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Dave Miller

“A Plague on Both Your Houses” – The Calvinism Debates in the SBC

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Mercutio was caught in the middle of the warring houses of Montague and Capulet.  He ended up getting killed during a battle between Romeo and Tybalt - an unintended but tragic consequence of the blood-feud that had gripped Verona. We are Verona, and the Calvinist Montagues are in battle against the non-Calvinist, "traditionalist" Capulets. Both sides claim the others started it.  Both claim that they are serving God and that the other side is the one responsible for most of the trouble.  "It was them!  We only responded to what they did." This "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" attitude … [Read more...] about “A Plague on Both Your Houses” – The Calvinism Debates in the SBC

Homosexuality and the Church: Walking the Tightrope!

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I remember sitting with my father at the SBC many years ago, when we were considering the motion to change our governing documents to disfellowship churches that took a soft stand on homosexuality.  I will never forget what he said, as some argued that the action violated principles of autonomy and Baptist polity. They may be right that this is a departure from Baptist polity.  But I can tell you that twenty years ago, no one in the Baptist world would have believed that we would be having a meeting to talk about what to do with Baptist churches that said homosexuality was okay. The world is … [Read more...] about Homosexuality and the Church: Walking the Tightrope!

I Have a Dream, by Martin Luther King

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I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly … [Read more...] about I Have a Dream, by Martin Luther King

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

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Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not … [Read more...] about The Last Full Measure of Devotion

Obama, Romney and Political Theology…

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This is meant as a discussion starter. I have to admit a couple of things.  First, I am pretty passionate about politics.  Though I believe the church should not be devoted to political work, I am quite interested in it myself. Second, I'm having a struggle with voting this year in the presidential election. There is no way that I could ever vote for Barack Obama as president.  First of all, I made a commitment long ago that if someone believes that killing a baby in its mother's womb is acceptable, they do not get my vote.  Abortion isn't the only thing I care about, but it is … [Read more...] about Obama, Romney and Political Theology…

Fighting the Right Battle with the Wrong Weapons

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Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” What was Peter thinking?  A detachment of soldiers, led by Judas, found Jesus and the disciples in the olive grove across the Kidron Valley, to arrest him.  Peter, for reasons that escape me, had brought a sword to the prayer meeting, and he swung it. Badly. Being a fisherman, not a soldier, the best he could do was lop off the ear of the High … [Read more...] about Fighting the Right Battle with the Wrong Weapons

Divorce and Ministry: Blanket Policies Don’t Work

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NOTE: I have just released a book which compiles (and edits and expands) these posts. It is called "Disqualified? What the Bible Says about Divorce, Remarriage and Ministry."   It is available on Amazon.com. The Kindle version will be released in the next couple of days - not sure what the hold-up is there. This book reviews the biblical evidence on divorce and remarriage, beginning with the cornerstone in the Old Testament - the twin principles of God's intent of marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman and the understanding of the brokenness caused by sin. It then lays the … [Read more...] about Divorce and Ministry: Blanket Policies Don’t Work