I and some other men have been talking to a young man who joins our church gatherings. Recently, he said, “I want to believe but I don’t know if I can. As I see it right now, I have a 50/50 chance that either atheism or Christianity is true, and I’m just not sure which side to believe.” He later asked if one day he decided that Christianity is wrong and atheism is right, would he still be welcomed at our church? “Of course…” We also have another young man who faces the same dilemma, though he seems closer to belief. If he rejected Christianity he would likely choose deism as opposed to … [Read more...] about Christianity and Atheism in an Age of Science
Try to be a little more supportive
I have discovered that it is so much easier to be a Pharisee than a disciple. You can probably relate, but many of you would never admit it (that was tongue and cheek, don't get mad). You see, a Pharisee makes rules and then expects everyone to abide by them. A disciple hears the rules of the Master, lives by them and encourages others to live by them. They encourage others to "follow me as I follow Christ". The difference seems to be how we approach people. We like to beat folks into submission sometimes, don't we? We have some standards and ideas, and most of them are good. The … [Read more...] about Try to be a little more supportive
Blue Collar Blog Madness: Round Two – SWEET Sixteen!
There are sixteen blogs left in our Blue Collar Blog Madness: That's SWEET! Congratulations to those who made it through to round 2. Actually, the voting was so close - a lot of blogs came within a vote or two (or three) of making the second round. It's been a great tournament so far. In this round, you only get to vote for one blog. You don't get to vote more than once, but you can certainly encourage your friends to vote! Hope you get into the spirit of things. Voting will be open all week, ending sometime Sunday. Here are your sixteen round 2 blogs... Golden Gate … [Read more...] about Blue Collar Blog Madness: Round Two – SWEET Sixteen!
The Anatomy of a Sermon
“So what was the fallen condition focus of your sermon?”—yes, I actually had a church member ask me at lunch this past Sunday. Maybe it’s my fault for giving him a copy of Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching. Of course, this is a man who believes God has called him to be a pastor, and I have been mentoring him in various things including building a sermon. One day, he came into my office and was looking at my book shelf. Counting Chapell’s book, I have twelve about preaching. He asked me which one was the best…I gave him a blank stare for a moment. “You know, I don’t really … [Read more...] about The Anatomy of a Sermon
Conclusions from Comments about Comment Moderation
I posted on Saturday afternoon concerning my struggles about the direction of commenting here at SBC Voices, with a wide range of responses. Thank you for your suggestions, and those I've received privately from some of our contributors who shared their wisdom. I have drawn a few conclusions from the discussion. I don't have a final plan of action, yet; I want to discuss this with our writing team. But here's what I gleaned from some of your comments and my own thoughts - sort of an opinion mishmash. 1) Quite a few people like the open commenting policy here, though most realize it … [Read more...] about Conclusions from Comments about Comment Moderation
“It Could’ve Been Me” – A Reminder from Phil Keaggy
This is a heavy day for all of us involved in blogging. No need to go back over the details. But as I was looking on Facebook, I saw this song (on Jeff Musgrave's site) from Phil Keaggy. It's an oldie, but a good reminder (if we needed one) about the dangers posed by the sin that each of us deals with and the importance of walking in Christ's power daily, not our own. Enjoy the song. Walk in Christ. Remember that we stand in his strength and not in our own. … [Read more...] about “It Could’ve Been Me” – A Reminder from Phil Keaggy
The Lord’s Prayer, part 3: The Requests Concerning Us and Conclusion
This is part three of a study on prayer I wrote for my church. You can read part one here, and part two at this other here. Part Three :: The Requests Concerning Us (6:11-15) As with all things in life, prayer is primarily about God. Yet, prayer also has benefit for us. After establishing the first set of three requests concerning God, his name, kingdom, and will; Jesus gave a second set of requests concerning God’s work in our lives. In these requests we do not merely ask for things to happen or go well in vague and general terms, rather we ask God to work in our lives in particular … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 3: The Requests Concerning Us and Conclusion
Stunned, Sad, and Confused: A Blogging Brother Falls into Sin
(Baptist Press has released an article about the events.) Frankly, I don't know what to do tonight. How do we respond to a tragedy like this? I feel like I've been punched in the gut. When I got back to my office after evening service, there was an email waiting for me from someone I have grown to consider a friend, someone with whose judgment and astute theological argument I was increasingly impressed, admitting moral failure. I did a little research and found a link to a news article that disabused me of any hope that this was not real or that it was not as serious as it … [Read more...] about Stunned, Sad, and Confused: A Blogging Brother Falls into Sin
The Problem of All or Nothing
This post originally appeared at my personal blog. God is holy and perfect and commands us to be "perfect as He is perfect." Perfection: it is a standard that we all know we cannot keep. Those who spend a great deal of time thinking about it are in real danger of driving themselves crazy. It is this insistence of perfection that drives the "wretched urgency" that Michael Spencer, AKA the Internet Monk, used to opine about back in the day. But we humans have a hard time with not taking this the other direction entirely. Since we know we can't be perfect, we have developed whole … [Read more...] about The Problem of All or Nothing
A Forum: What to Do About Blog Comments and Moderation
SBC Voices has an unusual niche in the Baptist blogging world. We have become something of a social media forum. No other Baptist blog has the lively comment streams that we do. That is one of our strengths. It is also our biggest challenge. I think we publish some good articles here, but a lot of the conversation lacks grace. I'll be honest, I am amazed at the words some Christians think are justified in discussing issues. Blog discussions are tricky. Since there is a sense of anonymity, we tend to say things in ways we might not in person. And because we can't read tone of voice, … [Read more...] about A Forum: What to Do About Blog Comments and Moderation