The audio from the sermon is now online.
Thank you for fighting and winning the war on inerrancy, but quit fighting over secondary issues to the gospel. Affection for Jesus Christ wanes where the gospel stops being primary and secondary doctrines rise up to take its place.
This was the message delivered by Matt Chandler of The Village Church (Dallas, TX) to the crowd of pastors and SBC lay leaders gathered on Tuesday at the 23rd Annual FBC Jax Pastors’ Conference.
Personally, I was surprised to see his name on the list for this year’s conference, but was happy that an exciting young pastor who I had been following on podcast would be coming near to my home where I could watch him preach. Little did I expect him to make the trip into what is at best nervous company and point the two-edged sword of the gospel right to the throat of the sacred cows of many SBC ministries.
Here’s what went down. Tuesday morning, Matt Chandler gave a session at FBC Jax which was structured to be a lesson/Q&A about how to reach the younger generation. During this time he went through his personal history and his experiences in being called to, straightening out, and growing his church, The Village in Dallas, TX. This turned out to be a nice testimony interspersed with comments about how The Village became what it is today, a rapidly growing congregation of 6000 people spread over 9 services and 2 locations.
There were a couple of interesting points in this period. First, Chandler wasted no time getting the fact that he is a Calvinist out on the table. It wasn’t in an “I’m a Calvinist and so is God” pseudo-instructing manner, but simply came out as a depiction of his theological convictions as a pastor. Also, there were a number of instances when he made comments that, though not directed at FBC Jax, could be taken as against them if someone wanted to pick a fight (and as Baptists, I think we’re always up for that). For example, Chandler said that his heart was to not spend $40 million building a new facility for his church; this being something that FBC Jax has shown tremendous ease in doing.
The last interesting remark to come out of the morning session with Matt Chandler was when he said that he is thankful to the older generation of Southern Baptists for fighting the war for inerrancy and winning, but that now they need to learn to stop fighting for secondary issues over and above simply focusing on the primary concern of the gospel. When he said this I was amazed. I have expressed similar worries in my conversations and writings, and so to hear Chandler voice them at this conference, if at nothing more than a minor session among the early-rising preachers on Tuesday, was an incredibly powerful moment to me.
However, as it turned out, that powerful moment that I felt when Chandler said this during the AM session grew into an incredible hour later on, as an elaborated version of this message was the topic for sermon that afternoon. Using the example of the church at Ephesus to illustrate (Acts 18-19, Revelation 2), Chandler talked about what happens when a formerly vibrant community of God remains biblically faithful and yet “abandon[s] the love [they] had at first” (Revelation 2.4). This, he claims, is what has happened in the SBC as church leaders have promoted secondary issues, specifically extra-biblical morality, into the primary focus of the church, to the exclusion of emphasizing the gospel’s unique power in salvation.
After using various examples and situations to hammer on this for a while, sometimes to much applause, occasionally to a reserved acknowledgment of the veracity of his statements, Chandler moved to close with the story of the Prodigal Son. He briefly overviewed the familiar parable and then focused on the last scene, with the good son standing in defiance against the celebration of the Prodigal’s return. This son stands firm against the father’s plea to come and celebrate, and in his selfishness complains that, “You never gave me a young goat!” (Luke 15.29). This, Chandler claims, is what the SBC is doing. They are crying, “We want our goat!” and then turning various moral stances and practical convictions into a goat of favor which they can use against the world saying, “Look what we’ve got. Look at how we live. Do x-y-z to be holy like us.”
It is this inversion of priorities that Chandler says is causing us to lose the younger generation from the ranks of the SBC.
When he finished with his message, my heart was racing. Seeing the way in which Chandler took a hard message from Scripture, together with his own personal experience, and drove it home, all from the stage at a flagship of SBC tradition, was an unbelievable experience. My hope is that this was a message taken to heart by the pastors and SBC leaders in attendance, and that that old familiar enemy of pride doesn’t just cause them to bull up and deflect the charges to those around them while avoiding any serious self-reflection here. Matt Chandler really went out on a limb with his message at the FBC Jax Pastors’ Conference, but he said something that needed to be put out there. I pray God can now use that to ignite change for the better within the realm of the larger SBC communion.
Sounds like a good one.
Dave Millers last blog post..I Waited Patiently…
Good for him. Do you think he’ll be invited back next year?
