We need a Southern Missiology combined with faith in Christ and manifesting in personal sacrifice for the sake of the gospel and the people among us. We all know about the flatlining and then declining numbers of the SBC related to baptisms, church membership, and worship attendance. We've talked about them for years, heard Ed Stetzer's warnings years ago ("facts are our friends"), and we've seen it with our own eyes. While SBC megachurches are still doing well numbers wise, there continues to be consolidation going on, churches struggling, and many churches in steep decline. With the new … [Read more...] about Real Numbers: SBC In Free-Fall Compared to Southern Population, But Green Shoots Are Everywhere
Jesus, the Last Adam, Resurrection, and a Syrian Family
I spent part of Holy Week in Nashville visiting with pastors, church leaders, and missionaries who are working to minister to refugees and immigrants who have come to the area from all around the world. I heard about what churches were already doing, their plans for the future, and why they cared about refugees. Then, one evening, I visited an apartment complex and had cake with a Syrian refugee family who had been here for about a year. They fled Hama, Syria when the Civil War started, spent a couple of years in Lebanon, and were then selected for refugee resettlement to the United States … [Read more...] about Jesus, the Last Adam, Resurrection, and a Syrian Family
Vance Pitman Podcast Interview: Church for the City and the Nations Among Us
Last year at the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, I got interviews with a significant number of SBC pastors and leaders and asked them about immigrant and refugee ministry and advocacy. I have slowly been uploading them to my When Heaven and Earth Collide podcast and posting them here in blog form. They are also on iTunes and on the web at When Heaven and Earth Collide. So far, I have posted interviews from Ed Stetzer, Richard Land, Danny Akin, Matthew Hall, Bruce Ashford, Bryant Wright, and Bart Barber. Really good stuff there if yu want to understand what Southern Baptist and … [Read more...] about Vance Pitman Podcast Interview: Church for the City and the Nations Among Us
Matthew Hall Interview: Living As Exiles In the Empire
After a hiatus, I am continuing on with my podcast interviews of Southern Baptist leaders that I began in the late summer of 2016 focusing on issues related to the ministry and witness of the church in society, especially in regard to immigrants and refugees. I interviewed quite a few people at the Evangelical Immigration Table booth at the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri last summer and I hope to publish those interviews over the next several weeks. This interview is with Dr. Matthew Hall, the Dean of Boyce College. We discuss what it means to be an Exile in the Empire … [Read more...] about Matthew Hall Interview: Living As Exiles In the Empire
Jesus, the Sojourning Savior
Luke 9:57-58 "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” My phone rang yesterday and I saw an unfamiliar, out of state number. I answered and a foreign voice was on the other end. "May I speak to Alan Cross?" The accent seemed Middle Eastern? African? I could not place it. A bit nervously, I answered, "This is he." He told me his name was Charles and someone gave him my phone number and knew I was an Evangelical that worked with … [Read more...] about Jesus, the Sojourning Savior
Itching Ears and Civil Religion (by Joel Rainey)
By Joel Rainey, Pastor of Covenant Church, Shepherdstown, West Virginia "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions." Paul, 2 Timothy 4:3 As a young seminary student, every time I heard this passage expounded upon in a chapel service, it was nearly always applied to theological liberalism. I was preparing for ministry during the latter period of my denomination's "conservative resurgence," a time when the authority of Biblical truth was threatened with compromise, and … [Read more...] about Itching Ears and Civil Religion (by Joel Rainey)
Thom Rainer Talks About Church Cartels/Bullies: Can You Relate?
In a recent post, Thom Rainer hits on a pertinent topic that needs more attention. He calls them Church Cartels. Dr. Rainer has previously written on Church Bullies and he now expands the idea of a "bully" to a cartel, or group of people who are seeking to control the church. I highly recommend that you read both pieces, but especially the one on Church Cartels posted today. As a pastor for many years, I read and heard so much about the role and responsibility of a pastor. Eventually, however, I came to dread going to evangelism conferences because I could no longer take seeing the … [Read more...] about Thom Rainer Talks About Church Cartels/Bullies: Can You Relate?
Evangelicals Probably Need to be MORE Involved in the Political Sphere Right Now
"We just need to preach the gospel and stay away from politics ..." Um, no. That is ridiculous. Now, let me qualify what I mean ... We don't need to be involved in partisan politics. We don't need to try and promote one party over another or just give blind allegiance to individual politicians or political parties. We DO NOT need to think that temporal power can protect us nor do we need to manipulate our way to have a seat at the table through compromise or through engaging in power plays. We should not be involved in politics as a way to exert control, but rather, as a way to express … [Read more...] about Evangelicals Probably Need to be MORE Involved in the Political Sphere Right Now
How To Appreciate Your Pastor for Pastor Appreciation Month
October is pastor appreciation month. Let me tell you how to let your pastor know you appreciate him. Gifts are fine and a vacation or money is always helpful, especially if the pastor has a family he is trying to provide for. But, he didn't become a pastor for the money. He wanted to impact lives for God's Kingdom. That is what he gave his life to years ago. Every pastor is different, I know, but many pastors that I've talked to feel most appreciated when the following happens. I thank God for every instance of this that I experienced: 1. When he preaches, don't just say, "Good sermon." … [Read more...] about How To Appreciate Your Pastor for Pastor Appreciation Month
Seriously. It is time to help Louisiana Flood Victims. This is Ridiculous.
I spent the weekend traveling across South Louisiana from Livingston Parish where 100,000 of the 130,000 people's homes were affected, to Baton Rouge, to Ascension Parish where there are still towns and neighborhoods cut off and under water. Everywhere I went, the devastation was plain to see - and overwhelming. This is a different kind of disaster. The outside of buildings are okay, but the insides of homes, churches, and businesses are ruined. And, the destruction goes on for miles and miles and miles. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost everything. The vast majority had no … [Read more...] about Seriously. It is time to help Louisiana Flood Victims. This is Ridiculous.