IMB Policy Change on Baptism

in ,

If you are in the SBC or are interested in keeping up with the discussion and disagreement on IMB policy changes, you need to be reading my other blog: Missional Baptist Blog.  Be sure to get into the comments as well.  We now have Hershael York posting to defend the changes, Ergun Caner giving him a "high five," and Tom Ascol pointing out that this policy tells our forefathers they weren't wet in the wight way.

MBB Posts...
Hershael York Likes the IMB Baptism Policy
Ergun Caner, IMB Policy
Ascol on York

Together for the Blog

in

Can anyone deny that the Together for the Gospel blog has been a great addition to the blogosphere?  Well okay, I know some will try to deny it, but you are wrong.  I have been enjoying it and marveling at the fact that people I thought would never be blogging are putting up some swell offerings for us all to enjoy.  Take, this post by Al Mohler, or this one by Mark Dever, or this one by C.J. Mahaney, or this one by Lig Duncan as good examples.

It's GROUNDHOG DAY!

in , ,

Dsc_0054There aren't too many places to be on Groundhog Day, but I happen to live in one of them.  I'm in Woodstock, Illinois where the movie Groundhog Day was filmed (and yes, it was filmed almost completely in Woodstock).  We have all sorts of events in town around Groundhog Day, but of course the centerpiece is when Woodstock Willie emerges from his fake stump and pronounces his forecast for the duration of winter. 

Dsc_0074_2 Punxsutawney Phil, the more notable rodent, saw his shadow and predicted more winter.  But Woodstock Willie (who doesn't appear to have his own web presence) was more optimistic, to the delight of hundreds of onlookers this morning.  I had a nice chat with the glorified squirrel after the fact, and told him that he would be roadkill if he is just pulling our chain.  He assured me that his trick knee was in fact indicating the end of winter.  We'll see.

Here are some pictures I took of our Groundhog Day festivities with my daughter.

Driscoll's Apology and Question

in ,

Mark Driscoll has now commented on Brian McLaren's post at Out of Ur...

Brian, as someone who has known you for many years I will, out of sincere and true love for you, ask one simple question and kindly request that you answer it.

Do you personally believe that all sexual activity between two persons of the same gender is always a sin?

I hope this question is simple, clear, and personal enough to result in an answer of either yes or no. Perhaps my attempt at some prophetic sarcasm which is commmon in Scripture was not well received. So, rather than repeating my tone I would like to simply ask your forgiveness if your have been wounded and get to the point of all this controversy. People like me who have known you, followed you, and learned from you for many years would simply like to know the bottom line for you personally with all of the other issues set aside for the time being. If you refuse to answer I am sure you can understand why accusations and concerns will be coming from both the right and the left and your answer will at least enable you to speak for yourself. So, with all respect would you please answer the question my brother?

(HT: KC)

Erwin McManus and Denominational Headway

in , , , ,

What do you think about Erwin McManus?  Just an open question for anyone who has read one of his books, heard him speak, been to his church (Mosaic).  I've appreciated his ministry and writings.

Baptist Press has an article today on McManus and a class he taught on leadership at GGBTS.  It's a nice introduction to him if you don't know much about him.  He will be preaching at the SBC Annual Meeting Pastor's Conference in June.

I really like McManus' approach to the SBC, in that he makes his noise with his church, his books, his speaking and it's a "building" mentality and not just tearing down.  It's all gospel and mission and zeal for Christ.

Desiring God Conf 2006

in ,

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)

McLaren Responds

in ,

Brokeback Baptists

in ,

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

in ,

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

in ,

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