SBC Voices

Elijah was on Mt. Carmel facing the prophets of Baal and Asherah.  He waited all day while they called to their gods to bring fire on the altar, but “no one heard, no one answered.”  He taunted them, they cut themselves, they made a ruckus that would have gotten the attention of any god, if that god existed.  Still, no answer came. Then, as evening drew near, it was Elijah’s turn.  He prepared the altar and the bull.  He stood before the people and prayed a very simple prayer.  He asked God to bring fire on the sacrifice to show the people of Israel that Yahweh is God – the only living … [Read more...] about Water on the Altar: Letting God Be God

During a mission trip to inner-city Kansas City I found myself sharing the gospel with a homeless man.  As his alcohol-laced breath washed over me I began wondering if this man was actually a believer.  He was speaking as if he understood fundamental elements of who God is, that he understood the effects of the Cross, he seemed to understand and be convinced of the sinfulness of mankind. Just as I was beginning to encourage myself that this man was a believer he took a really strange detour.  The next thing I knew we were talking about Moses being an alien and a whole host of other weird … [Read more...] about Review of “The World Tilting Gospel” by Dan Phillips

A Story It was a not-uncommon snowy day in Cedar Rapids a decade ago. Several inches had piled up on the streets and the snow plows had not yet cleared First Avenue. I am a legend in my own mind at snow-driving, loving to slip-slide my way through snowy streets. I drove a small, rear-wheel-drive truck, which is about as bad as it gets in the snow. But I'd learned to handle it and I seldom let snow slow me down. I got frustrated when I got behind a real slow-poke. I mean, this lady was going no more than 10 to 15 MPH. The right lane had been informally plowed by the cars driving down the … [Read more...] about Can We Profit By Discussing Calvinism on Blogs?

Editor: This was originally published at sbcIMPACT on June 30, 2009. David gave me permission to republish it here.  It is amazing to me how currently this 3-year-old post is! It is human nature to choose sides. All of us do it all of the time. We choose: between good guys and bad guys; between those with white hats and those with black hats; between red-blooded Americans and everybody else; between Republicans and Democrats; between the Moral Majority and the Immoral Minority; between Baptists and those of other denominations; between Conservatives and Liberals; or—if you please—between … [Read more...] about Choosing Sides

When I was a child, I learned to pray from watching my Dad.  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you for this food.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.  That was the standard blessing he offered at supper, nightly, sometimes mumbling it into his beard after a long, exhausting day.  He meant every word of it, no matter how routinely identical the words were. As I matured into adolescent immaturity, I began to notice how he prayed at other times.  Our Father, in the name of Jesus we come to you humbly…  He prayed sitting in church, standing in Bible studies, hunched over on the edge of my … [Read more...] about The Prayers I Could Have Prayed

Sorry, I drove all night to get home from Cedarville, so maybe I'm a little grumpy. But I just wish Ryan had run for president!  He has the kind of budgetary sense the US needs. If you want to talk politics, here it is. Just be nice.  Remember, I'm grumpy. … [Read more...] about Count Me a Little Annoyed: Paul Ryan Should be the Presidential Candidate!

Editor: This post originally appeared at Todd Littleton's blog, "Edge of the Inside." I am predicting a lively debate! Play nice boys and girls, as I am on my way to Cedarville to deposit my daughter for her sophomore year. I recall a conversation on politics last year. We stood in the hallway while others carried boxes of food to folks in need. She was lecturing me on American History. All she knew she learned at a series of events at a gun range. I don’t even recall the book in her hand except that she constantly referenced my need to read it. She came for a box of food but would save her … [Read more...] about Nathan Finn Calls Attention to the Pseudo-History of Barton or, Is This the Consequence of the Marriage for which Dr. Land Called? (by Todd Littleton)

100 stinking push ups. That’s what one of my coaches in High School made me do because I called him Kareem Abdul (insert his last name).  Apparently, I should have called him Kareem Abdul COACH (insert his last name).  He clearly derived his identity as “coach”, even down to his early 90’s coach mustache.  So, a mouthy freshman teasing him about his less-than-stellar hook shots must have insulted his identity a little too much.  So he figured making the scrawny kid do a hundred girly looking push-ups ought to teach me to respect not only his ‘stache and his hook shots but also his identity … [Read more...] about Mustache Coaches and Pastoral Identity

In the story recorded in Acts 5, the Sanhedrin was furious and bloodthirsty. In defiance of the Council's command the Apostles continued to proclaim Christ and that set them off. Called before this intimidating body, Peter was anything but timid. He called them to account for the death of Jesus, proclaimed the resurrection and announced his intentions to obey God rather than to cower before them. This insolence infuriated them and they were determined to squash that annoying sect. Enter Gamaliel. He was one of the more influential teachers and leaders in Jewish history, even being quoted in … [Read more...] about The Gamaliel Solution: A Way Forward in the Calvinism Wars?