Christianity Today’s Take on the SBC

by | Jun 30, 2006 | Southern Baptist Issues

A Kinder, Gentler Conservatism – Christianity Today Magazine Has a new day dawned in SBC politics?  And will the supposed non-theological changes begin a new drift away from the importance of theology? My brief take:  How important was the Southern Baptist conservative resurgeance?  My guess is that if the men who led the Convention as they have for the past twenty-five years had not lead as they have, I would not be writing to you from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lousiville, KY.  In fact, I would not be involved to any degree with the Convention.  Their service has been necessary, despite the political fall out and obvious cronyism. However, from my own limited vantage point, the SBC leadership was not headed in a healthy direction.  My thoughts are mostly subjective, yet, it appeared to me that the up and coming proposed leaders have less theological depth, less biblical commitment and less substance biblically and spiritually speaking.  Their preaching ministries have been more reflective of the age of pragmatism than commitments to expository preaching and grounding their people in a biblical pattern of approaching life and ministry. This is not to say that the new leader of our Convention will be much different.  How he intends to broaden the participation is excitingly frightening [can I say that – yep, it’s my blog].  I can’t help but believe that theology will be less important in his approach to appointments.  That is the frightening thing.  Perhaps his appointments will include some fresh voices who have strong convictions, but because they did not run in the right political circles, have been...

Deacons – Part 6

by | Jun 24, 2006 | Deacons, Ecclesiology

Philippians 1:1 Objections and Answers Outside of 1 Timothy 3, Philippians 1:1 is the only passage in the New Testament that specifically mentions an official group known as “deacons.”  MacArthur takes issues with the view that the office or position of “deacons” is spoken of in this passage, stating: The word here could refer to officers in the church, but the context does not seem to warrant such an interpretation. . . . The most natural interpretation of this verse is that Paul was addressing his letter to the whole church. . . . including the leadership and those who serve.  To say that Philippians 1:1 refers to the office of deacons might be correct, but it is an arbitrary choice.  There is not enough evidence to be dogmatic about what Paul is saying.[1] It is true that Paul is addressing his letter to the entire church in the city of Philippi.  Paul states, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus, those who are in Philippi . . .”[2]  It is further agreed that the following phrase, “with the overseers and deacons,” is not viewed as those outside the church but within. However, this writer finds several reasons why “overseers and deacons” both refer to official leadership positions within the church in Philippi.  First, the term translated “overseer” is used three other times in the New Testament to refer to those within the church who were official leaders (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1, 2; Titus 1:7).  In one of these passages (Titus 1:5-7) these leaders are also called by the synonymous term “elder.”[3]  Elders and overseers, in the sense...

Praying for Dr. Mohler

by | Jun 23, 2006 | Miscellaneous, Southern Baptist Issues

I am quite sure you have been praying for Dr. Albert Mohler.  I received this today from my seminary e-mail: June 22, 2006 Dear Friends of Southern Seminary, I write to thank you for your prayers for Dr. Mohler in recent days and to update you on his health. The corneal surgery Dr. Mohler underwent on Sunday, June 11th, appears to have been a success. While Dr. Mohler is experiencing varying degrees of pain in the cornea and that eye’s vision will remain very limited, daily the cornea is recovering from the surgery. For this progress we are grateful to God. The surgery, though effective, was not a long-term solution to Dr. Mohler’s corneal problems. Rather, the surgery provided short-term help and it served to prepare the eye for future treatment. Again, thank you so much for your prayers and your many expressions of concern for Dr. Mohler in recent days. With warmest personal regards, Jason K. Allen Executive Assistant to the...