Guest Blogger

Joel Rainey leads the Engagement Team for Evangelism and Missions at the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network. He is on the adjunct faculty of two seminaries,and the author of three books. He blogs at Themelios, where this was originally posted on Monday.    October 3, "Left Behind" will debut in theaters across America, and its release will prompt a fresh discussion among evangelicals about our view of the end times.  Additionally, the movie will encourage general discussion about what happens after we die, who goes to heaven, and how they get there.  These are very important subjects, and for that … [Read more...] about Speculative Theology and the Great Commission (Joel Rainey)

You can read part one of this missive, Despair, Interrupted, here. The last few months have been a long slow slide towards a familiar companion. I no longer view Despair as the enemy; we've been together too long for that sort of animosity.  In many ways we're old friends, the type that go their separate ways for months and years, and yet remain able to resume their relationship without hesitation when next they occupy the same address.  We need no introduction, no explanation for our reunion. Heavens of stone and heart of glass.  A heart devoid of love and a soul emptied of grace. … [Read more...] about Hope, Interjected (Anonymous)

(This post was written by a friend of mine. He feels it necessary to keep his identity a secret, because he works in a Christian organization that might react punitively if it found out that one of its personnel struggled with this kind of issue. It is sad to me that such is the case, but I appreciate my friend for sharing this.)  I remember the first time I fell. My immature heart failed to recognize the abyss into which it stumbled; no one spoke of depression in the early 80's, especially not in our highly-conservative Baptist circle.  I retain a vague impression of blurry faces and … [Read more...] about Despair, Interrupted (Anonymous)

Ken Hamrick blogs at SBC Open Forum.  Instead of arguing for or against the scientific evidence, or arguing the merits of possible exegetical ways to reconcile Scripture with a billions-of-years chronology, I propose that---for the sake of argument---we eliminate the evidence question all together. We can do this by accepting all the scientific claims at face value, and still insisting on a recent supernatural creation out of nothing. In other words, we would not posit a young earth, but an old earth that was recently created by divine fiat. When God creates out of nothing, He is not limited … [Read more...] about Helping Old-Earth Creationists Face the Supernatural Question (Ken Hamrick)

Joel Rainey leads the Engagement Team for Evangelism and Missions at the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network. He is on the adjunct faculty of two seminaries,and the author of three books. He blogs at Themelios, where this was originally posted last week.   "Duck Dynasty star on Muslims: 'Convert them or kill them,'" read the headline of Jonathan Merritt's social media post last week.  The post contained a link to a Religion News Service articledescribing Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson's recent appearance with FOX News host Sean Hannity, in which the two discussed how the US and others should … [Read more...] about It Takes One to Know One: Evangelical Media and the Plague of Adolescent Discourse (Joel Rainey)

Jerry Corbaley blogs at "Think the Thoughts?" Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment…Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience… Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13:1, 2, 5, … [Read more...] about The President, Angry Mobs and We (Jerry Corbaley)

He's ba-ack! The William, the SBC Plodder, is sharing his insights with us once again. One of the eyebrow raisers about David Platt's selection as the new president of the International Mission Board was the fact that his church gave a considerable amount ($100,000) directly to the SBC Executive Committee Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. In doing so his church bypassed the Alabama Baptist State Convention which would have lopped off more than half of that amount. The usual routine is for a church to send their CP gifts to their state convention which keeps most of the money (varies … [Read more...] about Cooperative Program gifts that bypass state conventions (William Thornton)

William is the SBC Plodder. If you run across a general news report on the minister's housing allowance you should conclude that something is going on that might not be good. As long as we fly under the news radar with our Sacred Clergy Tax Break, that wonderful tax benefit by which we clergy may exclude tens of thousands of dollars from income taxes, we may relax. But, if its in the news it is likely because of (a) a legitimate but immensely compensated minister is excluding hundreds of thousands of income from taxes and living in a multi-million dollar mansion, or (b) we are in the courts … [Read more...] about Our Sacred Housing Allowance winds its way through the courts (William Thornton)

Paul Thompson blogs at "The Bridge."  I just finished an essay by Jeff Pollard, entitled Christian Modesty, the Public Undressing of America. For a thorough examination of the history of how public opinion has shifted in America in regards to clothing you should read this. Informative and interesting to see the intention of the fashion and movie industry methodically marching a nation toward the undressing of men and women. “The fashion industry does not believe that the principle purpose of clothing is to cover the body; it believes that the principle purpose of clothing is sexual … [Read more...] about The Undressing of the Church (Paul Thompson)