Author Archive
Statement from Dr. Ergun Caner
Posted by: | CommentsThe following is a statement from Dr. Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, regarding the recently renewed accusations and criticisms of his life and ministry. He issued this from his website, erguncaner.com, Thursday evening, February 25, 2010. We have reproduced it here, by permission of the author, for your convenience. The original may be found by clicking the following link: Statement of Dr. Ergun Caner.
In keeping with the desire expressed by Dr. Caner in the following excerpt from his statement,
This constant stream of criticism, blogging and berating is not acceptable between believers. I am as guilty as anyone else in instigating such things over the years, but these personal attacks are too much.
I shall not participate in this anymore.
We will not be opening commenting on this post.
STATEMENT RELEASED ON 25 FEBRUARY 2010: Read More→
Podcast Episode 24
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Today on our podcast, we are joined once again by Dr. Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. In this episode we talk with Dr. Caner about recent events, comments he has made and comments which have been made about him.
Listen to the podcast by using the player below, or subscribe in iTunes by clicking the image in this post or the link in the sidebar. We’d love to hear your ideas on how we can improve the podcast, and we’d also appreciate a review or a rating on our iTunes page. Thanks for listening.
Enhanced Podcast: A Review of Logos Bible Software
Posted by: | CommentsFor those that may be looking for a new Bible Software to help in sermon preparation this review is for you. A former contributor to SBC Today, Robin Foster, loves this bible software as much as he loves lollipops. 
Seriously, Robin has switched to the Logos Software and gives helpful advice to those that my be looking to use the application.
Logos 4.0: Taking Sermon Prep to the Next Level
Ever since I got the Biblesoft 2.0 edition back in 1997 I have used Bible computer software in my study. Over the years I remained with Biblesoft upgrading to the 5.0 version last year spring. I even wrote a review for them to use in their advertising. For the price, it is a great resource, but as I upgraded, I waited for Biblesoft to produce something that also dealt with syntactical and clausal analysis of the original Hebrew and Greek. In the DMin program at Southwestern, looking past the particular words to the clausal structure has been a major emphasis and a tremendous help in my preparation to preach God’s Word.
In February of 2009 I went to the Biblesoft table when I attended the Pastors Conference at FBC Jacksonville and asked if they were developing anything that might help in studying the text at the clausal level. The guy at the table said that they hadn’t and that I really didn’t need to do that because it was a waste of time. I wouldn’t get much out of it. My response, “Hmmmmmmmmm? I think it is time to move on to another program.”
While I still believe that Biblesoft is a good program (great for those who have limited knowledge of Greek and Hebrew) and well worth the investment (It is much cheaper than Logos), I wanted to go deeper electronically with my study. Then I took another look at Logos. I had kept up with them since my seminary days, but during that time I did not feel the price justified the investment. Now ……… WOW! I got the Logos 3.0 program after the Pastors Conference and it has been a tremendous help. They recently released the 4.0 program and I upgraded to the Platinum edition from the Gold I had. The resources are too numerous to mention. And yes, they have great syntactical and clausal analysis resources that help in those studies.
What is great with the 4.0 edition is the indexing feature that indexes every word used in the entire library so that if I want to find out more on “baptism” all I have to do is type it and every resource in the library that refers to baptism will come up. Hours of research are done in just a few seconds. If I am studying a particular passage in the New Testament, all I have to do is type in the passage and more than thirty commentaries and word studies pop up on the screen saving me hours of researching. I can also designate which resources are my favorite to get what I need more quickly. The information is a click away. The Old Testament resources are not as numerous as the New Testament resources, but in reality, that is true whether you are using Logos or not. Even so, a wealth of information is available for the Old Testament.
Another bonus is that I can integrate the Logos program with my iPhone. While Logos is still in the process of getting the entire library available on the iPhone, for the time being I can still do some incredible studies (Logos currently has over 3000 resources) and look up items when I am working with others one-on-one or in small groups. Just this morning I was discussing some particulars about Herod the Great with other pastors and was able to look up the information on the spot to settle an argument.
The major draw back is that they are still developing the software for the Mac. While I could use what they have available on my Mac, it would be updated approximately every two weeks and on each update the computer would go and re-index all the material in the program, which would take several hours. They plan on having the updated edition fully integrated for Mac by the summer. Until then I can still run the program on my parallel.
If you are serious about getting the most out of your study time in the best way possible and you have the means by which to do so, I would recommend Logos. If cost is a serious problem, they have discounts for seminary students and professors if your institution has an agreement with them. They will also allow you to pay the cost in installments. Check out the web site, www.logos.com to get all the details.
