What do John 3:16, Gay Ordination, and Leadership have in common? They have all been in the news this week. It’s been a while since I have written a “Weekend 7” post. To be exact, my last such post was published on July 30, 2011 (that one doesn’t count as part of today’s seven). How can it have been 20 months since that post? I guess time flies when you’re having fun! As seven is a perfect number, the idea behind “Weekend 7” is to alert you to some excellent posts that you may have missed this week. So, without further ado, here is this week’s 7:
- John 3:16, Calvinistic Traditionalists & Evangelism Conferences — In recognition of the “John 3:16 Conference” that took place this weekend, this is one of my posts which gives my own take on the beauty and simplicity of John 3:1
- Dr. Jerry Vines @ John 3:16 Conference — Dr. Vines, who is past a President of the Southern Baptist Convention and former Pastor of First Baptist Church Jacksonville, FL, has been the primary catalyst for the “John 3:16 Conference,” held March 21-22, 2013 at North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, GA. Dr. Vines spoke on the subject, “For whose sins did Jesus die?” Said Vines on this hot-button issue affecting not just Southern Baptists, but other Evangelicals as well:
“It is a logical fallacy to say that, when Scripture says Christ died for me or for his church, his flock or his sheep, his people or nation or his friends that it means he died ONLY for me and them and DID NOT die for all. For me to say I love Dr. Allen and Dr. Cox does not mean I love only them and not Dr. Caner and Dr. Gaines,” said Vines, adding, “God’s salvation is sufficient for all men. It is efficient for all who believe.”
3. Dr. Caner @John 3:16 Conference — Dr. Emir Caner, President of Truett-McConnell College, addressed the topic of “Salvation in the eyes of the local church” at the recent “John 3:16 Conference.” Dr. Caner:
addressed issues surrounding varying understandings of salvation within SBC churches, particularly in the discussion of Calvinism. He stated that the understanding of salvation impacts the local church and its effectiveness in fulfilling the Great Commission.
4. Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth — Jim White, Editor of the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s weekly newspaper, “The Religious Herald,” argues that autonomy was not the central issue in Richmond Baptist Association’s decision to affirm Ginter Park Baptist Church as a member in good standing after the church ordained a practicing homosexual to the Gospel Ministry.
Many who voted that night saw the issue to be a referendum on local church autonomy. It wasn’t. No one disputes the right of Ginter Park to take the action it did. The question was, having ordained a homosexual (in accord with its autonomous right), would the other churches in the association decide that action was acceptable for a member church or not.”
5. Are there membership boundaries for the Richmond Baptist Association? — Craig Sherouse, Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Richmond, VA, served on an ad hoc special committee charged with bringing a recommendation to the RBA responding to Ginter Park Baptist Church’s ordination of an openly gay man to the Gospel Ministry. Pastor Sherouse, who resigned from the committee prior to the committee’s vote on a recommendation, discusses whether or not an association of churches should have doctrinal/theological boundaries for membership:
During a vigorous exchange in our ad hoc RBA study committee I asked the question: “Are there any boundaries to our membership? If we think we have no right or responsibility as an association to deal with this issue because of Ginter Park’s ‘congregational autonomy’ are there any other issues or beliefs that would put a congregation’s membership in question or call for some action on our part?” There was silence in the committee meeting. I repeated my question, and finally an answer: “There are 13 congregations that no longer contribute or participate. I suppose we could at some point decide that they are no longer a part of us.”
6. Ten Ways Ordinary People Become Good Leaders, part one — Dr. Thom Rainer, President of Lifeway Christian Resources (SBC), shares the first five characteristics of good leaders:
Keep in mind that I am looking at common men and women who became good, and even great, leaders. I am not talking about the smartest, the best educated, or the most articulate. These are common men and women who are now extraordinary leaders.
7. Ten Ways Ordinary People Become Good Leaders, part two — Dr. Rainer shares five more characteristics of good leaders:
There are countless men and women who are wonderful leaders. Among them are a large number who are not the smartest, not the most educated, not the most articulate, and not the most charismatic. That reality should give many of us great hope. We can be good leaders anyway.