Archive for July, 2009
A Caution and Reminder
Posted by: | CommentsA CAUTION AND REMINDER
Unless wisdom flees from us, Baptists will ever see to it that churches, churches and the New Testament type of preachers, meritorious preachers, are, in the right sense, the constant center of their concern, the first objects of proper honor and credit for denominational accomplishments and acquirements—not Boards, nor Associations, nor even Conventions, not Secretaries. These four instruments or agencies are legitimate, highly proper, and useful, indispensable, but they and their funds all stem from the churches and preacher-pastors. There is no iota of discredit here, of course, for these four agencies, but it must be said that there is an alarming drift in thought and practice, particularly in some quarters, in the direction that responsibility and most credit belong to Boards, Secretaries and Conventions. The writer hastens to say that he sees no such drift in Arkansas. History and experience show that where credit is placed, sooner or later right there control will be placed. Where credit abides control will reside. Boards, Associations, Conventions, and Secretaries are necessary, we repeat, and worthy and deserve a great measure of credit, but major credit and honor should be laid at the doors of the blessed churches with their faithful pastors. That is right and just and it ought to be expressly said in reports and minutes and is said in Arkansas at present. It is not at all sufficient to say “that is understood” or “everybody knows that major credit belongs with the churches.” Safety with Baptists lies in staying close to the churches, in continuous and unfailing recognition of the churches and preachers. They by the grace of God made this day possible. They brought us where we are. They, after the Lord and the Bible, deserve credit for what we are and have today. What is “understood” in this case should be underscored. This book is written with the constraining impulse and conviction that churches and preachers, little churches and little preachers (if there are such) and big churches and big preachers deserve and must have consideration and first honor in any such enterprise. Baptist denominational “directors” will do well to “watch their step.”
-J.S. Rogers
Is there ever an era in our denominational life in which this “caution and reminder” is not timely?
Kitchen Tables and Interventions
Posted by: | CommentsThe way I write is actually fairly simple – it’s much like birthing a sermon. You incubate it in prayer, research it in study, and wrestle with it until you have a burden you believe is from God that you must communicate. With apologies to Martin Luther, my burden for this article was birthed at the kitchen table. It was a discussion about a family member leaving her husband and the resulting unintended consequences of the divorce. The typical topics emerged – the pursuit of personal happiness, emotional abuse, and the bottom line offered in most such conversations in American life: it’s my life butt out. Not much to create a writer’s burden or lift writer’s block but the seeds started sprouting fairly quickly. The seminal seed that took root in my thoughts was what role the church should or could play in such a situation. How could the church most effectively be the church in this situation? Both participants in this family fiasco are believers that frequent a local Baptist church. This is not a case of ministering to or reaching unbelievers.
The Podcast Returns
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We are either slow learners or gluttons for punishment (or both, as I suppose they’re not mutually exclusive), but we’ve decided to have another go at producing a weekly podcast. We’ve had good intentions in the past, but I think we’ve set too high a bar in terms of content and production quality, with the result that we were never able to keep up with regular episodes due to our schedules.
So we’re trying out a new and much more informal format. As you’ll hear, there’s less structure to our discussion. It’s basically just us gathered around to discuss issues, and that’s what we wanted. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to our ramblings, and we plan on producing a new episode each week containing discussions about what’s happening in SBC life.
In this episode, you’ll hear us discuss everything from Clark Logan to Jimmy Carter to Christmas in August. You can listen using the player below, or you can click our podcast logo (or the iTunes link in the sidebar) to be taken to iTunes, where you can subscribe and have each episode delivered to you fresh from the oven.
If you have suggestions for things you’d like to hear us discuss on the podcast, or just ideas for how we can improve, leave a comment here, or click “About” in the header for email links for each of us.
Below are some links to articles & resources we mention during the episode. Thanks for listening, and for reading SBC Today.
Enhanced Podcast: The Irony of Dearborn, Michigan
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We are grateful to Dr. Ergun Caner for providing to us his perspective on the recent firing of a Christian wrestling coach by a Muslim high school principal in Dearborn, Michigan. Ergun Mehmet Caner is the President and Dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, and professor of Apologetics and Theology at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia. A former Sunni Muslim, Caner writes and speaks in the area of Global Apologetics. He can be reached at erguncaner.com and twitter.com/erguncaner.
There is irony in every line of this article from Christian Post.
In every Islamic Republic, operated by Sharia law, not only do sports mix with Islam, they are guided by it. Regularly Islamic Olympians are told to represent Allah well by their efforts. Prayer time is performed together as a team, to build the team character.