I have not been paid or given any discounts for this review.
Merry Christmas to All
Posted by: | CommentsEnjoy this video with our heartfelt wishes for a blessed Christmas season and a prosperous New Year.
Words of Explanation
Posted by: | CommentsAs many of our readers have noticed we are sporadic at best in our posting. This is not a result of being ADD as some of you may wonder. However, it is a result of hectic schedules and losing contributors.
In the spirit of the guys over at SBC Impact, we would like to ask for your indulgence with us as we try to sort through the various bumps in the road that have come our way. We are presently trying to secure another contributor to replace those who have needed to step aside. We believe that it is not good for a trustee of an SBC Entity to publicly express his disagreement or opinion concerning other entities. Thus, Brothers Bart and John stepped aside after they were voted into their positions of denominational service. Brother Robin has embarked upon a much tougher schedule concerning his studies and he felt it was best for him to step aside temporarily in order to devote the time needed for his studies. We did add Dr. Bill Tomlinson and he has yet to contribute his first article. One of the ‘challenges’ to having people over 60 as a contributor is their lack of computer savy (just ask us some time about Tim, too! ). Brother Bill is learning from scratch how to post and all of the ins and outs of blog world.
This means an extra amount of work on the rest of us as we proceed. With this in mind we are currently praying about adding others to our list of contributors to give our readers the kind of coverage we believe is needed of current SBC issues. Our vision today remains the same as it did when we began: Restoring unity through Biblical Discipleship and Baptist Identity.
We have a Christmas post scheduled for December 21, 2009 for your enjoyment. We encourage you to spend time with your family and churches during the Christmas season. Use this time to reflect on the blessings of the gift of God in your life. It will be some time after January 1, 2010 before we get back on a regular schedule of posting articles. Pray for us as the Lord leads.
Pray for Dr. Johnny Hunt
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According to Baptist Press, Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt has announced that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo initial treatment in January. To read the entire article click here.
All of us at SBC Today send our best to Dr. Hunt and his family during this time. We ask all to pray for a speedy recovery and that God will continue to be glorified through His servant.
A New Voice
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We are pleased to welcome a new member to the SBC Today team. William L. “Bill” Tomlinson served as a pastor for 50 years, retiring Jan. 31,2009. Among his churches were Pine Street Baptist in Richmond, Va., First Baptist, Newport News, Va., and, for the last 21 years , Arlington Baptist in Rocky Mount, NC. Bill earned his M.Div. degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and his D.Min. from Luther Rice Seminary.
Prior to his retirement, Bill was active in the state conventions of both Virginia and North Carolina, serving in several different capacities. His pastorates were marked by growth in each of his churches. He was especially involved in the building of new facilities and in two pastorates actually leading the church in its relocation process. He is conservative in his theology, traditional in his worship and Christ-centered in his ministry. At the present time he and his wife, Jane, reside in Farmville, Virginia.
We look forward to the contributions Bill will make here, as we all will surely benefit greatly from his seasoned perspective as a veteran of many years of faithful ministry in Baptist churches.
Is Communion for Sinners?
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Today we have the honor of bringing you a guest post by our good friend Dr. Malcolm Yarnell, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of the Oxford Study Program, Director of the Center for Theological Research, and Editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
In this post, Dr. Yarnell addresses the depth of the biblical witness regarding the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper for churches.
Recently, a friend passed me the link to a video promotion for a DVD entitled “Communion.” It is an interesting video (and painfully slow, so be warned!) It is interesting in that the author(s) seems to present the Lord’s Supper as indiscriminately intended for all sinners. But this is too simple of a solution, and does violence to the biblical witness. Read More→
Baptists and the Bible: By What Authority?
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Rev. Steve Grose is pastor of the Newcastle Baptist Tabernacle in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. He blogs at Grosey’s Messages. Steve is a conservative Baptist serving in a Baptist Union in New South Wales, and this article was written for that context. With his permission, we reproduce it here.
Have you ever considered what your world view is, and where did you get it?
When we became Christians something wonderful happened. Our world view changed.
2 Corinthians 5:16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him like that. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. 18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
Dr. Morris Chapman Announces Retirement
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Morris Chapman announced his retirement at the beginning of the Executive Board of Trustees meeting. He has opened the door for the Executive Committee Board of Trustees to begin their search for his replacement as his retirement will be effective September 30, 2010. In a prepared statement he recounted the advances the SBC has made while he was Executive Director. You can read the Baptist Press article here.
