With all due respect to the great minds that have contributed posts on the subject of continuationism and cessationism, I'm going to join in to offer what I see and why I see it. I am not going to attempt to settle the entire issue, but to add to the confusion discussion on just what "tongues" means. David Rogers in his earlier post, "Are Biblical Tongues a Personal Prayer Language," offers one way of striving to define the term "glossa" from the Greek of the New Testament. His post begins with 1 Corinthians 14, and then works from that point to explain the meaning of "tongues" throughout … [Read more...] about Defining the Terms of the Discussion
A Cessationist (of Sorts) to Fellow Cessationists
This is the first a series of posts I plan to author to explain, essentially, why when my fellow bloggers start vocalizing things other than English (or any other known language) I do not believe this to be a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. But before I go there, I want to start this whole process by giving a word to those of you who share my perspective on things. That word comes in the form of an exposition of 1 Corinthians 14:1. Chase love down unrelentingly, through the swamps and sloughs and briar patches and cane thickets, until you catch it, but be people who think the spiritual … [Read more...] about A Cessationist (of Sorts) to Fellow Cessationists
Are Biblical Tongues a Personal Prayer Language?
In this post I propose to present my exegetical case for believing that the tongues referred to in 1 Corinthians 14 (and in Acts) are not necessarily known human languages used to proclaim the gospel to native speakers of that language, but may also be what has been labeled a private prayer language (though I believe the term personal prayer language is a more accurate description). I am not proposing an exhaustive treatment of this question here, but rather one which I believe will be sufficient to demonstrate the validity of my case. Neither am I presenting here a defense for the … [Read more...] about Are Biblical Tongues a Personal Prayer Language?
Cessationism and the Argument from Silence
I'm not a real quiet person, and I have often struggled around quiet people. I mistake their silence for anger and figure that if they are not talking to me they must either dislike me or be angry about something. It is pretty easy to misread silence and misinterpret its meaning. It is generally asserted that the argument from silence in theology is among the weaker arguments and I would generally agree. It would be as easy to misinterpret silence in Scripture as it is for me to misinterpret it in others. "Jesus never addressed homosexuality," we are told. His silence is assumed as tacit … [Read more...] about Cessationism and the Argument from Silence
Starving Buffalo Hunters
In times past, I have regaled you readers of SBCVoices with tales of the woods and the lovely woodland creatures. Well, and then how I took the lovely woodland creatures and turned them into dinner, but they are lovely on the plate as well. In fact, the only thing that leans me toward a post-millennial view are Genesis 9:3 and Acts 10:13. That God has progressed the world from the vegetarian garden to our modern bacon cheeseburger days is the only sign of sustained progress I can find. I have decided, however, to give up deer hunting. On average, I get 40 pounds of usable meat from a … [Read more...] about Starving Buffalo Hunters
Reflections and Ruminations on the SBC and Her Future: Part 1 – IMB Tongues Policy (by Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr)
REFLECTIONS AND RUMINATIONS ON THE SBC AND HER FUTURE BY WILLIAM DWIGHT MCKISSIC, SR. PART I Revisiting the IMB Tongues Policies: A Response to a Reasonable and Respectful Request The SBC is a branch of the Kingdom of God that He has used mightily in days past and gone, and is still using, to advance His Kingdom and to bring Him glory. It is quite apparent though, to anyone remotely observing, that the SBC light is not shining quite as bright as it once did. If the SBC is to return to her former glory and surpass it, there must be some major shifts and adjustments made, and commitments to … [Read more...] about Reflections and Ruminations on the SBC and Her Future: Part 1 – IMB Tongues Policy (by Wm Dwight McKissic, Sr)
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? PART TWO (by CB Scott)
It is Saturday morning. You are sitting on the back deck of your home. You are drinking coffee, strong and black. You normally drink a lot of coffee because you like it. However, you have been drinking much more of it for the last three days. One reason is because you are not very hungry so you are drinking coffee just so you will not be sitting at the table with your family staring off into another world as they try to eat their meals. However, you have noticed that your wife and teenage children are not eating much either. In addition, the normal table talk that takes place during meal times … [Read more...] about WHAT WOULD YOU DO? PART TWO (by CB Scott)
So, You Want to Be a Blogger…
Strange things are happening for bloggers in the SBC. It was not long ago we were institutional pariahs viewed with horror and antipathy by the leaders of the SBC; regularly and roundly blasted by them. It was not unusual to sit at the SBC and hear pot-shots taken at us by people who claimed not to read anything we wrote, recommended that we be ignored, but still took the time to train their guns on us. It wasn't that long ago. Things have changed now. Both VPs of the SBC are bloggers. Entity heads are building bridges with us instead of seeking to burn them down. One of the must-read … [Read more...] about So, You Want to Be a Blogger…
A Hermeneutic of Story
For an upcoming seminar I am taking, the professor wrote in the syllabus that we should be ready on the first day to answer the question, “What is your hermeneutic.” The book he has us reading in preparation for this discussion is Kevin Vanhoozer’s The Drama of Doctrine (which I’ve mentioned in a previous post). At its core, Vanhoozer proposes what he calls a canonical-linguistic approach. With this, he critiques a postmodern tendency to place the authority of interpretation into the hands of a reader’s tradition and instead places the authority back onto God via his communicated word. … [Read more...] about A Hermeneutic of Story
An Idea for Baltimore 2014
Our esteemed and honored 1st VP suggested something on Facebook, and in the space of about 3 minutes, we have the core of a plan. However, its an idea that would require some pre-planning and organization, so I thought I'd float it and see what the folks at Voices thought of the idea. The SBC is in Baltimore next year. Baltimore is near Washington DC. I'm guessing most of you are aware that Washington DC is where the President and Congress work? I went over that for the sake of our SEC fans. Anyway, we were thinking of gathering in Washington DC, perhaps on Saturday before the … [Read more...] about An Idea for Baltimore 2014