From Law to Grace » Entries tagged with "Southern Seminary"
Moderate Baptists: The Road Less Traveled & Cliffs Ahead!
“This conference, announced with such fanfare, may well prove to be the undoing of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I have no doubt that other sexual ethics topics will be addressed, but homosexuality will be THE topic which garners the most dialogue and discussion.” (CBF, Sexual Ethics & Muddled Baptists, June 1, 2011) I wish I could say that I was wrong when I wrote the above statement last June. But, if Baptist Press’ reporting is any indication, those words proved all-too prescient. In a BP article entitled, “Gay issue major theme of CBF sponsored conf,” the opening paragraph sums up what was a far-too easy prediction: Despite conference organizers’ best attempts to keep the Baptist Conference on Sexuality & Covenant focused on broader issues April 19-21, the conversation often centered on the topic of homosexuality. In many ways, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, Theology
SBC Name Change: Silence of Statesmen is Deafening
“There arises defining moments in our personal lives, our churches, and our denomination. I believe we are at one of those crossroads. In the final analysis we must trust our process, our common goal of bringing the Gospel to the world, and each other.” Who was the Southern Baptist statesman who uttered these words and what was the context within which they were said? None other than Dr. Jim Henry, former Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Orlando and a former two-term President of the SBC, in his endorsement of the GCR. During his tenure as President of the Convention, Dr. Henry had occasion to visit Southern Seminary and stay in the Seminary’s Guest House. At the time, my wife and I were the hostess and host of the Guest House. During our 2 1/2 … Read entire article »
Filed under: Great Commission Resurgence, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention, Uncategorized
Communion: Who Has Better Table Manners?
In a provocative post, Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at my alma mater, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argues that Baptist churches who practice what is known as “closed communion” actually win the prize for best table manners. From what I gathered from his article, if you practice communion any other way but closed, you are doctrinally sloppy. While I disagree with Dr. Moore’s argument, I certainly can appreciate his clarity in presenting it. There is no question as to where Dr. Moore stands on this issue. He is free, as the Teaching Pastor of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, to “fence the table” according to how he interprets Scripture in regard to the observance of the Lord’s Supper. However, his interpretation is not binding on any other church apart from his own. One … Read entire article »
Filed under: Autonomy, Christianity, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention, Theology
Showing Concern for Outsiders in Mayberry
After the ouster of Flat Rock Baptist Church in Mt. Airy, NC from the Surry Baptist Association for violating Scripture (see Association Letter which cites 1 Timothy 2:12-14 and 1 Timothy 3) by calling a 28 year-old woman, Bailey Edwards Nelson, as their new pastor, one must ask the question, “What other violations of 1 Timothy 2 and 3 will cause a church in good standing in a local Baptist Association to be kicked out?” If you answered none, you would most likely be correct. William Thornton, a conservative Southern Baptist pastor in Georgia, writes on SBC Plodder: “Of the list of requirements for overseer in 1 Timothy 3, referenced in the document linked above, at least half a dozen are always, always, violated by some pastors of some churches in every association I have ever … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christianity, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention
Countdown to SBC Phoenix: What to Expect?
After being in Dallas for a few days for our son, Stephen’s, appointment at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (he has Legg-Perthes Disease, a childhood hip condition), I am looking forward to my first visit to Phoenix next week for this year’s annual get-together of the nation’s largest Protestant body. At the moment, I want to be in Phoenix because the “dry heat” in Arizona has to be preferable to the miserably humid temperatures that we have encountered in Texas this week. As a native Floridian, who has called New Mexico home for the past four years, I gladly admit that I do not miss the high temperatures AND high humidity that comes with living back east. It has been nice actually seeing the rain and all the green grass, but that’s not enough to tempt … Read entire article »
Filed under: Great Commission Resurgence, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention