Jeremy Vanatta is the pastor and an elder of Southside Baptist Church in Lebanon, TN. He holds a PhD in New Testament from Mid-America BTS. He blogs at The Threshing Floor, where this article originally appeared. Exposing Man-Centered Methods in Parenting As discussed in the previous article Beyond Behavior: Dealing with the Heart, parenting is no easy task because we are not just dealing with our children that sin. We are also dealing with our own sinful hearts. In order to discipline our children biblically, we must be aware of the ways in which our sinful pride manifests … [Read more...] about Gospel Parenting, Part 3 (by Jeremy Vanatta)
Archives for 2013
Persecution of the Unsaved
My name is Sammy. I'm 24 years old, and I live far away from most of you. I don't have a car, a passport, or a Judeo-Christian cultural background. I do, however, have a story. I remember the first time I saw Mr. Robert and his wife Sarah. As usual, I was hawking my father's special tea from a small metal cart containing a small brazier of live coals, simmering water, and an enormous bag of aromatic leaves for the beverages I sold. The American missionaries stood in the market surrounded by my people, an island of khaki and plaid in a sea of solid-colored shawls and scarves. Bright … [Read more...] about Persecution of the Unsaved
What the Republican Party Must Do to Keep My Vote
We just finished the off-cycle elections and the next round of Congressional elections will be ramping up in the coming months. Will the split remain between the House and the Senate? Will one side or the other take both houses? Will the Senate have a veto-proof majority? These questions will be answered in 11 and 1/2 months. While the political fires are in at least a brief hiatus, I'd like to make some personal observations about the coming elections and my participation in it. I am thinking through whether I should continue to be affiliated with the Republican party and support its … [Read more...] about What the Republican Party Must Do to Keep My Vote
But SBC Calvinists Believe That Too
The Southern Baptist Convention has certainly seen a mellowing out of what came to be quite a heated debate once again over Calvinism after the publishing of "A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation" in May 2012. Of course, Dr. Frank Page's appointment of the Calvinism Advisory Committee the next month in June 2012 and the unifying document they crafted and published in June 2013 called "Truth, Trust, and Testimony in a Time of Tension" (aka, T5) has had a great deal to do with the mellowing out we are now enjoying, or at least I … [Read more...] about But SBC Calvinists Believe That Too
Review of “One Year to Better Preaching”
A weary pastor sifts through a mountain of advertisements. Keeping up with these ads is about as daunting as conquering all the fruit in your Fruit of the Month box. Apples rot and the pastor’s desk gets overwrought with the next best thing. On one particular Monday—it’s always a Monday—a particular advertisement appeals to this pastor. It’s in the area. It’s affordable. It seems like a breath of fresh air. He signs up. A few months later he files into the conference hall with a thousand other pastors. Why are they here? Something within them knows that they need to improve in their … [Read more...] about Review of “One Year to Better Preaching”
Gospel Parenting, Part 2 (by Jeremy Vanatta)
Jeremy Vanatta is the pastor and an elder of Southside Baptist Church in Lebanon, TN. He holds a PhD in New Testament from Mid-America BTS. He blogs at The Threshing Floor, where this article originally appeared. Beyond Behavior: Dealing with the Heart If the previous article, Foundations for Gospel Parenting, were not clear enough, this article intends to convince us further that parenting is impossible without the grace of God. In parenting, we are not dealing with a dog or some other animal that can be trained through behavior modification or some other psychoanalytic … [Read more...] about Gospel Parenting, Part 2 (by Jeremy Vanatta)
Talk With the World, Not Just About It: Reflections on the Global Faith Forum (by Joel Rainey)
Joel Rainey is the Director of Missions at Mid-Maryland Baptist Association, an adjunct professor at Capital Bible Seminary and blogs at Themelios (Twitter - @joelrainey). This post was originally published at his site. Greetings from 30,000 feet! I'm writing while on my way back from the Global Faith Forum at Northwood Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where I just enjoyed an amazing weekend with many, many world-class leaders. I'm grateful to Bob Roberts, who has been a friend of several years, but also a great coach to me over the past two years as I have tried to lead our network … [Read more...] about Talk With the World, Not Just About It: Reflections on the Global Faith Forum (by Joel Rainey)
Volunteers: A Single Case Study
We had some volunteers recently, and I thought I'd share a little about their trip. Consider this half reporting/half case study. The Background Along Ecuador's northwestern coast, the province of Esmeraldas is a beautiful expanse of relatively undeveloped jungles, rivers, and beaches. While the people are great, the province as a whole is not very well-off, financially speaking. The people with whom we were working, Deaf Ecuadorians, have few educational opportunities, limited employment, and have never had a church of their own. No one has even offered them the chance to be a vital … [Read more...] about Volunteers: A Single Case Study
Revisiting the Role of the Evangelist
One of the great pleasures of being a human is the ability to change your mind. That’s a tremendous blessing, especially when a wrong needs to be righted. I have striven to be a man of the Word. I want to live my life and do church as closely to the revelation that God has given us in the Bible. However, the Holy Spirit recently began to convict me that I was ignoring one important aspect of Scripture—the role of the evangelist. The Holy Spirit through Paul clearly says that God has given some men to be evangelists for the good of the church. It’s right there in Ephesians 4:11-12, And He … [Read more...] about Revisiting the Role of the Evangelist
Of Networks and Associations (by Bill Gernenz)
Bill Gernenz is a pastor in East Texas and blogs at “Broken and Undone.” This is the first in a three part series on Associations that appeared at his blog. Tuesday morning brings about a dozen pastors/ministers/church leaders together for breakfast. It is a wonderful time of fellowship that ends in a brief time of prayer. I value my relationships with each of these men, BUT… …though most of us are members of the same local Baptist association, there is not much else we do together. I suspect most other local Baptist associations – and state conventions – have the same story. Through … [Read more...] about Of Networks and Associations (by Bill Gernenz)