Kenneth Starr To lead Baylor
Posted by ·It appears that Baylor will name Kenneth Starr, former special prosecutor, to lead Baylor. We point you to the Associated Baptist Press article for this information. We add that no one from Baylor has confirmed these reports. According to the Waco Tribune, Starr has said he will join a Baptist Church after he is employed at Baylor.
If this is the case then we will have an Evangelical with a Church of Christ background leading a Baptist institution. I must admit, Texas Baptist seemingly appreciate their scriptural doctrine as they like their food, all mixed up. Once again we have another church member becoming a Baptist because of convenience. I wish Dr. Kenneth Starr the best, but this is another example of becoming a Baptist because it suits a particular need instead of it being a conviction of the soul.
Something that I’ve been observing for quite some time now, and especially here lately, is that a lot of people, who belong to Baptist Churches, could join a Church of another denomination and couldn’t tell any difference. I can’t tell you of the people that I have heard say things like…”Well, there’s not that much difference between us Baptists and the Methodists, right?” Inside of me, I’m screaming, “Yes! Yes! How could you even begin to think that?” I’ve heard people make the comment that there’s really not that much difference between us and the Assembly of God Church, or the Presbyterians. And, in my sinking heart, I’m thinking, “What? How could you be a member of a Baptist Church for so long of a time and not know that there’s a huge Read More→
Buckets of Hope for Haiti
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An effort is underway through our SBC Disaster Relief ministry to facilitate local churches in providing food relief for Haitian families through “Buckets of Hope.” Below is a video detailing what to include and how to assemble one of these buckets. Information is also available at the NAMB website: Buckets of Hope.
Collection of buckets is being coordinated through state convention disaster relief ministries. Contact your association or state convention disaster relief coordinators for details on collection sites and further information. March 15 is the targeted date for buckets to be sent to the national collection site in Florida.
You may also link to the NAMB video site here.
Podcast Episode 22
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This week on the podcast, we discuss issues surrounding the allegations made by a Dallas area television station against Ed Young, Jr., and Fellowship Church. Joining us as our guest to help define some of those issues is Dr. John Mark Yeats. Dr. Yeats is assistant professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and author, along with his SWBTS colleague Dr. Thomas White, of Franchising McChurch, a book that deals with issues of commercialism and “branding” among large contemporary churches. We went over our self-imposed time limit of half an hour, but hopefully listeners will find the discussion to be worth the time.
You can use the player below to listen to the podcast, or you can click the image in this post (or the sidebar link) to be taken to our iTunes page. There, you can subscribe to the podcast, download past episodes, write a review, or give us a rating. All of the above are strongly encouraged. And please leave your comment here with suggestions for how we can improve future podcasts or for guests you’d like to see in the future. And as always, thanks for listening.
Links to some items discussed:
Enhanced Podcast: Honoring a Hero
Posted by ·My nephew, Josh Cash, served in Iraq and has now finished his tour of duty. He fought so that we could be free to debate on the blogs and enjoy the various freedoms we have in America. I praise God for those who serve in our military and place their life on the line every day.
Josh had a close friend that was with him in school at East Carolina University, Sgt. David Smith. He was called back to active duty to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Sgt. Smith made the ultimate sacrifice in order for you and me to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. I ask that you take time to pray for Sgt. Smith’s family and view the link to the quote below and read the comments. You can read his obituary here. He is a true hero in every sense of the word. Let’s speak words of encouragement to all who serve in our military in order that you and I can be free. That is what we open our comment section for today.
Sgt. David Smith, USMCR, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Company B., died of injuries suffered in an attack last week in Afghanistan. The 25-year-old Marine died Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010 after evac to Germany. Military officials related Sgt. Smith was wounded in a bombing Saturday in Helmand province that killed at least two others from his company. DoD Official Release is still pending.
This young hero’s family has reached out to the Patriot Guard Riders and asked us to honor his service and sacrifice. It will be an honor to show our respect. Funeral Services will be in Frederick Maryland and interment at Arlington National Cemetery, with dates and times to be determined.
