ASPIRE 2011 from Hope Baptist Church, Las Vegas on Vimeo. Pastors (and everyone else), check out this video. It looks like the 2011 Pastor's Conference will be well worth the time. You will hear more as time goes on, but for now, check out the video. Here is the Pastor's Conference website. Here is a link to the list of speakers. Also, check out their goals - especially the one to raise $100,000 to "take the gospel to an unreached people group in the Arabian Peninsula through a translation project and humanitarian relief." Novel concept - actually making the Pastor's Conference … [Read more...] about Aspire 2011! A Different Kind of Pastor’s Conference
SWBTS vs. TBA: Silence Is Deafening & Defining
What's that you hear? Crickets. As in, no sound at all. As in "no comment." The sounds of silence -- emanating from the normally loquacious, but apparently public relations challenged leaders at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas -- are positively deafening. And, perhaps defining. Since the news of Southwestern's legal "threat" to take back property that the seminary had previously leased -- and then deeded -- to Tarrant Baptist Association, officials at Southwestern have been quiet. Mum's apparently the word. Perhaps on the advice of legal counsel, no one … [Read more...] about SWBTS vs. TBA: Silence Is Deafening & Defining
The Eternal Subordination of the Son Is the Historic Doctrine of the Church
I see this old post is circulating anew today. I don't delete posts generally but I am no longer certain of my position on this topic. Dishonest, brethren-attacking Baptists use some of my older posts against me and others. The simple thing would be to delete this, but I see these posts and comment streams as a record of modern denominational history. A remarkable claim has been made by some egalitarian scholars, which has been parroted on this site in discussions of gender roles in the Bible. It has been said that the doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son … [Read more...] about The Eternal Subordination of the Son Is the Historic Doctrine of the Church
The GCR: A Car Without Gas?
(Mike Leake blogs at "Borrowed Light", a blog worth your perusal. Here is his article originally published at that site.) The 2010 messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention voted on moving towards a Great Commission Resurgence. I happily voted for the GCR because I am passionate about seeing the gospel spread to the nations. (Although, I am certain that my passion should/could increase all the more). As excited as I am to see a Great Commission Resurgence I wonder if maybe we should call it something else—or perhaps change it’s emphasis. Biblically, I see something else … [Read more...] about The GCR: A Car Without Gas?
How We Abandoned Christ in America
As I look back on church history, I read accounts like Polycarp who was led to the stake and burned alive for not recanting his faith. Men like Martin Luther and John Calvin who pushed for reform while fleeing for their lives. Men like John Bunyan who went to prison because he refused to stop preaching. The pilgrims and puritans who came to this country for religious freedom and fought to establish the freedom to worship in America. These men and countless more who faced persecution to obtain religious freedom, to worship, to preach and to evangelize. Today in communist and Muslim … [Read more...] about How We Abandoned Christ in America
They’re BADD
A friend just turned me on to the Belair Drama Department (out of Belair Pres in the LA area). Not endorsing all the theology, and I'm old enough to be a little conflicted about drama/comedy as a part of worship. But these guys are worth watching. Back in college, my roommate and I used to perform "Who's On First?' and seeing this theological knock-off was worth the watching. Enjoy. And, yes, I know that the theology is debatable - but the brilliance of the writing and acting is beyond disputation. … [Read more...] about They’re BADD
Southwestern Seminary’s Assault on Autonomy
Article IV. Authority: While independent and sovereign in its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist body, whether church, auxiliary organizations, associations, or convention. (Constitution of the Southern Baptist Convention) I suppose it depends on what your definitions of "never," "attempt," "exercise," and "authority" are. It seems the latest assault on local autonomy comes courtesy of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a wholly owned entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. According to published … [Read more...] about Southwestern Seminary’s Assault on Autonomy
Inform the People! An Open Letter to Baptist Press
Dear Baptist Press, I thank you for the good work you do. I'm going to be critical of you here, and I know that is not pleasant. I know what it is like to have your words, your ideas, your thoughts publicly derided. It does not feel good. I thank you good folks for what you do. Before I mention some things that bother me, I'd like to thank you for what you do well. You do a wonderful job of highlighting the work that is going on in Southern Baptist Churches and other entities. Your stories on churches and ministries that are reaching people and changing lives are inspiring and … [Read more...] about Inform the People! An Open Letter to Baptist Press
Brick Walls, Picket Fences (7): Why Build a Brick Wall When a Picket Fence Will Do?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the Christians in a city could come together and form one church? Think of it – only one church for all of Sioux City. What a blessing that would be, right? The unity that God intended for His church – an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 – experienced here on earth. Christians joining to worship the Lord and serve him together without all that petty bickering and division – it would be glorious! Someone start humming the Doxology so we can all join in! But then, after the euphoria began to fade, a few uncomfortable realities might begin to present … [Read more...] about Brick Walls, Picket Fences (7): Why Build a Brick Wall When a Picket Fence Will Do?
What does your church do to make disciples?
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) When we think about the primary purpose of the church, I say it has to be that we glorify God by making disciples. Of course with this famous “Great Commission” passage that is the exact command Jesus gives us—make disciples; and Jesus … [Read more...] about What does your church do to make disciples?