Dave Miller

I remember an argument I once had with a close friend over Matthew 13:33.   “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast.”  Yeast is an interesting substance.  Put a little bit of yeast into even a large lump of dough and pretty soon the whole thing begins to change, to expand, to grow bigger.  A little yeast affects a lot of dough.  This illustration is used throughout Scripture.  Most of the time, it is clear that the point is negative.  A little bit of sin works through everything and then grows and expands and creates spiritual decay.  “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees,” Jesus warned.  The … [Read more...] about Level Three: Dinner Table Doctrine (Brick Walls, Picket Fences – 11)

I was blessed to attend a Promisekeepers rally for pastors in Atlanta several years ago.  There were many thousands of pastors and church leaders from all over the country who came to be encouraged and instructed at that rally. I cannot remember a single sermon that was preached that week (though they were powerful and moving) but I can remember one moment – a song that was sung by Steve Green.  He sang a song about tearing down the walls that separate us from one another, about letting the walls of denominational pride, personal ambition, competition and such things fall by the power of God.  … [Read more...] about Picket Fence Ecclesiology: Balancing Local Church and City-Church (Brick Walls and Picket Fences 10)

I referenced William's side of this.  Here it is.  You can read both.  Maybe Howell will post here as well.  It's a necessary discussion. Flat Rock Baptist Church in Mount Airy North Carolina was quickly and summarily expelled from the Surry Baptist Association the other day according to [http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6626/53/]  this APB story from last week. Seems the church had done the unusual, the unthinkable, the unpardonable - they called a female pastor. Tony Cartlege calls it 'courageous, the association calls their kicking out action an attempt to facilitate "restoration to … [Read more...] about No, I wouldn’t vote to expel (by William Thornton)

There is something unseemly about trying to rank blogging, but I've always been a stats guy and so this week I looked at the technorati.com blog "authority" rankings.  I don't really understand them, why rankings go up and down. From time to time we get questions here about why certain blogs are on the "Featured SBC Blogroll" while others are not.  The Technorati rankings are one way of explaining why certain blogs are featured. When I was a coach, I was a little bit of a stats nut - probably too much so.  But its ingrained in my DNA somehow.  So, here is a listing of the Top Southern … [Read more...] about Technorati’s Religion Blog Rankings: How Baptist Blogs Stand

Everyone seems to be getting into this - and so I thought I would follow the crowd.  Here are the blogs that really struck me this week.  Now, I don't read every blog or every blog post.  So, being the blue-collar blog we are, if you have a nomination, put it in the comments.  Since we assume that you read every word of every post we put on here (you do, don't you?) we are not including our own posts. The order is simply the order in which I found the posts. 1) Ed Stetzer "New Research on Global Evangelicalism" Examines a new Pew Research study of Evangelicalism worldwide, with some of … [Read more...] about This Week in Baptist Blogging

We who blog are not always viewed positively among the powers-that-be in the SBC and in the Christian world.  We are quick to criticize and difficult to control.  I think that some of the criticism is valid - we have not governed ourselves well.  I think that some of the criticism comes because powerful people are not used to being criticized, are usually able to squelch it and cannot do so with bloggers. The Significance of Blogging Many dismiss blogging and bloggers as insignificant.  That is wishful thinking on the part of those who do not like what we do.  We may not be as important … [Read more...] about Criticizing Christian Leaders on Blogs: An Ethical Dilemma

A picket fence must be maintained carefully or it will fall into disrepair.  The ecclesial picket fence requires constant maintenance as well.  It is always easier to sequester ourselves with like-minded believers who reinforce our ideas that to fellowship with those who challenge them.  We can caricature and condemn instead of seeking to understand and embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is not an easy job. But it is worth it. I believe that there are three keys to maintaining the picket fence in the Christian neighborhood.  First, we must make a covenant of blessing.  I used … [Read more...] about Maintaining the Picket Fence: Brick Walls, Picket Fences (9)

(The SBC Plodder a contrarian?  Say it ain't so, William.) Ah, the NASCAR prayer guy. My contrarian nature is to ignore it if everyone else is talking about it but, having entered into the alleged discussion here, I’d like to suggest that the conversation has moved beyond the propriety or lack of the same of the guy’s prayer.  What is more noteworthy to me at this point is the vehemence of the criticism. For the record, I think the prayer was both inappropriate and unhelpful. I offer three reasons, 1.       It seemed to be about entertainment. 2.       The audience seemed to be … [Read more...] about Is this really how we want to be seen? (by William Thornton)