Our most heartfelt condolences to the family of this young Warrior. He was only a month shy of his 26th birthday and by all accounts loved his family, his community and his Corps. Our Nation, State and local communities are poorer with his loss.
Official DoD release:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. David J. Smith, 25, of Frederick, Md., died Jan. 26 from wounds received Jan. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“Common Ground” or Common Deception?
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Our podcast this week seems to have stirred up some folks, yet there has been no meaningful refutation offered of the basis for all this consternation, specifically Dr. Ergun Caner’s claim that use of the Camel Method by our International Mission Board is deceptive and that the method contains heresy. Admittedly, I’m no expert on these matters; others are far more able to speak to the specifics of what the Camel Method is and what it teaches. For example, our friend and former contributor, Dr. Bart Barber, wrote a lengthy series of posts, which can be found by clicking here, and ultimately concluded that the Camel method is deceptive and in error.
As I understand it, the Camel Method is part of a larger missiological movement known as “Common Ground.” As it relates to evangelism among Muslims, I suppose the name speaks for itself. Today I came across a guest post on the blog Biblical Missiology. It was written by a Christian from a Muslim background, and I was fascinated by his perspective on this “Common Ground” movement. Particularly intriguing to me were the questions he asked regarding the so-called “converts” that result from this approach. Here is his paragraph containing those questions:
And so following some years in closeness with Common Ground movement, still there were a lot of unresolved questions within myself! Should CMBs (Christians from a Muslim Background) continue to attend mosques and would that be helpful for them? If that is the situation what happens after the Islamic congregation understands there are some different Muslims in their congregation? Will they tolerate, expel or persecute them? Where will they get their true spiritual nourishment? Perhaps they will meet in home groups in addition to attending mosque, but for how long that situation will last? What about church planting since they are supposed to stay within the Islamic culture and religion, will it be established at some point the Christian community or such a thing is not necessary? What about their identity, is it like Christian with Christians and Muslims with Muslims? Who are going to be their true brothers and sisters, Muslims or Christians or both of them? Is there any compromise in all of that? These were some questions I faced and am quite sure most of these believers do go through.
The entire post can be accessed by clicking here, and I encourage readers to take the time to read about the experiences of this former Muslim who believes that this deceptive approach is doing more harm than good.
Podcast Episode 21
Posted by ·Timid. Reserved. Reticent. All of these are fine adjectives, and none of them describe our guest on this week’s podcast. Dr. Ergun Caner, president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, joins us for a conversation that ranges from apologetics to camels to task forces. Also this week, we welcomed our newest team member at SBC Today, David Worley, though he found out it’s difficult to get a word in edgewise. He’ll be more prepared next week, I’m sure.
Listen to the podcast using the player below, or visit our iTunes page to subscribe. A click on the link in the sidebar (or on the image in this post) will take you there, and while you’re at it, write us a review or give us a rating. And as always, we welcome your comments here on issues we discuss or on how we can improve the podcast. Thanks for listening.
Links to items discussed:
- Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
- The Camel Method – Endorsements
- Great Commission Resurgence Task Force
- The Sacred Desk
Who is More Lost?
Posted by ·After reading Ephesians 2:1 again for the umpteenth thousandth time it was like reading it for the first time. Ephesians 2:1–”and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins”. Do you realize that lost means dead? It means that we were once dead and God, through the atoning blood of Jesus made us one with him and we were born again, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we were raised from the dead to walk in a new life. Excuse me while I shout and throw a hymn book. 
We seem to have advanced the debate of a Great Commission Resurgence to deciding who is more lost. If you remember Dr. Mohler made a motion at the 2009 SBC in Louisville that a committee be formed; ” concerning how Southern Baptists can work more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission.” (Item #12, P.57) This motion has produced debates that range from the state conventions being “bloated and bureaucratic at every level” to the task force being organized in order to find ways to keep younger pastors from abandoning the SBC. Now, one on the GCRTF seems to expand this motion with the idea that a name change is needed in order to reach the lost.
