I did an experiment this week, and decided pretty quickly I'd made a mistake. I have a somewhat eclectic theological combination, but I found a facebook group that I thought I fit into pretty well - one that shared both my soteriology and my eschatology. Perfect, I thought, conversing with people who are as right about these things as I am! So, I signed up and read some of the posts, engaging in a couple of discussions. Tonight, I left the group with a bad taste in my mouth and an intention not to join groups like that again. I haven't changed my theological positions; I still believe as I … [Read more...] about Get Out of Your Bubble!
SBC Issues
It’s Time for Our Churches to Cross the Rubicon (by Dr. David W. Manner)
Dr. David W. Manner is the Associate Executive Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. He blogs at http://kncsb.org/blogs/dmanner . You can follow him on Twitter: @dwmanner. Our churches are not getting it done. Instead of fulfilling the Great Commission by tapping into the unlimited creativity available from the Creator Himself, we continue trying to reach the culture by offering a mediocre imitation of what that culture already has. We are playing it safe by impersonating the language, structure, dress and music…usually a few notches below in quality or a few … [Read more...] about It’s Time for Our Churches to Cross the Rubicon (by Dr. David W. Manner)
When Romance Turns Into an Icy Heart
It’s always the cute boy playing the lyre (the modern day version of the cute boy playing the guitar)*. Michal fell hard for him. Maybe it was his ability to strum up sweet sounding tunes, or perhaps it was his eloquent speaking. The Scriptures don’t tell us what caused her to love this shepherd boy. But she did. Her father, the king, didn’t share her fondness for young David. The relationship started out well enough. David would use his musical skills to soothe Saul’s spirit. But in time Saul saw this gifted young man as a little too gifted. He saw the hand of God on him and he feared that … [Read more...] about When Romance Turns Into an Icy Heart
Cancer, Mental Health, and the Bible
I’ve been thinking a little about the sufficiency of Scripture. This doctrine is either neglected or misused. One denies the sufficiency of Scripture by completely outsourcing mental health issues, while the other misuses the sufficiency of Scripture by never outsourcing. One brother seems to put Scripture on par with other resources, while another brother believes that the Bible is the only book you need on your shelf and that it alone is needed to speak to all issues. Using cancer as an example, I hope to show how to properly use the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. First, … [Read more...] about Cancer, Mental Health, and the Bible
What I Don’t Like about Invitations
Hold your ammo, there, Bubba. I give an invitation every Sunday. I give people an opportunity to respond and to come talk to me about spiritual issues. No pressure or manipulation is used. But I think it is a good thing to offer people a chance to make a public profession. It is not a biblical mandate and I realize that there are other ways to accomplish the same goal. But, at my church, we close our service with a hymn and give people an opportunity to respond. But there is one thing I don't like about the invitation - it's not really the invitation but the way people view it. I've noticed … [Read more...] about What I Don’t Like about Invitations
Conferences that Build Up instead of Bash, Bludgeon and Blast
Sorry, I got all Baptist with my alliteration in the title. I won't let that happen again! Have you been to a good conference recently? Maybe one of the many Calvinist/Reformed conferences that focus on the "gospel" (as they see it). Perhaps you've been to one of the several "Calvinism Ain't Good" conferences that examine the points of Calvinism in order and expose their weaknesses. Perhaps you have gone to a church planting or church growth conference, or a spiritual life conference or a pastors' conference or...well, there are so many! And each of them has their own benefits and … [Read more...] about Conferences that Build Up instead of Bash, Bludgeon and Blast
“Strange Fire”: John MacArthur is Right…and VERY Wrong
Let me make two statements before I address this topic: 1) I am a longtime fan of John MacArthur's ministry, his writings, and his theology. I am in no way anti-Mac. 2) I did not attend or stream his recent "Strange Fire" conference, nor have I read the book. My experience with MacArthur and his views on the charismatic movement are based on his older book, "Charismatic Chaos" and other books I read as a young cessationist preacher boy (fresh out of Dallas Seminary), which informed my view on charismatic/Pentecostal issues for the first decade or so of my ministry. John MacArthur and the … [Read more...] about “Strange Fire”: John MacArthur is Right…and VERY Wrong
Are you a Kind-Hearted “Practical Deist?”
Let me preface my post by saying, I hope my thoughts are incorrect, but I do not think I am. You may be in an atypical ministry location that is not concerned about professing believers being “deistic” in their thinking and practice. However, the more I hear, see, and discuss the biblical foundations of Christian Theism, the more convinced I am that men and women in the church today do not have a proper foundation. The natural result is a tendency toward “practical deistic ideas.” Probably all our church members would deny a profession of Deism, but what if their thinking leans toward … [Read more...] about Are you a Kind-Hearted “Practical Deist?”
Numbers and God’s Blessing: Baptists’ Uneasy Romance with Statistics
It certainly wasn't the first time I'd aggravated a denominational leader. And it, unfortunately, was far from the last time. Twenty years ago I was asked to speak at a BCI meeting with church planters to share the "success" of my church. In the two years I had been in Cedar Rapids, our church had doubled in size, then tripled. Eventually, we almost fourpled, before our attendance became more stable (unfortunately, I guess). We Baptists have a one-size-fits-all concept built deep within us. Whatever I was doing at Northbrook needed to be analyzed, quantified and reproduced in other churches. … [Read more...] about Numbers and God’s Blessing: Baptists’ Uneasy Romance with Statistics
Compatibilism: A More Immanent Grace (by Ken Hamrick)
Immanence is mostly forgotten as an attribute of God and a method by which He works in the world. Calvinists and Traditionalists argue over the limits of God’s transcendent acts of grace and the limits of men without such transcendent grace. Both sides, it seems, have a presupposed agreement to frame the debate around a transcendent grace, while the solution sits dust-covered in the theological closet. That solution is found in God’s immanence. God is said to act transcendently when He works in ways that are above natural law and the created order; but He is said to act immanently when He … [Read more...] about Compatibilism: A More Immanent Grace (by Ken Hamrick)