I’ve been reading the recent resurgence of wrangling regarding Dr. Paige Patterson and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS). The question of guilt involves not only these two parties, but by extension also impacts the coming SBC presidential election. Pastor Mike Stone bears the public perception of being Dr. Patterson’s man by way of their mutual […]
The Last Happy Day
I bought some shorts last October off the clearance rack in Kohl’s. Pretty standard things: plaid-printed shorts with too many pockets. They were the sort of clothing you’d see in a Sunday circular, modeled by semi-muscular white men surrounded by strategically-placed men of varied ethnic origin. I suppose a certain obligation existed for me to […]
Ezekiel’s Watchman: Did I Blow the Trumpet?
Suppose I say to the wicked: ‘Wicked people, you will surely die,’ but you don’t speak to warn the wicked to stop doing evil. Then they will die because they were sinners, but I will punish you for their deaths. Ezekiel 33:8 This summer marks the end of our time as church planters in South […]
Pornography, Cerebral Plasticity, and Transformation
“Pornography satisfies every one of the prerequisites for neuroplastic change…” psychiatrist Norman Doidge, in The Brain That Changes Itself (2006) I’ve got this buddy, a counselor for a Christian organization. I got him really caffeinated one day – enough espressos will befuddle anyone save Juan Valdez – and starting prying. “Longest shower you ever took after […]
Shoveling Dung – Spiritually Speaking
Paul spends much of the early part of Philippians chapter three detailing the externals that will never lead us to salvation. He then calls attention to his own earthly, cultural, fleshly qualifications for holiness and salvation: circumcised in accordance with the Law; born of the tribe of Benjamin (the tribe of the first king of […]
Dear Husband: You Don’t Love Me
In the voice of Everywoman… Dear husband: I love you. You know that, right? I think I’ve always made it clear. I respect you, too. I know what the Word has to say on the subject, and I gladly comply. You’re the greatest man I’ve ever known; human in every way and yet utterly godly. […]
The Next IMB President
After roughly three years on the job, IMB President Tom Elliff has informed the proper folks to begin considering his replacement. As I wrote shortly after the IMB approved him as the organization’s 11th president, I’ve always believed Elliff came along as the right man at the right time. He wasn’t “God’s man” for […]
Storying, Orality, and the Bible
I’ve already introduced the concept of orality in an earlier post. You can read that here. The article contains links to other sites that can add to the picture. A frequently-occuring objection to the use of storying in evangelism, discipleship and teaching assumes that stories fit children’s spiritual needs, while exegesis and exposition necessarily satiate […]
The Character of God in Five Stories
Many people groups around the world are what ethnologists term oral learners. As the Orality Strategies website defines orality… “‘Orality’ refers to reliance upon the spoken, rather than written, word for communication.Orality is an ancient phenomenon that continues to the present. Before writing was developed, cultures passed along their cultural traditions, including their history, identity, […]
Practical Theology: Using Non-Christians for Kingdom Work
A few years ago, I took some classes at Southwestern Seminary’s Houston campus. If you get the chance, take a course there. They’ve got a great bunch of guys. One gentleman, Dr. John Laing, is an absolutely fantastic instructor and a solid all-around human being; not a waste of a carbon footprint at all. In […]
Antinomianism: Too Far or Not Far Enough?
I’m a new-comer to the discussion of antinomianism. I’ve seen folks confidently toss the word around, the heptasyllabic term rolling off their fingertips and on to the digital page. Finally, disgusted with my own ignorance, I determined to ascend from the pit of theological cognitive stupidity in search of greater intellectual challenges. In short, I […]
Too Much of a Good Thing
I blame my parents, really, for all my troubles. Mom had hearing so perfect she could hear paint dry. Dad couldn’t hear a low-yield nuclear weapon. My sister took after Mom, and I – naturally – followed in my father’s ever-silencing footsteps. A huge schnoz, blue eyes, and hearing loss are my primary paternal genetic […]