My wife and I went to our small town farmers market last Saturday. It was located behind the court house and there were a dozen or so vendors, hobbyists, veggie and fruit sellers. As soon as we had we walked into the area, I spotted a young guy headed for me. “Man,” I thought, “this […]
What Ever Happened to Repentance?
Repentance. It’s a word that is largely absent as I’ve listened to prospective church members share their testimonies with me over the last decade. They mention sin, separation from God, the atoning work of Christ and the subsequent forgiveness it brings, but largely leave repentance out of their stories regarding their “conversion” experience. I’ve even […]
Why I Am Glad I Joined the Conservative Baptist Network (Greg Davidson)
(Editor’s Note: We often open our pages to counterpoint posts. Greg is an “SBC Voice” and even though none of us on the Voices team are CBN and generally oppose the organization strongly, we are willing to give opposing views.) I am a California pastor who loves pastoring in the great state of California with […]
The Snarling Dogs of “Discernment”
I first went to Africa in 1988, a life-changing trip to Tanzania. Eastern Africa teems with exotic wildlife and our missionary host told us many stories about encounters he’d had with the animals people travel the world to see. One interesting tidbit he shared with us stuck with me. He asked us what we thought […]
Diversity and Unity in the Gospel
Growing up, I had the privilege of living in West Berlin, Germany during the Cold War (1981-1986). While in Berlin, my family attended Berlin Baptist Church, an international church whose members came from England, Lebanon, Vietnam, Indonesia, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia, Germany, and Cambodia. Being a part of such a diverse body of believers. taught me […]
On the Executive Committee’s independent sexual abuse investigation and Task Force.
Among the most notable items of the recent SBC Annual Meeting was the passage of a motion by Ronnie Parrot and Grant Gaines that directed the SBC Executive Committee to “transfer oversight of the independent third party review into handling of sexual abuse to a task force” appointed by the SBC President. The new president, […]
5 Ways to Engage Your Students’ Minds
Today’s students get a bad rap. Recent books on Generation Z make much of their short attention spans (See James White’s book Meet Generation Z). They mention how today’s youth would rather watch a video than read a book (See Jean Twenge’s book iGen). It’s common knowledge that students’ use of online access has had […]
Ridgecrest is open and still a great place
I didn’t have plans to come back up here after Lifeway sold their venerable conference center in the North Carolina mountains but the new owners have it open and here I am. It’s quiet this week but still a great place. The Ridgecrest Foundation owns it now and it’s called Ridgecrest Conference Center. The campus […]
Critics: 5 Tips for Engaging Them
If you spend any time in ministry, you will have critics. People might criticize your appearance, your preaching, your leadership style, your personality, or how you spend your time. Whenever we encounter criticism, we are tempted to become defensive or discouraged. There are times where we might also become angry and lash out at our […]
Plagiarism/schmagiarism, how about the whole religious/church industrial complex?
So everyone says at some level,”Hey Ed, cut that stuff out” even though he (a) obtained prior permission, and (b) apologized. The number of heroic virtue signalers are legion in this matter. A few of my favorites: Don’t do anything your homiletics prof would not approve of. Good luck with that. Can we note the […]
Taking a look at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
The ERLC lacks a permanent leader at the moment, Russell Moore having resigned earlier this year after leading the organization for eight years. I always liked the demeanor that Moore brought to the ERLC. The acting President is Executive Vice President Daniel Patterson and the ERLC trustees have appointed a search committee for the new […]
Camp: Three Reasons It Helps Your Student Ministry
I have a confession to make: I love youth camp. God began calling me to surrender my life to Christ at youth camp. As a camp counselor and program director, I began to sense God calling me into the ministry. As a youth pastor, I saw my students’ lives transformed while they attended camp. I […]