Desiring God Conf 2006

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Whoa mama!  I hereby declare 2006 the year of the mega-conference.  Together for the Gospel in Louisville, Reform & Resurge in Seattle, now...

Desiring God National Conference 2006

Theme: Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World
Date: September 29 to October 1, 2006
Speakers: David Wells, D.A. Carson, Timothy Keller, Mark Driscoll, Voddie Baucham, John Piper

  • David Wells: "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World"
  • D.A. Carson:  "The Supremacy of Christ and Love in a Postmodern World"
  • Timothy Keller: "The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World"
  • Mark Driscoll: "The Supremacy of Christ and the Church in a Postmodern World"
  • Voddie Baucham: "The Supremacy of Christ and Truth in a Postmodern World"
  • John Piper: "The Supremacy of Christ and Joy in a Postmodern World"

(HT: JT)

Brokeback Baptists

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Mark Driscoll has a nice post on Al Mohler's appearance on Larry King Live.  He includes several of Mohler's quotes from the show, which are very good and generally humble.

By the way, I remember being in a conversation with Dr. Mohler and other students one time and he was explaining how hard it was to appear on shows like King's.  It demands very quick reactions, and you need to speak and not mess up or you will be quoted all over the place.  I have said before that I think Al Mohler is specifically gifted in ways that make his TV appearances come off well. 

If you don't agree, please wait until at least Monday to blast me.  Make it a high-priority task in your Treo.  I need a break.

Driscoll Responds to McLaren

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Mark Driscoll has responded to Brian McLaren's post on the "homosexual question."  It's posted on the same blog as McLaren's post: Out of Ur (Leadership Journal's blog).

This is getting interesting.  Driscoll's first line...

Well, it seems that Brian McLaren and the Emergent crowd are emerging into homo-evangelicals.

Driscoll's best line...

I am myself a devoted heterosexual male lesbian who has been in a monogamous marriage with my high school sweetheart since I was 21 and personally know the pain of being a marginalized sexual minority as a male lesbian.

And don't miss the main points...

And on January 23rd McLaren wrote an article for Leadership that is posted on this blog. In it he argues that because the religious right is mean to gays we should not make any decision on the gay issue for 5-10 years.

As the pastor of a church of nearly 5000 in one of America’s least churched cities filled with young horny people this really bummed me out. Just this week a young man who claims to be a Christian and knows his Bible pretty well asked if he could have anal sex with lots of young men because he liked the orgasms. Had I known McLaren was issuing a Brokeback injunction I would have scheduled an appointment with him somewhere between 2011-2016.

Lastly, for the next 5-10 years you are hereby required to white out 1 Peter 3:15 which says “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” from your Bible until further notice from McLaren because the religious right forget the gentleness and respect part and the religious left forgot the answer the question part. Subsequently, a task force will be commissioned to have a conversation about all of this at a labyrinth to be named later. Once consensus is reached a finger painting will be commissioned on the Emergent web site as the official doctrinal position.

In conclusion, this is all just gay.

-Pastor Mark Driscoll

UPDATE: The original article was slightly tweaked, so I tried to make sure my post represents what is now public.

Moratorium on Truth?: Homosexuality

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One of the truly life-changing things I've learned in thelast two or three years of my ministry is that my tendency to scold sinners rather than speak and act redemptively (hard to believe I would approach culture like that as an SBC'r, isn't it) is the wrong approach.  As someone once said, it's hard to get someone to smell a rose right after you've cut the nose off their face.  And scolding is not the God-ordained means by which sinners will realize they are sinners and run to Christ.  The only people Jesus would scold are religious leaders bent on torquing God's ways.

With this I have realized how important it is for the church to stop saying they "love the sinner" without lifting a finger to express love to them.  This is particularly true with homosexuals, and we as the Church need to repent of how we have at times scolded them and refused to love them actively.  (There are many out there who aren't guilty of this and have been in gracious ministry to homosexuals, but I don't see these courageous saints as the norm.)

And while I desire this change in evangelicalism and my own life, it appears that Brian McLaren has failed to even comprehend what to do now.

Read McLaren's "pastoral response" on the issue of homosexuality, which quite honestly is hardly pastoral and not much of a response.  I realize that those who have needed grace from Christians haven't received it.  I realize that too quickly answering the "homosexual question" (which is, What does your church think about homosexuality?) sometimes can close the door to answering more important questions first, like Who is Jesus? 

