SBC Issues

There has been a push in recent years to rediscover the Jewish side of Paul.  He was, after all, a Pharisee who trained under Gamaliel, and it turns out that if you start to see his writings from a rabbinic Hebrew mindset they begin to make a lot more sense.  The traditional view on Paul has placed him in a sort of Greek philosophical box and this messes up our understanding of him more so than even his contemporaries dealt with at the time.  This has led to a host of theological presumptions that are so widespread, they aren't even questioned.  We never dream that the words of Peter could … [Read more...] about Learning a Thing or Two from the New Perspective on Paul

(Caison Jones is a contributor at Apologia Appalachia: Theology from Them There Hills.  I thought this article would be a blessing to the readers.  Another one of their writers was the author of the post yesterdaty about the convention name-change.  There is some quality writing being done at their group blog site!) "The trouble is that, nowadays, there are so many who receive the testimony of God only so far as they can satisfactorily account for all the reasons and grounds of His conduct,..." A.W. Pink I've heard this referred to as "Cafeteria Christianity", where we pick and choose only … [Read more...] about Accepting the Hard Things (by Caison Jones)

My kids play this game called "Would You Rather?" produced by Parker Brothers or somebody.  During the game, an individual is presented with two unsavory options.  The general pattern is "Would you rather be 4 feet tall with arms that dragged the ground, or 9 feet tall and unable to touch your toes?"  The other contestants vie to see who can accurately predict the individual's choice. When I was in college we would sit around and do this, thinking of the most horrific options for each other, just as a casual late-night dorm conversation among dateless guys.  Painful experiences, ugly/mean … [Read more...] about Is Tom Elliff the Right Poison?

(Editor's Note: Matt McGlamery is a contributor at Apologia Appalachia.  I'll confess, I'd never seen that blog until I asked for posts and contributors.  They are posting some top notch stuff at that blog.  Check it out. We have another guest post from one of their contributors that will be up in a day or two.) The idea of a name change for the Southern Baptist Convention has been discussed for years. A quick survey of the Baptist2Baptist section of the SBC website shows the issue was discussed in 1975, 1998, 1999, and in 2004 when the proposal for a study of a name change was defeated by … [Read more...] about (Fill in the Blank) Baptist Convention (by Matt McGlamery)

Did you know: the African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet? Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. It’s been said that faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see. That might be living faith. Dead faith might be falling prey to the question of, ‘what if?’ In other words, would or could the Impala know what would happen if he leapt to the other side of the zoo enclosure? Would I be worth the perceived risk to … [Read more...] about What if….Pictures of Faith

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of some idea for a movie scene that I would love to see. If I wrote down every one of them I'd have the funniest script for a movie that probably only I would laugh at.  In all seriousness, I am so, so thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ has graciously saved me.  Yet, when it comes to a sense of humor and a perspective on observing life, well, I just ain't right. I realize that, in truth, a pastor's job is demanding of his time and energy, so realistically I would never do this, but... I would love to schedule a counseling appointment with … [Read more...] about A Crisis of Faith and Why I am an Ice Cream Presbyterian

NOTE:  I still have not seen any statement, though I assume that one is forthcoming.  But the link to Potter's House and the bio for Jamar Jones have been removed from the Pastor's Conference website. Two items for your consideration: 1) Ed Young, Jr has been trumpeting his "EXC3ED" conference which just wrapped up. Now, I'm going to put aside my old-fogey ennui about hip spellings of words. There's a church in my town called Riverz Edge. Good church.  That z replacing the s is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! But, as I said, I'm going to put the misplaced (annoying) 3 aside … [Read more...] about When Did the Trinity Become Non-Essential Doctrine?

Now I admit, my title may be a little over the top, but I want to ask a serious question.  Who's idea is the megachurch?  I admit the megachurch has done some great things, but is the price that we paid worth the work?  I think I need to back up and start from the beginning of my train of thought, and then you can decide if I am off the track. Where I live in Iowa, they have decided that it's better to remove the community schools and build big monstrous schools and bus kids in.  It looks like in a few years my kids will be bussed to one of these big schools.  I am not crazy about the idea, … [Read more...] about Is the Megachurch a Tool of the Devil?

(One of the things I'm learning is that there are a lot of really good bloggers out there.  Jim Collins blogs at "Viewed Skewed" and has a great perspective on things.  Here's one of his recent posts.) I have not forgotten the Reformation adage of showing unity in the essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and charity in all things. But I wonder if all things means literally everything, or does this apply only to theological matters? I hope it is the latter, because I have trouble being charitable toward some things. De gustibus non est disputandum. There is no accounting for taste. When … [Read more...] about Holy Kitsch! (by Jim Collins)