Bart Barber

The Cooperative Program is political. This one fact, more than any other, has hindered its growth. I think our distaste for the political aspects of the CP is wrongful on our part. I'm writing to convince you of that. It is undeniably true that denominational politics can become evil. This is equally true, however, for anything that sinful human beings touch. If you tell me that you don't like corrupt politics, that makes me admire you. If you tell me that you don't like politics at all, I consider you to be a part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. Whether your disavowal of … [Read more...] about Embrace the Politics of the CP

I write today to disabuse you all of the idea that defending the Cooperative Program means defending the status quo. Yes, it is true that the Cooperative Program has been the premiere funding approach for the Southern Baptist Convention for nearly ninety years. Hegemony over the preponderance of a century certainly qualifies something to claim to be the status quo, at least in terms of its longevity. That being true, I suppose that I must (grudgingly) admit that in some technical sense the Cooperative Program is the status quo of the Southern Baptist Convention. But that's only true in this … [Read more...] about It’s the CP, not the SQ

Jus ad bellum is the Latin phrase used to describe that aspect of just-war theory dealing with how to know when your beef with someone is significant enough to justify going to war. With this post I hope to consider how to know when you are justified to sally forth to blogging warfare (or, to borrow the putative mafia-preferred idiom from "The Godfather," ready to "go to the mattresses"). Just authority: I think we're on firm biblical footing (Romans 12-13) to differentiate between vigilanteism on the one hand and formal police or military action on the other hand. There is a biblical … [Read more...] about When to Go to the Mattresses in Blogging

But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men…I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them." (Acts 5:34-35, 38b, ESV) Not every aspect of Gamaliel's counsel is applicable in the concept of a just blog-war. I have provided his quote in order simply to … [Read more...] about Just Blog-War Theory: We Believe in the Holy Spirit

There is blogging, and then there is war-blogging. Can the latter ever be appropriate? Is there a context and a manner in which war-blogging can be done Christianly, or have we met here with a contradiction in terms? A definition might be in order: I'll define war-blogging as blogging which transpires with the zealous aim to force specific parties or points of view to yield. Permit me to highlight what I think are some significant words in that definition: zealousIt is not war-blogging if you are not blogging with zeal. If it matters little to you and you are prepared to step away from … [Read more...] about Toward a Just Blog War Theory

Can you identify anything in your current spiritual practice of your faith that has come about as a result of your having read a blog article? Have you ever preached a sermon that seemed helpful to yourself or to others for which you could say that some of the material was contributed through your consumption of blogs? Have you ever had a blog article to touch you profoundly or to lead you closer to the Lord in some way? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, I wonder whether you would consider sharing a brief narrative of your experience in the comments below? Please refrain … [Read more...] about The Impact of Blogging: A Poll

Baptism is not merely a doctrine; it is a command. In the Great Commission the church is commanded to baptize disciples. If you are an unbaptized disciple and I make no effort to baptize you, that's neither kindness, nor humility, nor generosity; it is simply disobedience. It is the valuing of my relationship with you as your friend over my relationship with Christ as His servant. Granted, there is difference of opinion over whether one is or is not baptized when one has been sprinkled with water contrary to one's will. But I write for those who are of the opinion that baptism is the … [Read more...] about Baptism Is Commanded

The idea of following Jesus certainly involves more than just the way that you spend an hour of your time on Sunday mornings. For most Christians, it will involve working as a Christian in some sort of a secular enterprise. Doing so raises some difficult ethical questions. I know the feeling first-hand. I spent my high-school years working for a business that my father had started. Ashley Lighting manufactures lamps for hotels to place in their guest rooms. That lamp beside your bed in that Residence Inn? It's possible that I wired it up with my own two hands. Small family businesses are … [Read more...] about On Christian Businesses: A Friendly Rebuttal to Jonathan Merritt