How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 When it comes to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, “unity” may not be the first word that comes to mind. Especially if you spend a lot of time on the SBC blogosphere, you might think that unity is an unachievable goal. Yet, I believe it is not only achievable, but within our grasp. Most of us are not power-brokers in the convention. We will not attend the meeting with any kind of clout (though maybe a few of you might have some name recognition among the faithful blog readers). We come as messengers, … [Read more...] about My personal plan to strive for unity in Baltimore
Missions and the fate of those who never hear
In my roles as pastor and professor, I am often asked about the fate of those who never have a chance to hear the gospel. The answer to that question has profound implications, not only for our Christian apologetic, but for our urgency in taking the gospel to the nations. While many will try to find answers we find more palatable, I believe we have enough explicit teaching in the Bible to recognize that those without Christ are under the wrath of God and that knowledge ought to inspire an urgency in us to take the gospel to those who have never heard. This is hard teaching, and whenever it … [Read more...] about Missions and the fate of those who never hear
Second Thoughts on the Cost of Ministry
A follow-up to my previous post, "Counting the Cost of Ministry." ______ Here I am, calling people to do hard things when I find myself struggling under the weight of very same hard things that God has called me to do. This week has been particularly difficult – having one of those days where you want to quit everything, but there’s really no way to escape. I find it difficult to bear the weight of being the spiritual leader of a body of believers, extending the call of God to live sacrificially for his kingdom, while at the same time struggling to make it through each day of my own … [Read more...] about Second Thoughts on the Cost of Ministry
Counting the Cost of Ministry
I used to think that ministry was just a matter of just showing up, sharing my faith, and seeing lives change. The stories I heard from the pulpit growing up, the testimonies of revival preachers and missionaries and others all spoke of the tremendous power of the gospel to change lives. Story after story was told of persons coming to Christ and seeing their lives radically transformed, all as a result of ministry. Well, those stories were true and were worth telling, but often they left an important aspect of ministry out – that ministry is HARD, that it’s costly, that it requires sacrifice … [Read more...] about Counting the Cost of Ministry
Outward Signs of an Inward Change
For the next few months, I am preaching through James. The book of James sets an agenda for the church for how we might live as the people of God. James focuses his letter on the outward signs of faith that reflect the inward change that has taken place in the life of a believer. For James, faith is a “lived out” faith, demonstrated by what we say, what we do, and how we live. As I reflect on the teaching of James, I am asking questions about how this 3-fold focus applies to fulfilling the mission God has given us and our churches. Let us consider, then, how we might renew our faithfulness to … [Read more...] about Outward Signs of an Inward Change
Not Just a Black Holiday
Every year in January, government offices, the USPS, and many schools close in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday. In my area, several schools with a majority white population are remaining open today. The rationale? “It’s not OUR holiday, so why should we celebrate it?” In my conversations with white friends, and my experience in majority white communities, I see a reluctance by many to observe the day on the grounds that MLK day is a “black” holiday. As a white Christian, I could not disagree more. Martin Luther King day is MY day, it’s OUR day. Dr. King’s vision of … [Read more...] about Not Just a Black Holiday
Six Principles for Partnerships Between Large and Small Churches
This post first appeared at the RPM Ministries blog as part of their series on large churches. ________ Having been a part of both large and small churches, I have seen the tremendous potential of large and small churches working together. There can be great benefit when churches join forces and the combined effort can result in a greater impact for the cause of Christ. Not all joint efforts, however, are healthy partnerships. For a partnership between large and small churches to be successful, there must be active participation, contribution and benefit for all churches involved. Too … [Read more...] about Six Principles for Partnerships Between Large and Small Churches
Social Networking: A Few Tips for the New Year
The new year is a good time to reflect on our past and choose to make life changes. Social networking has become a huge part of people’s lives and perhaps now is a good time to think about our online presence and suggest a few changes. Read this as helpful pastoral advice or as my personal pet peeves. Feel free to change them into your New Year’s Resolutions. That news story, internet tip, food contamination scare, new gang initiation, IS NOT TRUE!!! (Yes, I meant to shout; see point 6 below). Make snopes.com your new friend and research before you post. Do you know what “satire” is? … [Read more...] about Social Networking: A Few Tips for the New Year
The Virgin Birth – There’s Nothing Marvelous about a Myth
Every Christmas, Christians and non-Christians alike seem to revisit the doctrine of the virgin birth. Conservative Christians rightly affirm that belief in the virgin birth of Christ is a test of orthodoxy and of one’s view of the Scripture.[1] However, we must go beyond the doctrinal affirmations that arise from the narratives of Matthew and Luke, and marvel at the wonderful thing that was accomplished in the Incarnation. The Christmas story is not marvelous because it is miraculous. Our faith must not become merely about affirming biblical propositions our doctrinal checklist. Of course, … [Read more...] about The Virgin Birth – There’s Nothing Marvelous about a Myth
Orphan Care: Trendy Cause or Sustained Movement of God’s People?
American Christianity in many ways mimics the culture at large by always going after the latest thing, following the latest celebrity, reading the latest book, and, yes, latching on to the cause of the moment. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in adoption and global orphan care. I’ll leave it to the statisticians to track the trend lines, but it seems clear that more and more Christians are talking about orphan care, increased numbers of Christians are becoming foster and adoptive parents, and the world is taking notice. Time will tell whether this renewed focus on orphan … [Read more...] about Orphan Care: Trendy Cause or Sustained Movement of God’s People?