Being Baptist: The Bible Trumps All Else
This is the second in a series of posts on the Baptist identity. You can read the first by clicking here. My favorite part of the story of Martin Luther’s leadership of the Protestant Reformation is when he was standing trial for heresy. The Catholic leaders brought before him copies of the many tracts he had written and published and demanded that he recant his teachings that condemned the Roman church. Luther responded: Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns or teeth. Unless I am...
read moreBeing Baptist
It’s been a few years since I’ve taught on the history and heritage of the Baptist people. I’m considering teaching a class, as I’ve done in the past, but for now intend to do a series of posts on what it means to be a Baptist: who we are, where we come from, what we believe, and what we do. We have much to be grateful for in our spiritual ancestry. When I was in college, though my doctrine never departed from its Baptist core, I didn’t find denominational affiliation to be of much importance. All that mattered to...
read moreHistory and Humility
Is it strange to have a favorite introduction to a book? Well, I do. It’s C.S. Lewis’s introduction to On the Incarnation, by St. Athanasius. Lewis wrote the introduction in 1944, approximately 1,600 years after Athanasius composed the work. A good bit of the introduction is spend on the value of reading old books. Here’s an extended quotation: Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the...
read moreReading the Bible in 2012
Updated: Click here for a copy of the plan I am going to use. Feel free to hold me accountable! Have you read through the Bible before? Research has shown that fewer than 10% of professing Christians have actually read through the whole Bible. We have such a treasure — God’s very word to us! Perfect, inspired, truth without any mixture of error! Can I challenge you to make one of your 2012 goals reading through the entirety of Scripture? Don’t make it a law. Don’t make it a source of guilt. Just make it a discipline. My...
read moreShould the United States have an “anti-blasphemy” law?
I came across an interesting article today, and my response to it may surprise some. The Washington Times article, dated May 24, 2011, is titled “Calvinist held key in blasphemy debate.” Reporter Mike Corder of the AP tells of a political debate that was held earlier this year in the Dutch Parliament about a 1932 law that bans “scorn against any religion.” Anyone convicted as a “scornful blasphemer” could serve up to three months in prison. Not a single case has been prosecuted for breaking the law since...
read moreThe Impulse to be “Against.”
A line I read from an article recently has been rolling around in my head. The author was talking about a controversial issue over which good Christians disagree, and in humility he wrote that “we do not want to be more ‘conservative’ than Scripture…” I think I understand the inclination to which he was referring. It’s very same inclination that was present in the Garden of Eden. When asked if God had really told the man and woman they could not eat of any tree in the garden, the woman responded, “We...
read moreA few back-to-school thoughts
As kids head back to class and life settles into the rhythm of a new school year, I thought I’d share a few ideas about how Christian students and parents can live out our faith in classrooms, hallways, school buses, etc. 1. Be thankful. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Maybe your schedule is not perfect, student. Perhaps the teachers aren’t doing exactly the method of instruction you would prefer, parents. Be thankful. We are incredibly...
read moreStand Up for Christianity
In the last several weeks, I’ve had many conversations with people that start with them asking me questions like this: Did you read where the government is mandating that we pay for abortions? Can you believe they outlawed that prayer at the military funeral service? What are we going to do to stop the atheists from outlawing our religion? Muslims are having all these babies and none of the secularists fight against them. How do we reach these people? I understand that these threats can cause us to feel alarmed and think we need to...
read moreMotion from Nominating Committee
One of the items of new business that will be addressed at our special called members’ meeting this Sunday night is a motion from the Nominating Committee, listing teachers for the 2011-2012 Sunday School year. Below is the content of that motion. If you’ll notice, Angela Reid and Chrissy Thomas do not have partners for teaching the kids on Wednesday nights. Please be in prayer that we will have two people emerge to help those ladies in that ministry. If you have any questions about these nominations, please email...
read moreSermon Lagniappe: The Original Hearers of Genesis 34
This past Sunday we covered Genesis 34, a violent and graphic story of rape, deception, and vengeance. Why is this gory story even included in the Bible? If you will notice, you could take chapter 34 out of the narrative and the story would not seem to be missing anything. It makes sense to go from chapter 33 directly to chapter 35. Why include this terrible episode that really is an embarrassment to the Hebrew people? One thing we did not consider Sunday is how this story would have been received by the Israelites for whom Moses recorded the...
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