SBC Voices

On Henry Ford’s fiftieth wedding anniversary, he was asked for some advice on how to achieve marital bliss and longevity.  He replied, “Just the same as in the automobile business, stick to one model.” The Bible is crystal clear; divorce is a sin.  According to the Bible, marriage is a lifetime commitment.  Jesus referred to married couples by saying, “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6).  Malachi 2:16 further reveals God’s heart in regards to this issue:  “I hate divorce, says the LORD God ofIsrael.”  Clearly, … [Read more...] about The Difficulties of Divorce and Remarriage

I know, we don't have one and don't want one.  We believe in soul competency and the priesthood of the believers.  But the idea of having unfettered power to implement my ideas has its appeal.  Here are some things I would do if I had papal power for a while.  You can add your papal bull (sorry, I couldn't resist that bit of Iowa corn) in the comments below.  Or you can describe your pleasure that I, in fact, have no power. 1)  I would change the way we do seminary edumacation.  I've thought a lot about this one.  I've seen young whippersnappers come out of seminaries with heads full of … [Read more...] about If I Were the Pope of the SBC…

Part Two: Church Authority and Conclusion Last time… In the last post, we began to consider whether or not the Bible provides a clear structure for the church.  Specifically we examined what the Bible says about the leadership offices: Elders (or overseers or pastors), and Deacons.  This time, we’ll look at the issue of church authority. From the last post, I already posited one thing about authority: the deacons are not an authoritative office, except so far as they’re given specific and limited oversight of certain tasks as delegated by the elders.  This leaves us with the question: … [Read more...] about Does the Bible Provide a Clear Structure for Church Governance?—2

Part One: Introduction and Church Leadership Introduction Dave Miller wrote a piece about elders in the life of the church, and why he doesn’t consider it to be a big issue one way or the other.  Within the thread comments the idea was teased out that the Bible does not mandate a particular structure for church government.  Instead of structure, the focus is upon the character of the leaders and then needs and other influences helped develop unique structures from church to church (city to city). I wholeheartedly agree that character is more important than structure.  It doesn’t … [Read more...] about Does the Bible Provide a Clear Structure for Church Governance?—1

I am not trying to write a doctoral dissertation or even a comprehensive doctrinal analysis, but since we've been discussing this, I thought I would give a quick review of the biblical evidence about elders.  I'm going to present the findings of an in-depth, intense (I'm kidding) search of Logos and the use of the term in the NT. 1)  All 24 instances of the use of the term elders in the gospels (Matthew-Luke, there are none in John) as well as 8 of the 18 uses of the word in the book of Acts refer to the "chief priests and elders" of Israel.  In Israel, the rule by a body of elders was … [Read more...] about An Observation: What the NT says about “Elders”

  Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.” – Song of Solomon 4:2, KJV Sometimes we notice things that are just plain silly. I was once on a date with a young woman who noticed every flaw that our waitress seemed to have: her hair was too frizzy, her shirt was wrinkled, she talked too nasally, etc. That kind of insecurity is not only unattractive, but also self-destructive, and cultivates an internal inclination to find faults in others. Unhealthy jealousy spawns from pride (excessive self-focus) and breeds … [Read more...] about A Tribute to the Teeth

I had just finished preaching another message from 1 John.  Very shortly after closing the service I was approached by one of our Jesus-loving teenagers.  She seemed sad.  I knew what she was getting ready to say… “Mike, I don’t think there is any way that I’m saved”. I knew what she was going to say because we had already had this conversation quite a few times.  She was, as many of us are tempted to be, prone to a morbid introspection.  If you gave her the “tests” of 1 John—she’d fail them every time…at least in her own mind.  But if you asked everyone that knew this girl they would … [Read more...] about Review of Am I Really a Christian?

Elders are a hot topic in Baptist conversations today.  Elder-rule.  Elder-leadership.  Pastors are the elders.  Elders make you Presbyterian.  I've read a lot of these discussions and I have not really entered into most of them.  There is a reason for that. I just don't care that much.  Please, put down the stones with which you intend to stone me for my heresy, and let me explain myself a little bit.  I am not an opponent of elder-leadership in churches.  All of the churches I have served in my three decades as a pastor have been pastor/deacon/committee-run churches - standard, traditional … [Read more...] about Why I Am Apathetic About Elders in Baptist Churches

Dr. Lemke has begun a series at SBC Today called "Distinctive Baptist Beliefs."  In this series he is attempting to stake out a middle ground between Arminianism and Calvinistic Presbyterian/Reformed theology.  He is writing to define how Baptist doctrine and Presbyterian/Reformed doctrine differs.  He is articulating the "middle way" in which he recognizes and honors the Presbyterian tradition but also defines his differences with it. This is the second recent series which has attempted to further the discussion of Baptist identity.  Nathan Finn's excellent series, "The Gospel and Baptist … [Read more...] about An Interesting New Series by Dr. Steve Lemke