Yet in Dearborn, Michigan, a Christian coach (Gerald Marszalek) is fired by his Muslim principal (Imad Fadlallah). Why? because of his friendship with a volunteer coach who led a Muslim student to Christ at a summer camp. When the principal heard of this, he punched the student and told him that he disgraced his family!
Confusing Message, but Concerns for Millions
Posted by: | CommentsPaul told Timothy to be “instant in season and out of season.” The New American Standard Bible translates 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;” When I entered the ministry I was instructed by an old pastor to be ready on every occasion to give a gospel message. I asked what was meant by a “gospel message” and he told me it was the “good news”. Not a good word but the good news. It seems that we have changed the definition of “the good news” today to a different meaning in order to accommodate society’s new right: the right not to be offended. Dr. Albert Mohler has a great article on this new right and you can read about it here. However I would like to address something that took place on July 4th that did cause an uproar, but not one that would be expected.
Poisoning the Fountains of Truth: Part Two
Posted by: | CommentsThis is part of an article originally published January 1922 in the Southwestern Journal of Theology by Dr. L. R. Scarborough entitled, “Poisoning the Fountains of Truth.” It was republished in the most recent Southwestern Journal of Theology, “Baptists and Unity.” You can find part one here. May a voice of our past speak to us today. Below is part two of a four part series reprinting Dr. Scarborough’s essay:
There are a number of ways by which we can cast the poison of erroneous teaching into the very fountains of truth and life among our people. I mention some of them:
1. By allowing the pastor of the church to assume the control and the management of the functions of a church; for instance, when he licenses young preachers or when he appoints unordained men as deacons of the church and allows them to serve without the church ever having elected them or ordained them, or when he or a committee of the church issues letters to members desiring to remove their relations, or when he himself or through a committee dismisses them from the church fellowship, or commits other acts of maladministration contrary to the Word of God. This is an assumption of authority and partakes of the nature of a self-appointed ecclesiascism and this conduct greatly poisons the life of the church.
Reprinted with permission, Southwestern Journal of Theology
Messages on Ordinances
Posted by: | CommentsOn behalf of my brothers here at SBC Today, I have the privilege of presenting our readers video of two excellent messages from Dr. Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
In these sermons, preached at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Dr. Moore presents a biblical understanding of the importance of Communion and Baptism–ordinances given to God’s people to be carried out in our churches.
His message on the Lord’s Supper, the first one posted below, is, “Communion (Really).”
His message on Baptism is, “Dead Man Washing.”
I pray that you are challenged, renewed, and encouraged by these messages from Dr. Moore. May we be faithful in our proclamation of what Christ has done for us as we look forward with enthusiastic anticipation at what He has promised.
Communion (Really) from Russell Moore on Vimeo.
Dead Man Washing from Russell Moore on Vimeo.
Poisoning the Fountains of Truth: Part One
Posted by: | CommentsThis is part of an article originally published January 1922 in the Southwestern Journal of Theology by Dr. L. R. Scarborough entitled, “Poisoning the Fountains of Truth.” It was republished in the most recent Southwestern Journal of Theology, “Baptists and Unity.” May a voice of our past speak to us today. Below is part one of a four part series reprinting Dr. Scarborough’s essay:
Poisoning the Fountains of Truth
Christ’s churches are the most important institutions in the world. He gave them a definite form of government, a specific character of membership, set up in them the two ordinances, gave to them the great body of the truth found in the New testament, set for them their officers, and committed to them the great task of winning the world to Him and building His great Kingdom. He says through His inspired apostles in 1 Timothy 3:15 that this organization which He set up and called His church is “the pillar and ground of the truth.” He says this church was purchased by His blood; and in His spiritual economy He calls this institution His Bride. All this and many other things in the New testament indicate that these spiritual organizations set up by Christ and established in many places by the apostles and which have for their successors these New testament churches of today are the most important institutions in all the world. These churches are to keep, guard, and promote the ordinances. They are to propagate the gospel. They are to win souls. They are both the preservers and the heralds of the gospel truth. They are to establish Christ’s Kingdom and to make Christ King in all the world. From any angle you look at these churches their importance is magnified.
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Frank Tripp Is One of My Heroes
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Detective Frank Tripp, character on "CSI: Miami"
OK, perhaps the title of this post raises some questions in your mind: Should a pastor be watching a violent show like “CSI: Miami”? Should a pastor find heroic a fictional character who divorced his alcoholic wife rather than employing the tough love necessary to see her through her time of struggle? Why is a pastor wasting time watching TV, anyway?
And to that I would find it necessary to reply, “You’re thinking about the wrong Frank Tripp.”
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