SBC Issues

I have been a life long Southern Baptist, and have heard my whole life about how simple and easy Salvation is. A decision, a quick prayer and the deed is done. You get dunked later on and you get to eat the cracker and drink grape juice from a little thimble looking cup. It's easy and simple, yet as I look at the words of Jesus, I see some things that scare me, some things that make me think we are doing things the wrong way. In Luke 9, Jesus shares the cost of being a follower, He said that "no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (vs 62). Jesus … [Read more...] about Salvation Isn’t Easy

A couple years ago I was dealing with a bout of deep discouragement. Actually that’s the sanitized wording for it. The more accurate description would be “wounded pride”. I had been working my tail off in blogging and writing and I was still barely getting traffic. I whined to my wife. “I don’t think anybody is even reading my stuff. Is it even worth my time and effort?” Those are good questions to ask. But my wife knows me and she knows my passion for writing. She knew that this was not a reasoned assessment of whether or not my time was being wasted on writing. She was able to see … [Read more...] about Blogging Wisdom From My Wife

If any man on earth deserves the death penalty, it is convicted murderer "Dr." (I put that in parentheses for a reason) Kermit Gosnell. He murdered babies born alive after failed abortions in the most gruesome and heinous way. Critics of the death penalty say that violence begets violence, that state sanctioned killing is no better than the atrocities perpetrated by Dr. Gosnell That is not true according to scripture. Both the OT and the NT approve of the death penalty when administered justly by the government. It can be argued that the death penalty in America is anything but just - … [Read more...] about Dr. Gosnell’s Guilt, the Death Penalty, and Justice

The SBC Annual meeting in Houston seems destined to be one of the less confrontational in recent history. There is no GCR Report to debate, no Traditionalist document recently released to stir up passions, no major kerfuffles, no intense race for office as yet. It looks to be a peaceful time. But looks can be deceiving. I've gone into business meetings thinking there was nothing of significance that could spark a debate and left the meeting an hour later feeling like I'd been hit by a hurricane. When Baptists gather for business meetings there is an unpredictable volatility attached. … [Read more...] about Musings on Houston

Dr. Kevin McFadden has been an  Assistant Professor of New Testament and Greek at Louisiana College. He is one of the professors whose contract was not renewed - the action that sent Louisiana College into the headlines. You can read his biography here. I appreciate both the wisdom and the spirit of this article.  How should Southern Baptists approach disagreements in theology? What should we do when we disagree about what the Bible says about God? My goal in this article is to help Southern Baptists think productively about the Calvinism controversy and other theological controversies in the … [Read more...] about How Southern Baptists Should Approach Disagreements in Theology (by Dr. Kevin McFadden)

I'm leading a Bible study on the OT prophets on Wednesday night. They proclaimed the glory of God and warned Israel and Judah that God would not tolerate their sin, their false prophets with their positive messages, their empty religion, or their unfaithful hearts. Israel ignored the impending doom, and even persecuted the prophets for daring to say that God's judgment would come. Then, one day, the "day of the Lord" came and the chosen nation was laid waste. What the prophets warned had come true. And Israel was wholly unprepared for the aftermath because they never accepted that the … [Read more...] about We Can’t Stop the Crash, But We Can Pick Up the Pieces

Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. is the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX. He blogs at Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr. Life is filled with twist and turns, choices and consequences, difficulties and sometimes even demonic opposition. For many, life is like a journey in a jungle, where there is danger and darkness lurking around the corner; the unknown and unimaginable; temptation and potential torment. Test, temptations, obstacles, hurdles, demons, distractions, disappointment and difficulties will inevitably cross our path. Jason Collins is not alone in terms of struggling with inner … [Read more...] about Jackie Robinson, Jason Collins and Jesus: Legacy Lessons – A Journey through a Jungle (by Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr)

I don't like the NIV 2011. I've been clear about that from the get-go. Now, permit me to let you in on a little secret: I didn't particularly like the NIV 1984, either. I can clearly perceive the immense superiority of the NIV 1984 over the NIV 2011. In fact, so can the owners of the NIV, otherwise, they wouldn't find it necessary to embargo the NIV 1984 (embargoes are generally only necessary to protect inferior products from superior ones). And yet, it seems to me that of the problems that plague the NIV 2011, they all arise from the committee's decision to apply more consistently the … [Read more...] about The Sinful Nature in Dynamic Equivalence Translations

Alan Cross blogs at Downshore Drift - a blog you should definitely read regularly! Psalm 110:1-2 The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm used to describe Jesus and his ministry. Peter refers to this passage in his Pentecost sermon as referring to Jesus (Acts 2:34). In Psalm 110:4 it says, “you are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The writer to the Hebrews (6:20; 7:17) used this … [Read more...] about Jesus Rules In the Midst of His Enemies (by Alan Cross)