And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till … [Read more...] about The Path of Seduction, Or How You Ended Up Gutted Like a Deer in a Tree
Call to International Mission, Part 1: Familial Rejection
“Ahh, it’s wonderful! Magnificent! Heart-warming and soul-inspiring! “The call of God on the life of a Christian to go to the world and preach His name! To give up America and its comforts, its air conditioning, its Walmart and Moon Pies! Oh, how sweet to give our all, knowing God will reward our sacrifices by giving back to us much more than we ever gave up! “Who? Grandma? No, she won’t be giving up anything. She’s staying here in the US. We’re the ones leaving, not her. She and Grandpa will be fine.” Yeah, right. Eventually, all missionaries must admit their call and … [Read more...] about Call to International Mission, Part 1: Familial Rejection
Could This Soteriological Innovation Save the SBC?
Discussion: Do You Have Baby Showers for Pregnant Teens?
I was reading an article about this today. What would you do? Beulah is 16 and has been coming to the youth group for a while, and recently professed faith and was baptized. Now, word is out that she is going to have a baby. How does the church respond? I have heard two distinct opinions here, and some variations. 1) The church must uphold standards of sexual morality. The church should not have a public celebration if sin. By doing showers and other such public events, we sanction immorality and info our efforts to encourage purity. 2). The church is a place of grace. Sin should not … [Read more...] about Discussion: Do You Have Baby Showers for Pregnant Teens?
SBC 2012: The Great, the Bad, and the Sad (by Alan Cross)
Alan blogs at Downshore Drift. He gave me permission to copy this post and bring it to you here at SBC Voices. SBC 2012 in New Orleans was a good gathering for a denomination that is known for its ugly fights and petty disagreements. It is easy to dismiss the SBC (and other denominations) as simply an unnecessary organization that has little to do with true Christianity. But, I would disagree. While I don't place my faith in the SBC, it is a group of Christians that are commanded to walk together in unity (as are all Christians). When that happens, it is a good thing. Overall, there was a … [Read more...] about SBC 2012: The Great, the Bad, and the Sad (by Alan Cross)
Denominational Democracy, Trusting Trustees, Blogs, and Dave Miller
At the SBC in New Orleans, Lifeway Director Thom Rainer reported that the Lifeway Trustees had reviewed a resolution passed at last year’s convention in Phoenix requesting them to discontinue sales of the 2011 NIV Bible. Since the point of this post does not have to do primarily with the perceived virtues and/or defects of the 2011 NIV, I will not lay these arguments out here. The relevant point is that the Lifeway Board of Trustees, upon consulting with experts and reviewing the reasons given at last year’s convention supporting the resolution, decided to ignore the recommendation of the … [Read more...] about Denominational Democracy, Trusting Trustees, Blogs, and Dave Miller
The Five “Bes” of Evangelism
One of the guys I’ve been mentoring/discipling in my church is in his last summer before his senior year of High School. While his school is bigger than some, we do not live in a large town with a large school. Each graduating class contains somewhere between 50-to-60 students. In the time I’ve been mentoring him, we have worked on his character and consistency as a follower of Jesus. One area in which he desires to grow is sharing the Gospel with his fellow students. We live in a very spiritually apathetic town. It is small. Most everyone is related or connected to each other in some … [Read more...] about The Five “Bes” of Evangelism
Woven Theology Statement
I have drafted a statement that outlines Woven Theology. The whole document is in work, it's a large task to outline my theological views, and I am finding that this theology is common, but no one has put it down as a written statement. I hope this will help us in our disccusion and bring some unity by finding some common ground. Here is the link. http://jdanbarnes.blogspot.com/2012/06/statement-of-woven-theology.html … [Read more...] about Woven Theology Statement
Reflections on SBC NOLA
Some random reflections before bed tonight. 1) This was an historic time, because the SBC took a huge step in racial reconciliation with the election of Fred Luter as president. However, and I may write more on this later, we cannot allow this to be seen as the finish line in the process. There is a lot more work to do. Maybe one day a black man will be elected and no one will even mention his race. Maybe, one day black men will be candidates for the pulpits of white churches and be hired to those positions. One day, maybe we will have a seminary president or entity head who is Asian, … [Read more...] about Reflections on SBC NOLA
I’m a Little Shocked
I was elected 2nd VP with about 59.5% of the vote. I was shocked. Then, I was confronted by an angry man who called my character and desire for unity in the SBC into question. I am, he said, a fraud. I am a lot of things, folks. I'm overweight, sinful, sometimes self-centered and angry and base and, well, you fill in the blanks. But I will tell you two things. 1) I know that little weight or import attaches to the office if 2nd VP. 2) I will use whatever influence I have to promote a New Baptist Majority, that exalts Christ and revels in the unity we have in him, that emphasizes … [Read more...] about I’m a Little Shocked