by Bret Capranica | Jun 24, 2008 | Ecclesiology, Evangelism
Ed Stetzer notes that multi-ethnic is not necessarily the same thing as multi-cultural. Stetzer blazes through (wow he talks fast) issues related to being a truly multi-cultural church. Question, if you are in fact reaching the people in the community of which your local church resides (whether it is multi-ethnic or not), are you a single-cultural church and is that then bad? I’m going to watch the video again to focus on how a single congregation in Hemet, California can be multi-cultural. adrianwarnock.com: VIDEO – Ed Stetzer Interview – Contextualization and Multicultural...
by Bret Capranica | Jun 23, 2008 | Ecclesiology, Eschatology, General Theology
Beyond what this article says about the more politically liberal position and imbalanced public stance among the Presbyterian church’s hierarchy, the article shows a fairly large divide between the grass roots churches and the denomination’s official governing leadership. The Presbyterians Giveth, the Presbyterians Taketh Away | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical...
by Bret Capranica | Jun 11, 2008 | Southern Baptist Issues
The Convention is officially over. I sit here in my hotel room thinking through my reaction to the day and to the Convention meeting in Indianapolis in general. First – a recap of the day’s activities. Thankfully, Justin and I did not have to be at any early meetings. Neither of us has had much sleep since we left, so it was good to sleep in until 6:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. on my internal clock). First was a quick breakfast at the local Steak and Shake! Steak and Shake is the official theme of our meal times. We had lunch there yesterday, breakfast and dinner there today. It was close and reasonable – and we had great fellowship at each meal! We made the Convention hall as new business was being finished up and the resolutions were beginning to be handled. The first five resolutions were affirmed without discussion. Resolution six was the big one of the morning. In fact, it dominated the time for the remainder of what was allowed for consideration of resolutions. Resolution six was in regard to “Regenerate Church Membership and Church Member Restoration.” The Resolutions Committee noted that they tried to combine five different resolutions into one that contained the high points and sense of all of them. Malcolm Yarnell was first up to bat in offering an amendment that would include a more clear statement regarding the Baptist distinctions of believer’s only baptism, the Lord’s Supper and church discipline in defining a New Testament church. With a few moderations, Dr. Yarnell’s amendments were adopted. The most significant amendment to the resolution was by...
by Bret Capranica | Jun 11, 2008 | Southern Baptist Issues
Honestly, I should be sleeping. I have had little sleep since this trip began. Yet, I never do very well about getting to bed at a decent time when in the Eastern Time Zone. So, here are a few thoughts on the first day of the SBC. Justin and I began our day by attending the Founders’ breakfast. We sat with people from Missouri, Maryland, Illinois and Texas (all hail the Republic!). Eric Redmond did an outstanding job. He preached from 2 Chronicles 34 and Josiah’s finding the law of God. It was a message about assuming biblical righteousness when our actions may not be based upon the Scriptures themselves. He pointed out that Josiah was doing some good things throughout his early days as the King of Israel, especially in squashing idolatry. However, it was not until later in Israel’s history that he actually “found” the law and repented. Redmond noted that all of his previous reforms were not necessarily built on the authority of Scripture, but merely upon religious assumptions. He eloquently warned the Convention that we need to make sure we are acting on the actual commands of Scripture and not merely our religious precedent. Founders indicates that they will have the message up online – you should make it a priority to listen to. The Gaither Vocal Band was entertaining, but sorely lacking in biblical authority – they should have first attended the Founders’ Breakfast before singing, “Somewhere Between Jesus and John Wayne.” Honestly, do we really want to elevate John Wayne and denigrate Jesus this way? But, I digress . . . Morris Chapman...
by Bret Capranica | Jun 9, 2008 | Southern Baptist Issues
Justin Peters, one of our church’s interns, and I had a good but very long trek to Indianapolis, Indiana for the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention. We traveled from Hemet to San Diego and caught a very early flight. God was so gracious to get us there safely, since Justin drove on only two hours of sleep. He assured me that any fears I might have had were due to the fact that he was not used to driving his car with anyone else in it – not due to sleep deprivation. Anyhoo – our trips were flawless. We are staying within walking distance of the Convention center and have a good view of RCA Stadium – complete with giant pics of Colts players (I suppose that makes them feel better about themselves). For a number of reasons, this will be an interesting Convention: So far, six pre-announced names have been given for the position of President this year. Two resolutions have been submitted calling Southern Baptists to adhere to a regenerate church membership – or at least have more integrity in reporting our numbers. I’m up and running on Twitter – that will make the Convention interesting. I will be able to give some pics and micro-blogging commentary from my phone through the duration of the Convention. As for blogging, I’ll try to do my best and recap the events of the day, giving you some insight into the goings of the Convention from my limited perspective. As for events of the week, Justin and I may try and make a portion of the evening session of the Pastors’...
by Bret Capranica | Jun 4, 2008 | Ecclesiology, Education, Pastoral Ministry
Just to keep the conversation going – here is Adrian Warnock’s post on Piper’s recent announcement that seminary education will be connected to Bethlehem Baptist Church. adrianwarnock.com: John Piper To Start a Seminary at Bethlehem...
