I talked to a friend a few days ago, and our conversation turned toward his pastor. His pastor is a mess, and not your typical everyone's a sinner mess, but a dangerous mess. I immediately thought of Andrew Stocklein, the California pastor who took his life a few weeks ago. Two years ago, I struggled through a bout of situational depression. I didn't want to get out of bed, and I wasn't excited about anything. I remember feeling like everyone would be better off if I just left. There were some other mitigating factors to this season of my life, but after several visits to the … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Depression Among Pastors
Social Issues
Why I Cannot and Will Not Sign the “Social Justice and the Gospel Statement” (by Ryan Burton King)
This article originally appeared at Ryan Burton King's website and is crossposted here with permission. We're thankful for Ryan's thorough and strong response to the statement released yesterday. Throughout history, Christians have banded together to examine and respond to various crises, real or perceived. Creeds from the days of the Church Fathers, and confessions from the time of the Reformation are joined by petitions and tracts from the Puritan era into our own, local church confessions, associational, conventional, and denominational resolutions, and parachurch statements from a … [Read more...] about Why I Cannot and Will Not Sign the “Social Justice and the Gospel Statement” (by Ryan Burton King)
The Truths that Dr. MacArthur’s Social Justice Series Won’t Change – Part 2 (by Terrence Jones)
This article was originally posted at Terrence Jones' blog, Live for Him or Die Trying. Please Forgive Me Let me take a moment to ask forgiveness for a statement that I cannot verify. In my first post I said, “No matter how they try to change the subject…” It infers that the timing of the social justice series is a diversion from the WASC report. It’s an unnecessary and unverifiable leap. I wish I had never used that phrase. It has caused some to dismiss the entire post, which is unfortunate. I ask forgiveness from Dr. MacArthur, Grace to You, and all others who may have been offended by … [Read more...] about The Truths that Dr. MacArthur’s Social Justice Series Won’t Change – Part 2 (by Terrence Jones)
Have We Taken God out of School?
I fell for it. I fell for it, hook line and sinker. I parroted this critique of the liberal public education establishment: they’ve taken God out of our schools. That was before I became involved with our local school. There are many who believe that the cause of our societal decline began when The Supreme Court outlawed prayer in public schools. The Supreme Court’s decision in Engel vs. Vitale has become an easy scapegoat for the moral decline in our nation. It’s convenient to blame nine dead justices for everything we revile about our society, but in our righteous” anger, we’re … [Read more...] about Have We Taken God out of School?
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, SJW? (by Casey McCall)
This article was originally posted at Prince on Preaching, the website of Dr. David Prince, and was written by Casey McCall, pastor of Ashland Oldham County in Buckner, KY. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) is rightly known today for his preaching. The pioneer mega-church pastor attracted weekly crowds numbering in the thousands to his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England. His sermons were distributed all over the world with an estimated 100 million copies being sold by the time of his death. By all accounts, Spurgeon’s ministry stands as one of the most numerically fruitful in … [Read more...] about Charles Haddon Spurgeon, SJW? (by Casey McCall)
The Truths that Dr. MacArthur’s Social Justice Series Won’t Change (by Terrence Jones)
This article was originally posted at Terrance Jones' blog, Live for Him or Die Trying. I’m far from perfect. I have made many mistakes in my life, both before and after Christ. If perfection is the requirement to sound an alarm then you should stop reading now. I have not met that standard. I stand only because of the grace of God and the perfect record of the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ, who died for my sins (past, present and future). I also want to affirm that I will never forget my time at The Master’s Seminary. The things I’m about to say, do not negate the reality that I was shaped … [Read more...] about The Truths that Dr. MacArthur’s Social Justice Series Won’t Change (by Terrence Jones)
Evangelism or Compassion?
I'm excited about the recent upswing in public words of affirmation for local baptist associations. I love hearing about the good things happening all around our convention related to the very important (I'd even say pivotal) role that the association can play in permeating the larger local area with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My heart aches for my pastor friends serving areas in which the association does not have the support and strength it could (and should) have. Let me just remind you, pastors, YOU have the power to make the association be what it can be. The New Orleans Baptist … [Read more...] about Evangelism or Compassion?
The Best of Enemies
Do you know the names Ann Atwater, CP Ellis, and Howard Fuller? I didn't until I read the book "The Best of Enemies," by Osha Gray Davidson. The book chronicles racial relations in Durham, North Carolina in the 1960's. I heard about the story of CP Ellis and Ann Atwater during this year's pastors' conference when Dr. Tony Evans used their story as a sermon illustration. I decided to research the story and found Davidson's book. I'll give a summary and then three strengths and three weaknesses of Davidson's work. Summary During the first half of the 20th century, Durham, North … [Read more...] about The Best of Enemies
We Can Do Something – Thoughts on Protecting our Churches from Sexual Predators
When I was 16 years old, our church hired a new pastor. I was excited and intrigued because this was the first time I could remember our church hiring a new pastor. (Turns out there was a good reason for that, as the previous pastor had been there for 19 years.) The new pastor was awesome. He was young and full of energy. He preached outstanding sermons, and he even counseled me when I wanted to surrender my life to the ministry. Then came the phone call. My father is a deacon and one night he was summoned to church for an emergency deacons meeting. The new pastor had been caught … [Read more...] about We Can Do Something – Thoughts on Protecting our Churches from Sexual Predators
Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President
A few years ago I went to a panel discussion at a large SBC missions conference. It was supposed to be about setting women free to be whatever they can be in the church. I know that the hosts of this discussion had noble intentions from the outset. They could see that women are sadly underrepresented on most of the committees and trustee boards in our convention, and they seemed keen on starting a discussion about how to change that. I was amazed by how many hundreds of women (and a few brave men) packed themselves into the room, eager to get any biblical wisdom about what women should and … [Read more...] about Be On Guard: Thoughts on Electing a Woman as SBC President