But what about conviction?  What about Peter (Acts 2) preaching to the crowds and saying YOU crucified this Jesus, and they were cut to the heart and responded, What shall we do?  Maybe many homosexuals aren't asking What shall we do? because they aren't cut to the heart.  And maybe they aren't cut to the heart because we have equated being non-committal with being "pastoral."

The most pastoral thing we can do for someone who run with down the avenue of homosexuality (just like any sin) is help them be cut to the heart in a God-intended way, through the truth of their sin in comparison with truth of God's law.

McLaren and I have similar issues with evangelicalism.  We are both concerned to 'cut' sinners through our own "rightness" which will tend to run homosexuals off and keep them from hearing about grace.  But I cannot go down McLaren's path of choosing to not know the answer to the "homosexual question."  Being pastoral in our responses, and getting to more important questions is a great and important thing, but there is no excuse for not even knowing the answer to the "homosexual question."  McLaren said...

Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've heard all sides but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us." That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren't sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn.

I find no space for nuanced arguments on homosexuality.  In Scripture I find direct answers with direct implications for ministry, and our pastoral job is to realize where we have failed to speak and act with love toward those who need to be cut to the heart deep enough to see the hole that only the cross can fill.

McLaren then says...

Perhaps we need a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. In the meantime, we'll practice prayerful Christian dialogue, listening respectfully, disagreeing agreeably. When decisions need to be made, they'll be admittedly provisional. We'll keep our ears attuned to scholars in biblical studies, theology, ethics, psychology, genetics, sociology, and related fields. Then in five years, if we have clarity, we'll speak; if not, we'll set another five years for ongoing reflection. After all, many important issues in church history took centuries to figure out. Maybe this moratorium would help us resist the "winds of doctrine" blowing furiously from the left and right, so we can patiently wait for the wind of the Spirit to set our course.

I'm disturbed that McLaren doesn't think that thousands of years since the destruction of cities and the teachings of Jesus and Paul and others isn't enough, and that maybe 5 more will do it.  If not, let's go 5 more. 

Something is terribly wrong with McLaren's lack of clarity on what Scripture teaches.  The answer for "emerging leaders" is not a moratorium on deciding, but boldness to take the Scriptures at face value and to approach sinners with a firm kindness that will lead them to repentance.
_____

Worth checking out on the issue:

Doug Wilson's response to McLaren
Tom Ascol's discussion with a homosexual radio host

New Tim Keller Book Excerpt

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Oh yeah buddy.  Here's another excerpt from the new Tim Keller book coming out in the near future.  I still haven't heard a title.  The first excerpt is here.  The one below is the second, from chapter 4.  Both are provided by Jonathan Keller.  It's timely for some of the topics discussed on Reformissionary.
__________

Fanaticism

Perhaps the biggest faith-deterrent for the average person today is not so much violence and warfare but the shadow of fanaticism. Many non-believers in Christianity have friends or relatives that have become ‘born again’ and seem to have gone off the deep end. They soon begin to loudly express disapproval of various groups and sectors of our society—especially movies and television, the Democratic party, homosexuals, evolutionists, activist judges, members of other religions (all of which are branded ‘false’) and public schools. When arguing for the truth of their faith they often appear intolerant and self-righteous. This is what many people would call fanaticism.

What is the solution? Many people try to understand Christians along a spectrum from ‘nominalism’ at one end to ‘fanaticism’ on the other. A nominal Christian is someone who is Christian in name only, who does not practice it and maybe hardly believes it. At the other end of the spectrum a fanatic is someone who is thought to over-believe and over-practice Christianity. In this schematic, the best kind of Christian would be someone in the middle, someone who doesn’t go all the way with it, who believes it but is not too devoted to it.

The problem with this is the same mistake about Christianity that we saw above. It assumes that the Christian faith is basically a form of moral improvement. Full-blown Christianity, then would be Phariseeism. Pharisaical religious people know nothing of ‘salvation by grace’. They assume they are right with God because of their moral behavior and right doctrine. This leads naturally to feelings of superiority toward those who do not share their religiosity, and from there to various forms of abuse, exclusion, and oppression.

But what if (as we will explain more fully below) the essence of Christianity was salvation by grace, salvation not because of what we do but because of what Christ has done for us? This would mean that both the nominal end of the spectrum and the fanatical end of the spectrum were missing out on the core of the Christian faith. The extremists we think of as ‘fanatics’ are so not because they are too committed to the gospel but not committed enough. Belief that you are accepted by God via sheer grace makes you both confident (because you are loved) and humble (because you didn’t earn it.)

