) we thought what we were doing was important, and (b) we weren't sure any church, denominational entity, or voting body would ever be terribly interested in using us whether we blogged or not! That's one of the reasons why Dave … [Read more...] about On Being a Blogger-Officer in the SBC
FBC and TBN: What Paul Crouch’s Life Tells Us about Southern Baptists in the Twenty-First Century
Yesterday Paul Crouch, founder of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), died at the age of 79 (New York Times). Begun as a single Christian TV station in California, TBN is now a family of more than 20 television networks the span the globe. By the way, the Barber family has neither cable nor satellite television, but even our plain over-the-air TV antenna picks up at least five TBN-related channels. It is only barely an overstatement to claim that Paul Crouch founded an empire. The pervasiveness of his influence, the opulence of his lifestyle, and the particulars of his theology necessarily … [Read more...] about FBC and TBN: What Paul Crouch’s Life Tells Us about Southern Baptists in the Twenty-First Century
Reflections upon Matthew 13:10-17
Originally posted at Praisegod Barebones And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, … [Read more...] about Reflections upon Matthew 13:10-17
Clarifications with Dwight McKissic
My ongoing dialogue with Dwight McKissic regarding the nature of the gift of tongues has now occupied a number of posts across a six-month timespan: I wrote The Nature of the Biblical Gift of Tongues: Consideration of Relevant Non-Narrative New Testament Passages on July 5. Dwight wrote A Biblical Basis for Speaking in Tongues in Private on July 9. This post did not explicitly respond to my post, but it coming just four days after my initial post and containing significant overlap in content, it belongs in this list, I think. I then authored The Nature of the Biblical Gift of Tongues: … [Read more...] about Clarifications with Dwight McKissic
Great Expectations
Leopold Sambou is the grandson of a Jola chief, welcomed into the village of Moulomp, Senegal, into a family of honored tribal sages. He was raised to sacrifice to the spirits of the forest. Each week brought another sacred ceremony, another occasion for his family and friends to inebriate themselves on palm wine and stagger around the village in a stupor by nightfall. One day Leopold, by pure happenstance as far as he knew, tuned a radio into a Christian station. He was intrigued by what he heard, so he listened. The Lord used those radio broadcasts to bring Leopold to Himself. And so, … [Read more...] about Great Expectations