SBC Voices

Five For Fighting

by

With apologies to John Ondrasik's band of the same name, and in response to Dave Miller's humble yet impassioned plea for content, I introduce five "short" topics for your consideration. No, these ideas are not developed into full-length feature articles. Is that always necessary? I re-read Jack London's "To Build a Fire" this morning, appreciating both his master storytelling and his brevity. Why take forever to say something if you can say it briefly? 1.  Rooftop Sex in the Bible So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of … [Read more...] about Five For Fighting

What about Followership?

by

It's election time, and all the candidates are talking about leadership.  Leadership in the buzz word in business, organizations and there is no shortage of people talking about leadership in the church.  I have half a dozen books within eye shot that deal exclusively with the issue of leadership.  We talk about leadership a lot, but I want to talk about something a little different.  Followership. I heard from Chris Tomlin once where he was talking about leading worship.  He talked about how often time worship leaders spend a great deal of energy trying to get the congregation to worship, … [Read more...] about What about Followership?

Rainy Day Planning – Wise or Disobedient?

by

In his famous and wonderful devotional book My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers warns “Do Not Calculate Without God”. So often we make our plans and neglect to honestly factor God and His will first and foremost in them. By contrast Chambers lists three points in his devotional for July 5th (I was flipping through and came across it). First, the obvious, “Don’t calculate without God.” Second, “Don’t calculate with evil in view”; we know there is evil in the world, but we ought to live and plan in ways that don’t exhibit a guardedness because the world is evil. Third, “Don’t calculate … [Read more...] about Rainy Day Planning – Wise or Disobedient?

Are Christians LOUSY Tippers?

by

Forgive me for venting, but it makes me really mad. I heard it again recently - this time from my son.  He waits tables at a national chain restaurant near our home (think soup, salad, breadsticks and pasta) and he confirmed what I had heard before.  Servers do not want to work Sunday mornings because "the church crowd" doesn't tip well. That fries my bacon! The servers at your local restaurant make about 2/3 of minimum wage - or even less.  They only get paid a decent wage if you tip.  And if you don't tip them, they probably don't feel too warm and fuzzy about you later.  And if … [Read more...] about Are Christians LOUSY Tippers?

Santa-god and Psalm 44

by

He's making a list,And checking it twice;Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice. Good little boys and girls can be assured that if they are good then Santa Claus will bring them presents.  But the bad little boys and girls had better shape up because Santa Claus is coming to town and these little sprouts are going to have hell to pay.  No toys for these little minions they’ll be getting coals and spankings or at best that nasty fruitcake. If Christians are faithful then God will bless them.  He will give them presents like peace, prosperity, and healthy relationships.  When we turn our back … [Read more...] about Santa-god and Psalm 44

I Baptize Children: Does That Make Me Paedobaptist?

by

This was originally published at sbcIMPACT a couple of years ago.  We had a lively discussion then.  William Thornton's article this morning got me thinking about it.  I've revised it a little.  For the record, the baptisms referenced in the first paragraph were a couple of years ago, not yesterday. Last Sunday I baptized five children in our early worship service. In the next couple of weeks, there are 4 or 5 more that are waiting in the wings to publicly picture the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Many are the fruit of an evangelistic family which adopts children and brings them … [Read more...] about I Baptize Children: Does That Make Me Paedobaptist?

Why not have a RE-baptism service? (by William Thornton)

by

The SBC Plodder always has good ideas.  Is every idea he has a good one, though?  Well, check out this one and then you make the call!   OK, OK. Baptisms are down, back to the level of the 1950s. We're all chagrined, embarassed, and upset about it. How about we stop the hand wringing and finger pointing and do something about it. The photo is an actual church sign near me. That's it. Have a rebaptism service. Think of the possibilities. You would have a new target audience, everyone in your church who has already been baptized. We are already experienced at doing rebaptisms and … [Read more...] about Why not have a RE-baptism service? (by William Thornton)

Proof of the Superiority of Dispensationalism: We’ve Got the Best Charts!

by

All you posties and amils and postmils and preterists and assorted eschatological wannabees are simply jealous because you cannot come up with the kind of quality charts that dispensationalists have provided over the years. Here's one:   This is about the best non-dispy chart I've seen.   I will not name the author of the non-dispy chart, because I don't want to embarrass Mike Bergmann.  But until you guys can come up with some riveting fiction and a decent chart or two, your positions will never have any credibility. … [Read more...] about Proof of the Superiority of Dispensationalism: We’ve Got the Best Charts!