Think of Jesus himself. He was enormously bold and daring, casting the money-changers out of the temple with a whip (John 2:11ff,) calling the ruling power, Herod, a “fox” and refusing to leave his territory, though he knew he wanted to kill him (Luke 13:31-32,) denouncing the religious and civic leaders for their corruption and injustice, though he knew it would cost him his life (Matt 23:27.) Yet he was gentle and embracing of people who were moral, racial, and political outlaws (John 8:1ff; Luke 7:36ff; 15:1ff; 19:1ff.) It was said of him he 'came not be served, but to served' (Mark 10:45) and he was so tender that 'He will not quarrel or cry out...a bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out... (Matt. 12:19-20).

So think of people you consider of as fanatical. They are over-bearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, harsh. Why are they so? It is not because they are too fanatically committed to Christ and his gospel, but rather because they are not fanatical enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, empathetic, forgiving, or understanding as Christ was. Because they think of Christianity as a self-improvement moral framework they emulate the Jesus of the whips in the temple, but not the Jesus who said, “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” (John 8:7) What strikes us as overly-fanatical is actually a failure be fully-orbed in our commitment to Christ.

Extremism and fanaticism, which leads to abuse and oppression, is a constant danger within the body of believers. But the answer is not to toned down and ‘moderate’ faith, but a deeper and truer faith in Christ and his word. The Biblical prophets understood this well. In fact, the scholar Merold Westphal documented that Marx’s analysis of religion as an instrument of oppression was anticipated by the Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and others.[i] Marx was not original in his critique of religion—the Bible beat him to it! So while the church itself has tragically and inexcusably often been party to the oppression of people over the centuries, it is important to point out how Christian theology and the Bible gives us tools for unflinching analysis and withering critique of religiously supported injustice from within the faith. We have been taught to expect it and told what to do about it. Because of this, Christian history gives us many remarkable examples of self-correction.

[i] Merold Westphal Suspicion and Faith: The Religious Uses of Modern Atheism (Eerdmans, 1993.)

Driscoll on Culture War

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Mark Driscoll discusses hearing Charles Colson talk about "culture war" and offers some great questions...

Colson’s comments raise interesting missiological questions aboutthe role of the gospel in the culture. An aging generation of evangelicals assumes that America is essentially founded upon Christianity and that the role of the church is to defend Christian morality through mainly conservative and Republican political involvement and by fighting against such things as abortion and gay marriage. Younger emerging type Christians are increasingly answering these questions differently than previous generations, leading to a growing rift among American Christians regarding the proper role of a Christian in their culture:

    • Is Christianity at war for culture?
    • Is it beneficial for Christians to speak of themselves in military terms such as war when speaking of their engagement with lost people and their ideas?
    • Does the concept of a culture war cause Christians to fight moral and political battles rather than gospel battles?
    • Does the greatest threat to Christianity come from forces outside the church, or from inside the church, through leaders who are more like Judas than Jesus?
    • Do Christians have the right to continually claim the moral high ground when they are statistically no more moral than the average pagan?

The Pastor of My Family

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I love my kids.  I have four 100% huggable and lovable kids.  And whenever ministry gets tough, or I get distracted, or I just am in the dumps over my own apathy and sin, I often find great comfort in and rejuvenation through my family. 

I remember times in 2004 when I was getting some heat from a few church members (who are now gone).  It was really hard on me, and I would come home at the end of the day and just hold my daughter for five minutes on the couch, or play a game with one of my boys, or chase the kids around with a Nerf gun shooting their eyes out.

These things could be seen nice ways to distract me from the stressful things of life and ministry, and they are helpful distractions.  But much more positively they are reminders.  Reminders of who I am more than a pastor, more than a preacher,  more than a sinner.  I'm the pastor of my family.

Two nights ago we had our five year old pray for our dinner.  He prayed and thanked God for the food to make us healthy and strong, and prayed for everyone in the world to become Christians, and prayed that when people become Christians they would become fishers of men.  When I heard that, it made all the frustrations of life shrink. 

I'm about ready to head home for the night.  Tonight, as we do each day, our family is going to read some Scripture to learn about God and talk about what He is calling us to do.  The kids will probably ask a half-dozen questions, and then we will hold hands in a circle and pray.  We will pray for God to help us live what we have learned and to provide for what we need.