Les Puryears last blog post..Georgia Small Church Leadership Conference: May 6-7, 2009
Les, If that last question was not rhetorical then my answer would be no. People were with him in the beginning, but by the time he said that in clinging to extra-biblical morality we are saying, “We want our goat,” the clapping had mostly silenced. It is kind of ridiculous that David Allen got a standing ovation for an arrogant exegeting of Hebrews 6 where he seemed more focused on bashing Calvinism than getting to the point and yet when Chandler brought home a hard message about how not to lose the future of our denomination the clapping was simply… Read more »
Todd, What older Pastors are standing in defiance of the younger son(who is this?)? And, are you saying that the so-called “BI” guys would fit into the older son analogy? If so, how? I really dont see how the Prodigal Son fits anything about the SBC. And, this statement….”This, Chandler claims, is what the SBC is doing. They are crying, “We want our goat!” and then turning various moral stances and practical convictions into a goat of favor which they can use against the world saying, “Look what we’ve got. Look at how we live. Do x-y-z to be holy… Read more »
If the Q&A and/or sermon get posted for download, someone please post a link! Thanks!
David (volfan),
If you don’t get it, no one here will be able to explain it to you.
Brent,
Maybe you can help an ignorant person like me to see it?
David
Thank you for posting this. I enjoyed your synopsis of the message and would love to hear it if it is ever posted somewhere.
Martin Pitchers last blog post..Old Business – Pastoral Growth
Will the messages from this conference be available as mp3’s?
I would be interested in listening to several of the speakers.
Trevin Waxs last blog post..David Wells’ Call for a New Reformation
David, Keep in mind, this is a synopsis of Chandler’s message, not my own original thoughts (though I do not disagree with him on any count). Also, keep in mind that in the parable of the Prodigal son, the good son is playing the part of the Pharisees and scribes. With that, by his statement that the old guard of the SBC is saying “We want our goat,” Chandler made the point (and he did explain this) that the people are saying, “Look, we’ve been faithful for a long time, but we want to have this issue as our little… Read more »
Todd,
It does.
Thanks.
David
Todd- Thanks so much for offering your opinion on what issues Chandler may be referring to. Some of the readers may not be familiar enough with him to know what he considers secondary issues.
I heard Chandler preach many times when I was in college in Abilene, TX, where he led a weeknight Bible study. It’s good to see that he has been true to biblical preaching through the years and been blessed with the growth he’s seen at his church.
Sandras last blog post..ReRun: Purpose of Prayer
aS LONG AS THE OLD VANGUARD IS IN PLACE, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
thanks for the great article. just plugged ya on my twitter. my dad preached at the conference the day before. he preached a similar message to Chandler’s at the convention a couple of years back. wish i could have been there.
do you know if these message are going to be available anywhere?
1. I’m thrilled to hear this coming from an SBC leader (young or otherwise).
2. What did he mean by “extra-biblical morality”?
Bradleys last blog post..:: Quotations :: Karl Barth on Roman Catholicism
Bradley, He mentioned things like telling people not to watch R-rated movies (unless they’re about Jesus *wink*), discouraging dancing, and stuff like that. Basically he meant the common legalisms you can find in any Baptist church where people look down on you for partaking in it, call you worldly, and then when pressed for a verse come up with something lame like “Your body is a temple,” etc. At this point I don’t recall if he mentioned the alcohol issue. I don’t think he did since he didn’t get lynched or have his SBC funding threatened, but I can’t imagine… Read more »
I’ve been in SBC churches all my 60+ years and I thougth we had moved past being someone’s conscience. Is it not the Holy Spirit’s job to convict a person of thou shalt not and even more important you have no power without Me. I do remember hearing Bro. John of FBC Houston saying he would never see a R rated movie again and this is later in his life and I never once remember any condemning remarks from him only the word for word line upon line teaching of God’s word. That’s what will change a person and he… Read more »
First, I well know that the older brother had a wrong, sinful attitude. He should have been rejoicing at the return of the his younger, prodigal brother. Second, God is gracious and none of us are deserving. The repentant younger brother was blessed beyond measure for the rest of his days, although he also had to deal with the consequences of his sinful behavior. Remember, forgiveness and consequences are separate issues. But, did the older brother ever get that goat? Most do not notice a brief phrase Jesus spoke in Luke 15:31. In the story, it is the father speaking… Read more »
I find it odd, well maybe not so odd, that Dr. Jerry Vines message has been posted on FBC-Jax website but not Pastor Chandler’s. Hhhhhmmmmm……… sets one to thinking, huh? Sadly in our denomination there is a growing movement to silence and purge those who “don’t look and sound like them”. FBC-JAX should have the courage to post Bro. Chandlers sessions for all to hear, even if they disagree with some or all of what he said. The Dr. Vines, Pattersons and Allens of the SBC world should learn Augustines maxum: In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things… Read more »
Amen to that Terry. Indeed, I find it pathetic.
