Mike Bergman

Are you weary, are you heavy-hearted? Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus; Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone. Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus, He is a friend that’s well known; You’ve no other such a friend or brother Tell it to Jesus alone.             --Tell it to Jesus, words by Jeremiah E. Rankin Having grown up with the Baptist Hymnal (various editions), I remember singing this song a lot.  And I remember liking it too—after all, it has an upbeat tune that’s catchy. Yet, now as a pastor who has come to consider words more important than catchy … [Read more...] about Accountability Ain’t Easy…but we got to have it!

At the sbctoday blog, Dr. Steve Lemke of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is currently writing a series of posts entitled “Distinctive Baptist Beliefs.”  While pointing out the many bridges between Baptists and Presbyterian traditions, he is seeking to also provide a series of distinctives that separate Baptists from our Presbyterian brethren.  The second distinctive concerns the age/state of accountability—a theological idea more readily recognized in the question, “What happens to babies when they die?” Many in both traditions posit that infants (and people, such as those who … [Read more...] about The Age (or State) of Accountability and Original Sin, One Baptist’s Perspective

Part Two: Church Authority and Conclusion Last time… In the last post, we began to consider whether or not the Bible provides a clear structure for the church.  Specifically we examined what the Bible says about the leadership offices: Elders (or overseers or pastors), and Deacons.  This time, we’ll look at the issue of church authority. From the last post, I already posited one thing about authority: the deacons are not an authoritative office, except so far as they’re given specific and limited oversight of certain tasks as delegated by the elders.  This leaves us with the question: … [Read more...] about Does the Bible Provide a Clear Structure for Church Governance?—2

Part One: Introduction and Church Leadership Introduction Dave Miller wrote a piece about elders in the life of the church, and why he doesn’t consider it to be a big issue one way or the other.  Within the thread comments the idea was teased out that the Bible does not mandate a particular structure for church government.  Instead of structure, the focus is upon the character of the leaders and then needs and other influences helped develop unique structures from church to church (city to city). I wholeheartedly agree that character is more important than structure.  It doesn’t … [Read more...] about Does the Bible Provide a Clear Structure for Church Governance?—1

One of the constant debates Christians seem to have concerns our relationship to the Law.  Some take the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 as an indication that we must still live under the Law, that is unless the New Testament clearly does away with some aspect of it (like the sacrificial system).  And indeed Jesus did say, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have…come to fulfill them.”  But more than that, Jesus says, “I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”  He then tells us we will never … [Read more...] about The Christian and the Law: A Brief Consideration of Galatians