May God raise up in my home fishers of men who will turn the world upside down, and may he use this weak vessel to train them.  I can think of nothing to do today that is more important for God's mission and my own heart.

Rhythm and Tune

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Dsc_00363_1My wife and I went to hear two of our church members play live music last night at the Last Chance Saloon in Grayslake, IL.  Our song leader on Sunday mornings opened with some covers and originals, and then another church member and his band (AliveInside) played mostly original stuff.  It was really a good time, good music, and I was able to take some pictures of the band.

On the topic of music, I picked up the newest one of the newest Nooma videos from Rob Bell, Rhythm, a few days ago.  I decided to watch it last night.  He talked about how we all are playing a song, the question is whether or not we are in tune.  Powerful stuff.  And very provocative.  If you have seen it, I'd love to hear what you think about it.

UPDATE: You can also view the entire "Rain" Nooma video online.  If you haven't seen Nooma, check it out.

Russ Moore, Blogging, and Revolution

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Today Russ Moore has written a short article/blog post called "The Spiritual Danger of Blogging" (also posted at Mere Comments).  He has some important things to say, things that we as bloggers need to hear.  To be honest, I think he aims this post at me (though I drink mochas). 

I've encountered many blogs run by the sort of "self-righteous" and "cynical" people that he mentions.  Strangely, most that I have encountered have been run by Calvinistic inerrantist reformed-types (who I doctrinally side with) who think a doctrinal statement is the bottom line of righteousness.  They typically spend a lot of time finding errors in the doctrines of others, defending anyone who holds the same doctrines they hold no matter what they say, finding people with any connection to something bad and broad-brushing them into the heresy camp, and looking for sins in the culture to preach against.  It's a deadly lot and I have run among the "angry Calvinist" number before.

Though Russ seems to emphasize the bad bloggers (he may be a bit cynical about bloggers, I think), he also points to a good group of bloggers out there.  My fear is that his group would be the kind who always tow the party line, and link to the "right" places, and vote straight party ticket.

I've found many good bloggers too, but I would think they would be a different sort than Russ'.  I like the bloggers who don't draw extra-biblical lines of fellowship.  They are willing to speak truth even when it costs them connections they may need in ministry.  They point out the dangers Jesus points to (like legalism) and not the ones that legalists point to (like alcohol).  The bloggers I like are the ones who like Jesus so much that they realize how messed up they are and how great grace is.  I like bloggers who are interested in a Kingdom that God builds, and who would have no problem watching our institutions and kingdoms die when they cease serving God's desires.  Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Ultimately Moore seems to miss something.  He writes, "But, let's be honest, blogs also tend to give a microphone to a kind of deadening cynicism and blind self-righteousness in the guise of taking on self-righteousness, legalism, and what-have-you."  Sure, we all would agree.  That happens too much.  All of us who blog have certainly from time to time held on to our "rightness" too tightly because being wrong isn't fun.  But this sort of self-righteous blogging that Moore speaks of rarely makes a ripple in the blogosphere, let alone beyond it. 

And Moore's quote can just be as easily be turned around.  The guise could be on the other side, just as it was with Jesus who seemed to criticize the religious power brokers the loudest and sharpest, not the little guy who was "self-righteously" attacking legalism.

In other words, I seriously doubt the big problem with blogging is that some of the "self-righteous" ones are getting a hearing and hurting the big boys.  I think it is much more likely that if any bloggers are getting loud enough to actually create a stir among the power brokers, those power brokers would try to find a way to combat the bloggers.  The odds are stacked against the bloggers and for those with power, position and notoriety.

And isn't this what we see with Luther and the 95 Theses?  He was an annoying gnat to the institution for questioning what they were doing.  Then some started to agree with him which created fear among the powerful, and an attempt was made to silence him (something that can't be done in the same way to bloggers, which elevates fears among the powerful today).  But Luther continued on as a flawed man who didn't do it all right, but who in the end was faithful and led a revolution of biblical proportions.

While I'm not able to remove the lint from Luther's belly button (and I'm more likely to lead a revolution for P.F. Chang's), I'm more hopeful about real change happening in the SBC after reading Russ' post.  It's a sign that the message of 'necessary change' is getting out.  God help us.