I wish I could have been there to hear Mr. Chandler. I did hear Mark Driscoll at SEBTS two weeks ago. It seems that God is beginning to raise up a strong, evangelistic, sovereign grace ministry in this age. For sure such was the origin of the SBC and its great mission effort. The past two Sundays I had the privilege of preaching in one of the original arms of the Sandy Creek Baptist Church. It was named Haw River…then Rock Springs. At one time Haw River had six preaching points or as they say today, six campuses. This arm… Read more »
Todd,
This is an interesting post, as I work for the FBC as a BCM Director. This is something I deal with all the time. I’ve been struggling with “secondary” issues with college students as they haven’t seen action matching words based on these issues. I’d really like to hear this message. Also, you mentioned that Matt Chandler gets SBC funding? is this true? Is the Village an SBC church?
Thanks for your post!
Rahuls last blog post..Reaching Collegians
Matt’s messages from conferences, including FBC Jax will be posted to The Village website soon.
Rahul, Thank you for your testimony to this issue. As for The Village and the SBC, I may have overstepped in making it sound like they get SBC funding; I’m not sure if they do or not. I was more making an allusion to the events in Missouri where churches of a similar philosophy as Matt’s (i.e. Acts 29 churches) had their Missouri Baptist Convention funding cut. The Village is definitely SBC though. They are dual affiliated with the SBC and with Acts 29, just like The Journey in St. Louis, Sojourn in Louisville, The Summit in Durham, and several… Read more »
It shouldn’t be surprising that FBC Jax didn’t post the .mp3 audio. The J316 conference showed Arminians don’t do free audio. Haha… just kidding (halfway…). I’ll check Chandler’s site for it in a few more days.
I am pleading with the current leaders of the SBC to share their resources online for free.
Many of us would enjoy listening!
http://trevinwax.com/2009/02/19/a-plea-to-the-current-leadership-of-the-sbc/
Trevin Waxs last blog post..A Plea to the Current Leadership of the SBC
Help me understand something. If a Christian is following scripture and heeding the example Paul set when he said, “Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense to God and toward men.” Acts 24:16 Amplified, then that Christian is as the elder son? Is subject to fostering a Pharisee’s mindset? Is following after a man’s agenda rather than God’s? To die daily to self, is no longer something we should be teaching new Christians? To… Read more »
You are right at first, that initially, one who is dying to self in the manner of Paul is acting as the good son. However, the good son goes off course at the end in his envy, asking to be repaid for his long-time obedience. Such a desire is not in the example of Paul, it is the example of the Pharisee who wants their reward today instead of in heaven (think about the Beatitudes here). So, Chandler’s point was that the old guard has been faithful for a long time, to which he thanked them since it led them… Read more »
Hello Todd, I’m afraid I do not see the “goat some are demanding”. Can you be specific? What “earthly reward” are “they seeking for their earthly obedience”? It seems to me, for the past few years I’ve been reading about all this hubbabaloo, the folks crying for a “goat of their own”, are far removed from “the old guard” and their alleged intentions. What “idol” have they made for “their morality”? Why does preaching morality make it an idol? I for one, am reminded how very far I am from the top of the morality pedastal each time I write… Read more »
http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/studies-seminars
here is the message referenced.
I don’t believe anyone referenced this: Chandler’s “Prodigal Son” illustration comes from the pages of Timothy Keller’s “The Prodigal God.” Keller differentiates between the younger brother and the elder brother. I won’t dive into the book here, but it’s definitely worth reading. Chandler simply integrates Keller’s illustration into the SBC. For what it’s worth, I think Chandler (and Keller) are spot on.