Archives for 2013

The key word there is almost. I do hope they catch the Boston bomber(s) and that whoever it may be is actually brought to justice. It’s okay to pray for justice. So long as we know what we are actually praying for. But part of me hopes that they never catch the bomber. I say this because of the irresponsibility of our media and because of our growing culture of narcissism. At present we don’t know the identity of the bomber(s). We know nothing of his/her story. We can’t put a face to it. There are no stories asking, “What caused _____ to do this?” Because of that our attention has to … [Read more...] about Why I Almost Hope They Don’t Catch The Boston Bomber

“75% of pastors report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.” –Pastor Burnout In the loneliness of the pastors office, with the walls closing in around him, the pastor mumbles to himself. “Why do I even do this?” With complaints and unhelpful criticism assaulting his fraying mind he stares at a stack of papers and books that cry for his attention. As he sits down on Friday afternoon to begin sermon preparation, his mind wanders to all of the ministers that are faltering, marriages crashing, teenagers rebelling. It’s no wonder that he asks … [Read more...] about A Word to Weary Pastors

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift. What a horrible day in Boston. Evil broke in again and shocked us all, although at this point, I don't know why we should be surprised. The Aurora theatre shooting. Sandy Hook. Dr. Gosnell's House of Horrors. Now, the Boston Marathon Bombings. Today, we all grieved with those in Boston and could not help but think back to 9/11. But, there was another story being told today in Boston. When the bombs went off, people ran TO the victims to help instead of running away to save themselves. Howard Fineman of The Huffington Post writes: "Today, rescuers … [Read more...] about Boston Bombings, Evil Unleashed, and Light Triumphing Over Darkness (by Alan Cross)

Life in any culture different from our own is full of lessons and perspectives, if only we'll look around and see them.  Here are a few I've picked up on in our travels and conversations. Uriah was a bad husband whose behavior likely drove his wife into David's arms. As a group of Deaf Ecuadorians sat and watched the story of King David's adultery, they were fairly disapproving of Bathsheeba and the King.  Of course, they blamed David far more than they did Bathsheeba (more on this later).  However, their willingness to point fingers increased tenfold as we began to examine Uriah.  … [Read more...] about Creative Cultural Theology

Andy Hynes is a PhD candidate at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Follow him @ABHYNES on Twitter. As we sit and listen/watch all the moral and ethical ills of our country, and countries in the world, we must be reminded that the Gospel will go forth. Isaiah 55:6-11 displays some significant truths about God’s Word.   If the wicked are not called to repent, then they won’t.  If they do, then the Lord will have compassion upon them, and He will abundantly pardon, will we???? Many will wonder if through all the disgusting and horrific news events, if people will be asking about … [Read more...] about The Gospel will go forth! (by Andy Hynes)

The exalted Rev. William Thornton put up a challenging piece last week on his new blog, "Cooperative Program Observer" and allowed us to repost it here, called "One thing I have never heard concerning the Cooperative Program." He challenged those who criticize the Cooperative Program to devise a better system. I am a big fan of the CP and cannot think of a system that is any better. But in the discussion, questions came up about the requirements for participation in the SBC. A church gets a messenger for every $250 it gives to convention causes through the CP. That formula has been in place … [Read more...] about Is This a Dumb Idea? A CP Suggestion

“You need to stop writing so much and start doing more ministry”. I’ve heard that criticism several times. And it always comes from the same place. Myself. I’m not alone in that criticism, though. I hear the rumbling throughout evangelicalism. (See here for an example). “Writing isn’t doing”. To fight this voice of discouragement I’ve come up with seven reason why pastors ought to be writers. In fact I believe that writing is one of the most important things that a pastor can do with his ministry. Here is why: Writing assists thinking. Forcing yourself to put thoughts to paper will … [Read more...] about 7 Reasons Pastors Should Be Writers

Editor: the blackout is slowly ending, it seems, because of pressure being put on by people horrified at the evil perpetrated by Kermit Gosnell. Here is Alan Cross' article published yesterday at Downshore Drift. I wrote about this the other day, but the Media-Bias-Blackout of the Gosnell Abortion/Infanticide case in Philadelphia continues, by and large. Kirsten Powers wrote about it on Wednesday for the USA Today and she asked the questions that every member of the Media who reported on Sandra Fluke, Trayvon Martin, Newtown, Aurora, or any other story that gained national attention should be … [Read more...] about How to End the Media Blackout of the Gosnell Case TODAY! (by Alan Cross)

Underlying all the recent kerfuffle over Norm Miller, Ed Stetzer, “treason,” and who said this and who said that, was a discussion between Rick Patrick and myself over the value of denominational loyalty within the SBC. Let’s leave the “treason” comment to the side here. I have no interest in pursuing that any further. Rick’s post Ten Traits of a Southern Baptist president over at SBC Today, however, got me to thinking again about an issue that, from my perspective, may well be one of the most significant issues facing us in the SBC today (no pun intended): the relative degree of loyalty we … [Read more...] about Denominational Loyalty and the Body of Christ