Advancing the Revolution

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"Strangely enough...some who come to Jesus Christ seem to immediately and fully embrace this barbarian way.  They live their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being  fighting for the heart of their King.  Jesus Christ has become the all-consuming passion of their lives.  They are not about religion or position.  They have little patience for institutions or bureaucracies.  Their lack of respect for tradition or ritual makes them seem uncivilized to those who love religion.  When asked if they are Christians, their answer might surprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ.  They see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other religious system.  Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they're not about religion; they're about advancing the revolution Jesus started two thousand years ago.

Erwin McManus, The Barbarian Way, 5-6

SBTS, the Abstract, and Local Church Autonomy

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I removed my post with the same title because the commenter I quoted has given a correction and apology. 

I was very concerned with the ramifications if the original comment were true, and as I said in my post I wanted to hear from those who knew if this was really the deal.  I did and it wasn't. 

I've also received emails from a couple of friends who are trustworthy, and at least one was concerned this was gossip for me to post.  Thought this might be a good opportunity to discuss blogging and gossip.  I think it's a good question to ask, but I don't think it was gossip.  If I were to simply spread the info as if it were true, yeah, it's gossip.  But I was removed from the situation and admitted that I didn't know and wanted someone "in the know" to comment.  In a way, I may have helped this to get off the gossip mill, but I don't know.

Any thoughts on that?  I'm happy to apologize if I'm wrong.  I'll apologize anyway because I love the people at Clifton (who I was intending to defend if this were true) and I love Dr. Mohler. 

Vote for #11

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C'mon guys I need some help.  My Brokeback Pastors picture, which I still laugh out-loud about on a regular basis, has been entered in a theology photoshop contest.  I'm not winning. 

I need some votes pretty bad and I have a lot of readers on this site.  So please go to the Theology Photoshop Contest page and vote your conscience (Brokeback Pastors).  Whoever wins (Brokeback Pastors) will get some iron-ons of their entry.  Could you imagine me wearing that to the SBC annual meeting?  C'mon.  Help me out here guys and gals.  I need your vote!  My entry is the last one, #11.

Justin Taylor Moving to Wheaton

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A guy I would consider a friend who I have never met in person, Justin Taylor, is moving to Wheaton to work for Crossway.  Very cool.  He REALLY has chosen to come to Wheaton in order to be closer to me, Joe Thorn, and Scot McKnight.  We are going to form a Barbership Quartet in which JT will be the barber.  But here's what he is saying publicly so far...

We are in the process of a move to Wheaton, IL for my new job. The pastseven years in Minneapolis, at Desiring God and Bethlehem, has been a wonderful season for us. But we’re also excited about this new chapter of our lives. After years of uncertainty of what I would like to do when I grew up, I now feel fairly confident that I would like to stay in the publishing industry long term.

I’m not really sure what the future plans for my blog will be. (Perhaps someday I’ll get around to moving to a different location than Blogger.com.) I enjoy blogging, and I enjoy the interaction that goes on because of it. But it’s not my primary calling, and I have to be careful that I don’t let the tail wag the dog.

As for new books: I’m currently under contract with Crossway to edit a new edition of John Owen’s three main writings on sin: Mortification of Sin, Temptation of Sin, and Indwelling Sin. Kelly Kapic of Covenant College—who will be publishing an academic book on Owen’s Communion with God—will be my co-editor. We will be providing introductions, adding headings, footnotes, a glossary, etc.

I’ll also be editing Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, the follow-up book to Desiring God’s conference in 2005, with speakers like John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Mark Talbot, David Powlison, Carl Ellis, and Steve Saint.

An Open Letter to SBC Seminary Students

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To All Students in SBC Seminaries,

I am a Southern Baptist pastor and I ask you to indulge me for a moment.

My wife and I were converted our first Sunday in an SBC church in Carbondale, IL and were baptized together at an SBC church in Denver, CO.  We have been members of several different SBC churches: a couple with less than 100 in attendance, a couple with over 1,000 in attendance, and one with over 10,000 in attendance every weekend.  We have never been a member of a non-SBC church since our conversion.

