A few days ago, Mike Bergman asked the question, "What is a Church?" His post and the good discussion that followed put me in mind of a post I did some time ago at sbcIMPACT. I thought it might be good to update and repost that article. For a couple of years, when Baptist Identity bloggers were much more active than they are today, the subject of ecclesiology was one of the most hotly debated topics. BI adherents focused almost entirely on the local church and some even questioned the present reality of the "universal church" - even calling it illusory or imaginary. Those who give more … [Read more...] about My Three Churches: The Church in the New Testament
“Grinch Alert” – The Battle for Christmas Gets Just Plain Silly
Even good people can sometimes do some bewildering things. I have no axe to grind with either Dr. Robert Jeffress or the people of First Baptist Church of Dallas. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that their foray into the "War on Christmas" was not a good idea. They created a website called "Grinch Alert." (grinchalert.com) At Grinch Alert, you can keep track of whether local businesses are "Naughty" or "Nice." The sole rubric for judgment here is whether the decorations and employees say "Merry Christmas" or whether they settle for, "Happy Holidays." Check out the website and … [Read more...] about “Grinch Alert” – The Battle for Christmas Gets Just Plain Silly
A Narnian Fundamentalist Reviews “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”
I visited Narnia often in my youth, and I had spent many years in Middle Earth before it became part of popular American culture. I love these books. In fact, they pretty much ruined me for fiction. Every time I'd read a book, I'd think, "That's okay, but its not Narnia or Middle Earth." I read those books so often I knew them cover to cover. Why would anyone allow their children to reach the age of ten without having had the Chronicles of Narnia read to them? I suppose I am a Narnian fundamentalist. I want the movie to stick very closely to the book. I was the same way with the Lord … [Read more...] about A Narnian Fundamentalist Reviews “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”
Brick Walls and Picket Fences (Part 2): “Speaking the Truth in Love”
We hear two voices in the Christian world today. One voice tells us to be faithful to our doctrine, to our denominational distinctives, to the sound teachings of the Word of God. It is a voice we cannot easily dismiss. God’s Word is given as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. It steers us toward the path God wants us to walk and away from sin. No Christian should easily sacrifice sound doctrine. The other voice tells us that God wants us to walk in unity with others in the Body of Christ, even those who do not agree with everything we believe. And that voice should not be … [Read more...] about Brick Walls and Picket Fences (Part 2): “Speaking the Truth in Love”
Brick Walls and Picket Fences (Part 1): Maintaining Sound Doctrine without Sacrificing Unity
Chapter 1: Speaking the Truth in Love I was reading one of the discernment blogs recently – the kind of blog that catalogs the heresies prevalent in the Christian world today. I scanned through the listing of articles and saw one that addressed the theological errors of a well-known charismatic pastor, Francis Frangipane. Here’s the thing. This man is a friend of mine – a man I love and have tremendous respect for. I lived in the same city with him for many years and we were in a pastors’ prayer group together. I a lot of time on my knees with Francis (figuratively, anyway – Francis … [Read more...] about Brick Walls and Picket Fences (Part 1): Maintaining Sound Doctrine without Sacrificing Unity
The Mitosis Method of Church Planting: You Make the Call
Church Growth Confusion I've never been in a megachurch environment for more than a Sunday or two. My experience is all with smaller to mid-sized churches. I've noticed an interesting phenomena in these churches. Everybody says they want the church to grow. But they also say they like the smaller church feel. Kinda confused? Me, too. We want the church to grow and stay small. We want the church to grow but not change. Obviously, many of us aren't sure what we really want. But let me make a point from this conundrum. There are people (a lot of them evidently) who want the … [Read more...] about The Mitosis Method of Church Planting: You Make the Call
“That’s My King!” (SM Lockridge) Best Preaching Ever?
You've probably all seen this, but its worth hearing again...and again...and again. There are several versions of this out there on youtube. I like this one the best. I thought that perhaps this powerful preaching might balance out the pain I inflicted with the "O Holy Night" travesty of yesterday. I get chills every time I hear this. I really wish I could preach like this! … [Read more...] about “That’s My King!” (SM Lockridge) Best Preaching Ever?
A Christmas Blessing: Matt Svoboda Sings “O Holy Night”
The readers of Voices may not know that Matt Svoboda, who was the Editor of this blog until September is an accomplished singer. You might be blessed by his version of "O Holy Night" which is going to be on his upcoming album, "A Young Whippersnapper's Christmas." … [Read more...] about A Christmas Blessing: Matt Svoboda Sings “O Holy Night”
Recommendation: Use the Excellent Lottie Moon Videos to Promote the LMCOIM
At my church, we work pretty hard to promote the Lottie Moon offering. Being in a new work state, I have about 2-3% of my members who have a Southern Baptist background. Until they joined SHBC, they had no idea who Lottie Moon was. We promote the offering pretty hard and our people are pretty generous - for folks who have no SBC denominational heritage. The Lottie Moon videos that the IMB sends out have been a great help in this. We used to show them at the beginning of the service, but our folks are notoriously late arrivers, so now we use them instead at the offering time during the … [Read more...] about Recommendation: Use the Excellent Lottie Moon Videos to Promote the LMCOIM
A “Helper” Suitable for Him: Gender Issues in Genesis 2
(This is part 3 in a series and is based on what has gone before. Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here.) A Shocking "Exegesis" of Scripture I apologize for what I am about to tell you – in advance. I used to have a book in my library that was written in the early 1900's by a Baptist preacher from the South. It was an exposition of the Scriptures that demonstrated that God meant for black people to be slaves. He went right back to the Creation narratives and found evidence that God intended for the white man to rule the black man. My jaw dropped as I read it. His “exegesis” focused on … [Read more...] about A “Helper” Suitable for Him: Gender Issues in Genesis 2