"Woke" is a common insult thrown around by those who oppose the pursuit of justice as a Christian mandate. When they are upset at the stands that other conservative Christians take on racial issues, on sexual abuse issues, on political matters, when some refuse to acquiesce to GOP/conservative orthodoxy, they resort to dismissive name-calling. Derogations such as liberal, "social justice warriors," or the ubiquitous "woke" are common. In certain circles, woke is synonymous with liberal, denying the Scriptures, or at least ignoring the primacy of the Gospel. I've objected to the insult because … [Read more...] about Is Being “Woke” So Bad?
Have You Met DARVO?
This may come as a shock to most of you, but I am often not up to date on your whippersnapper, hipster lingo. I am thankful for the Google because I can go on the interwebs and look up stuff you guys talk about, appearing as if I was in the know all the time. Recently, I saw a word that intrigued me, another one of those acronyms that are so popular today. I've shared it with several friends, most of whom do not seem to have heard of it. The word is DARVO. Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD, a professor from the University of Oregon, wrote a paper entitled, "What is DARVO?" which gives a succinct … [Read more...] about Have You Met DARVO?
How Do You Preach?
No, this one isn't about topical sermons vs expositional or that sort of thing. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but during the shutdown, I've fallen into a new pattern for preaching that I hope to continue now that the slow march toward normalcy has begun. I used to preach from handwritten notes. If you saw my handwriting, you'd know why that can be a total disaster. I've been using my computer to study and prepare notes for a long time. Since I moved here to Sioux City, I have been relying more and more on presentation software (still using old faithful - Powerpoint) for … [Read more...] about How Do You Preach?
Loneliness, Isolation, and Ministry in a Pandemic
Our church has recently started up live services and I am glad. Sunday, we celebrated the Lord's Supper together for the first time since late February, a great moment. Things are not horrible, but something doesn't feel right either. I had a conversation with several friends last week about ministry during a pandemic and it helped me put some thoughts into words. It feels like I am living in a make-believe world, marking time until the world goes back to normal, and wondering if it ever will. Attendance at church has been decent, maybe 60% of normal, but offerings are slowly dwindling as … [Read more...] about Loneliness, Isolation, and Ministry in a Pandemic
Just When I Thought I Was In, They Pulled Me Back Out
Last week I recommitted myself to regular writing here. I wrote two articles. Pulled one for personal reasons, but I wrote two days in a row. I was back. Now, I am sitting in SUX - yeah, that's our airport here in Sioux City, preparing to fly to Palm Beach International Airport. Dad was an SBC pastor for half a century, a well-known Bible conference speaker, leader on the Foreign Mission Board in the 80s, and he and mom were missionaries to Taiwan in the early 70s. Dad's health has been declining and we put him on hospice at Christmas. Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer but … [Read more...] about Just When I Thought I Was In, They Pulled Me Back Out
Racism, Riots, and the Future
A couple of evenings ago, I decided to zip over to Sam’s club about a half-hour before it was scheduled to close to pick up a couple of things we needed. They were closed and the parking lot was abandoned. I wasn’t sure what had happened until a couple of hours later when my wife told me about a Facebook post from a lady in our church who had been there when they suddenly made an announcement asking people to clear the building quickly. Walmart, a block away, also closed up. Evidently, there are busloads of folks going from town to town in the Heartland, stirring things up, and the rumor … [Read more...] about Racism, Riots, and the Future
That Time Dave Had a Really Stupid Thought
No, it wasn't the suit - that is still classy after all these years. I remember when we first started facing the idea of a shutdown from the coronavirus, and my first thought was, "I won't have anything to do." It was going to be like a lengthy vacation. Sometimes, a man just isn't thinking clearly. Since we suspended services a couple of months ago, it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I've barely had time to look at this site. Other than a few posts on politics, I've pretty much contributed nothing. I'm looking forward to starting up again in the next couple of weeks. Sioux City had a … [Read more...] about That Time Dave Had a Really Stupid Thought
The Final Nails in My Coff…er..Theses
This is the final in my series of three posts about politics. I am not endorsing a candidate or telling anyone else for whom they should or shouldn't vote. My purpose is to attempt to define biblical principles for political engagement. Part 1 Part 2 Here's part 3, in which I put the final nails in my coffin - oops, my theses. 21. America is not the new Israel, chosen by God. I believe the American political system is exceptional in many ways – there’s not a system of government I’d like to switch it for – but the idea that our nation holds a special place in God’s heart is … [Read more...] about The Final Nails in My Coff…er..Theses
A Pandemic of SBC Controversy
The last couple of weeks have been momentous in the life of our beloved convention. Southwestern Seminary is still dealing with financial issues, exacerbated by the COVID-19 shutdown. Departments were reorganized and we understand there were some personnel reductions. Of course, the biggest news was their dealings with the fraudulent Dead Sea Scrolls scraps purchased by the Pattersons. Southern Seminary also made some significant budget cuts. Of course, what created the stir was that they laid off three professors due to the financial crisis and possibly a fourth is heading in that … [Read more...] about A Pandemic of SBC Controversy
The SBC, Pastors, and Politics: Nailing My Theses – Part II
The first set of ten was more background and these get a little more specific, and possibly more offensive to some. I am not hopeful anyone will follow this, but we've had a couple of posts recently where we discussed political things. I would love it if we stuck to these points for our discussion. Again, I realize that is a bit of a lost-cause request, but miracles happen. Again, my comparison of what I am doing to Luther's 95 theses is tongue-in-cheek. His confrontation of the Church instigated a reformation. Mine is more likely just to irritate some folks. Part 1 of this series can be … [Read more...] about The SBC, Pastors, and Politics: Nailing My Theses – Part II