I have a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY with some of those hours earned at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.  In the SBC churches I've belonged to I've served in volunteer capacity in evangelistic ministry and started prayer meetings at two different churches.  I've served as an intern with collegiate ministry in a large church, as an associate pastor of discipleship at a church plant, as a missionary to international students at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky (through Baptist Student Unions), and now as the pastor of a church in Woodstock, IL.  I've taught a 4-5 year old children's Sunday School class, youth groups, college students, and adult Sunday School classes.  I've preached and taught at churches on the topic of missions and reaching international students in the U.S and I preached a revival.  I've been to a couple of SBC Annual Meetings (Indy and Nashville) and preached at my local association's annual meeting.  I've been to Ridgecrest, NC for an IMB Missions Week and my wife and I were considering on going overseas to a Muslim country until our oldest son was diagnosed with autism. 

I've shaken the hand of Jerry Rankin, heard O.S. Hawkins respond to "How are you?" by saying "I'm blessed," and have an autographed autobiography of Jimmy Draper.  I've heard Roy Fish tell a class on evangelism to "Put THAT in your Calvinistic pipe and smoke it."  I've peed next to Danny Akin while he told me stories about the ethics class he took under Paige Patterson.  I've had Ken Hemphill (cowboy boots and all) and his wife Paula in our Fort Worth townhouse for brownies and ice cream.  I've had many conversations with Al Mohler, including one about an episode of Prairie Home Companion. 

I say this to say that I've lived and breathed SBC for more almost a decade, and I have never been so frustrated with who WE are. 

I believe this is a crucial time for our convention that will determine whether we will ever have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Tim 3:7) and a real impact on our culture (Mt 28:18-20, Acts 17:6).  And I believe the most crucial group of SBC'rs right now are not those in power, nor those serving on trustee boards or important committees.  The most important group of SBC'rs right now are our seminary students.  Those who have the chance to get this Titanic steered clear of disaster.

I ask you as a seminary student to consider the greatest poison in our convention, fundamentalism/legalism.  If you don't like me, or think that my use of "fundamentalism" or "legalism" is misguided, please think about what's been happening.  The IMB policy issues and the continued push for alcohol abstinence by SBTS leadership and Jack Graham (to name two) are symptoms of a convention concerned with power, control, and extra-biblical rules and righteousness.  We are structuring ourselves to avoid "sinners" rather than eating and drinking with them (Lk 7:34-35, Mt 9:9-13).  We are looking less like Jesus and more like Pharisees with every decision and direction.

This is a crucial time for seminary students to open their Bibles and see what Jesus and Paul and Moses and David say about the important theological and cultural issues of our day.  We need to read about the Pharisees while looking in the mirror.  We need to see holiness not only as list of "don'ts," but as "do's."  Instead of just feeding from our leaders we need to search the Scriptures like Bereans (Acts 17:11).  Listen and learn, but do so with great discernment.  I believe as John Piper does that legalism is a far greater danger than drunkenness.  That principle is crucial for our convention right now far beyond alcohol.

Our seminaries are creating a new generation that mirrors the ones in power.  Oh sure, they'll let you sing more choruses and new hymns.  But as one who has been in seminary and sucked at the breast of SBC values and who has now gained some distance and insight through a couple of years of teaching and preaching through books of the Bible, I believe that we must have a breakout generation of young leaders who will take the best the SBC has (heritage, mission, etc) and let God reform us into something much better. 

We need to be better evangelists who aren't looking to repackage for the Gospel but rather looking to better understand and live the Gospel.  I think we need to remember that we are to truly be in culture, not looking down on it, and not avoiding it.  I think we need to remember that working for justice is a biblical idea, not a liberal one.  I think we need a resurgence of love for and creation of art as reflecting the imago dei.  I think we need better seminaries that aren't just telling us what we should think, but rather are teaching us how to think through Scripture and know The Spirit.  I think we need an ethic based on biblical boundaries and biblical liberties.  As Derek Webb has sung, it's much easier to follow a new law rather than be sanctified through learning to live out our freedoms and liberties.

I ask you my brothers and sisters in Christ to consider whether now is the time that we need to break the mold so that our next generation of churches won't merely reflect an older SBC culture.  We need to be His people today, in this age, to this culture with an eternal Gospel that never changes.  Culture war thinking won't get us there.  Extra-biblical rules won't get us there.  It's going to take a generation of God-seekers who infiltrate the culture with the love of Christ and fight spiritual battles rather than tongue-lashing those who need redemption.

I would love to dialogue with you here about this, and please pass this on to your seminary friends as well.  I won't be popular with many people because of this letter, but I feel like it's necessary for my conscience and for our convention.

Grace and Peace.

Steve McCoy