Podcast Episode 20
Posted by ·Our discussion in this episode is given entirely to the topic of a potential changing of the name of the Southern Baptist Convention. Peter Lumpkins joins us as our guest to talk about his recent series of posts on the topic. This podcast is especially notable because it’s the quietest Tim has been in the history of the podcast, and if you know him, you understand the significance.
Listen using the player below, or subscribe in iTunes. You can find our podcast in iTunes by searching “SBC,” or by clicking the logo in this post or the link in the sidebar. Leave your comments here with suggestions for how we can improve the podcast, and give us a rating or a review in iTunes while you’re there. Thanks, as always, for listening.
Links to items discussed:
- Peter Lumpkins’ series on SBC name change: Part One, Excursion, Part Two, Conclusion
- J.D. Greear’s blog post raising the issue
- Dave Miller’s post in favor of a name change
Abortion Violence must STOP!!!
Posted by ·At the outset of this article I want to say clearly that I abhor the medical procedure that is called “abortion”. I abhor it because it is the taking of a human life. Life is precious and is in the hands of our Creator God to determine when it begins and when it ends. I abhor abortion so much that after I was married, Gail and I went to her Gynecologist and expressed our concern about the birth control pill she had prescribed. We spoke to her and told her our convictions and she changed Gail’s prescription to a drug that was not an abortafacia.
During this time of the year we are reminded of the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. This decision legalized abortion in America and the debate has been zealously argued every since. I stand firmly that we should not take the life of an unborn child in the womb of his/her mother. That is a human being in that womb it is not a potential human being. Abortions in the first trimester vary in techniques. One common technique is the Suction Aspiration. In this technique we are told: “Great care must be taken to prevent the uterus from being punctured during this procedure, which may cause hemorrhage and necessitate further surgery. Also, infection can easily develop if any fetal or placental tissue is left behind in the uterus. This is the most frequent post-abortion complication.” This is one of four various techniques used in the first trimester. You can read about the others here. This violence to the unborn we have legalized in the first trimester must stop.
In the second and third trimester chemical and surgical procedures are used in combination to extract the baby from his/her mother. These procedures vary. During the chemical procedure technique the physician would inject a harsh saline solution or/and other chemicals into the amniotic sac thus causing death to the infant and promoting premature birth before the baby has the chance to live. The surgical procedures range from Partial Birth Abortions (which are exactly what they sound like; see here for a graphic detail) to a Hysteronomy (which is basically a Caesarean Section used after the chemical abortion has failed). The violence to the unborn we have legalized in the second and third trimester must Stop.
In Kansas there is a case in which a judge has ruled Scott Roeder, the man accused of murdering Dr. George Tiller, will be able to argue his case was an act of voluntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter is defined in Kansas as one having “an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force.” Roeder, believed that his actions were required in order to put an end to partial birth abortions performed by the Kansas physician he is accused of killing. My heart breaks for Mr. Roeder if he truly believes his deadly force was justified. I would like to take our readers to the events that led to this trial. According to the Associated Press;
The facts of the case are not in dispute: On a balmy Sunday morning, Roeder got up from a pew at Wichita’s Reformation Lutheran Church at the start of services and walked to the foyer, where Tiller and a fellow usher were chatting. Wordlessly, he pressed the barrel of a .22-caliber handgun to Tiller’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
If these are the facts of the case no one has a right to place the barrel of any gun to the head of any living human being, pulling the trigger to end his/her life, especially in church. It seems that if Mr. Roeder truly believed his actions would prevent further abortions from being performed,after he used deadly force, he would have remained at the church until the police arrived. Instead he took of running and allegedly pointed his weapon at those chasing him trying to subdue him. If preachers are silent on the facts of a murder in the vestibule of a church, then we are hypocrites. We cannot publicly condemn abortion procedures, especially the partial birth procedures, and remain silent when one takes the laws into their own hands to become judge, jury, and executioner. This is just as much abortion violence as partial birth abortion and it too must Stop.
