James Knight, an Idaho Falls dentists for family and general dental services), has won a court case in the Iowa Supreme Court. That body is not known for it conservatism (they mandated gay marriage in Iowa by judicial fiat) and most were surprised not only at the outcome of the case, but the fact it was a 7-0 decision. Just the Facts, Ma'am Dr. Knight hired an assistant named Melissa Nelson, a specialist in teeth whitening products and evidently an attractive young lady. The dentist found himself interested in more than the welfare of his patient's teeth. He found himself "getting too … [Read more...] about A Dentist, a Pretty Assistant and a Moral Dilemma
Nehemiah: Twelve Principles of Leadership
I have been working my way through the Bible on Wednesday nights for about 7 years and have made my way to the book of Nehemiah. The first 7 chapters of the book describe Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem and his leadership in rebuilding the walls around the city. He was a remarkably effective leader for God's people. Tonight, I identified twelve principles of effective leadership from his life and work. I thought some of you might find them interesting. I'm going to try to resist my temptation to make this a 3000 word post. I will list the principles with a few brief comments. 1) Operate on … [Read more...] about Nehemiah: Twelve Principles of Leadership
Why I Can’t Completely Let Tim Tebow Off the Hook
First of all, truth time. I'm a Tim Tebow fan. I have to confess my shame. For his senior season at the College-that-shall-not-be-named, I actually found myself rooting for a team I'd have never thought I could root for. His testimony for Christ and his enthusiasm actually made me a fan of the Slytherin Gators for one season. I've been a Steelers' fan since the Steel Curtain dominated the scrimmage line in the days of my youth. But when Tebow's Broncos faced Pittsburgh in the playoffs, I was rooting for Tebow and rejoicing at his miraculous overtime victory. And, also by way of admission, … [Read more...] about Why I Can’t Completely Let Tim Tebow Off the Hook
The SBC Benefits from a Balance of Calvinists and Non-Calvinists
I am not a church or Baptist historian. I've done some reading, but the distance between my level of learning and expertise is significant. But I watched Dr. David Dockery's explanation of Baptist history at the Kentucky Baptist Convention-sponsored conference last year, which were (not surprisingly) highly instructive. If you have not yet, I would encourage you to watch these videos, available on YouTube. Here is Part 1 and Part 2. Basically, Dockery identifies how the two streams, which he identifies as Particular Baptists and General Baptists, were present in SBC life from the very … [Read more...] about The SBC Benefits from a Balance of Calvinists and Non-Calvinists
It’s Time for the Cooperative Middle to Assert Itself
The debate between Calvinists and non-Calvinists (including Traditionalists) has been dominated in the SBC by the extremes on both sides. It is time for that to end. There are some Calvinists who annoy me - they seem intent on labeling the other side with pejoratives, never admit fault on their side, and come across as condescending and arrogant. There are some non-Calvinists who annoy me - they seem intent on painting Calvinists with dark, conspiratorial motives and appear to be content with nothing less than pinning a scarlet C on every Calvinist and banning them from leadership in SBC … [Read more...] about It’s Time for the Cooperative Middle to Assert Itself
A Blogging Break
I won't be at the keyboard much this weekend. I have to head to Des Moines for a BCI executive board meeting tomorrow, then I am flying to DFW to speak at Cornerstone Baptist in Arlington on Sunday. Sunday afternoon I'm going to be touring several airports for my return trip. And I am not sure I'll have time to do much posting during that time. I don't plan to try. Contributors, if you have something to post, have at it. Hopefully, it won't be about Calvinism! I'm nervous about leaving the site, because some of our discussions have started getting a little chippy. People wonder why we … [Read more...] about A Blogging Break
Snowmageddon: You Prepare for What You Expect
Micah Fries posted a hilarious picture on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. It was a picture of a patch of grass with a light dusting of snow on it. I joked with him that they probably cancelled school because of that blizzard. Micah surprised me by responding that, in fact, Nashville schools had been closed. We are currently bracing for a major blizzard (though most recent projections are that the snow has gone south and is nailing Kansas City instead of us - sorry, Scott Gordon!). But, if we get the 8 to 12 inches of snow originally projected, life will slow down in Sioux City for a few … [Read more...] about Snowmageddon: You Prepare for What You Expect
Howard Hendricks Changed My Life: Now He Is with Jesus
I just saw a post that told us that Dr. Howard Hendricks has passed away. I have never had a significant conversation with Dr. Hendricks, but he changed my life. At Dallas Seminary - back in the old days, anyway - one of your first year classes was his "Inductive Bible Study Methods" class. After that class, you proceeded, over your four year course of studies, to do an inductive study of every book of the Bible. Dr. Hendricks emphasized a four-step process. Observation. Interpretation. Application. Correlation. I had been a preacher's kid with a lot of knowledge of the Bible that I … [Read more...] about Howard Hendricks Changed My Life: Now He Is with Jesus
The Social Media Effect: It’s a New Baptist World
I don't have much time today, either to post or to interact with comments. I'm in a week in which I've got a meeting every night, Monday through Thursday, then have to go to Des Moines for a Saturday meeting and fly to Ft. Worth later that day. Unless we have a snow day, I'm not going to be around much at SBC Voices. Hope some of my contributors will put some stuff in the queue for us to read! I'd just like to make an observation about SBC life today. It's a new world, folks, and we can love it or hate, but we should get used to it. Some of our more progressive leaders (I mean … [Read more...] about The Social Media Effect: It’s a New Baptist World
Leadership 101: Fix the Problems, Don’t Attack Those Who Identify Them
I've seen it in churches. We have certainly seen it in blogging. And we are currently seeing the phenomenon as the crisis plays out at Louisiana College. None of us likes to be criticized. It is uncomfortable, painful, frustrating and infuriating. And in today's "everything has to be positive," "never admit a problem," "sweep it all under the rug" Christian world, we see the unfortunate response that we are seeing at Louisiana College. Never admit or address the problem. Attack the people who identify the issues. If you have blogged very long, you've seen someone in power respond to … [Read more...] about Leadership 101: Fix the Problems, Don’t Attack Those Who Identify Them