Today I discovered a new (to me, that is) weblog named Against Heresies by Martin Downes.  The latest two posts are on subject of legalism (here and here).  Well said, and sure to be quoted in some future sermon by Eutychus.

The sermon series “Life in the Community of Faith: The Pastoral Epistles” has been updated on the Sermons page at the Beaver Baptist Church site.  The series is now complete through January 2008.

Christianity Today has an in-depth and insightful article on the Ancient-Future Church movement: “The Future Lies in the Past.”  The author, Chris Armstrong, attended the 2007 Wheaton Theology Conference which had as its theme “The Ancient Faith for the Church’s Future.”  The article provides a helpful introduction to the movement: its orgins in the 1970s; its key figures including Robert Webber, Thomas Oden, Thomas Howard (who, famously, later converted to Roman Catholicism), Peter Gilquist (who moved to Eastern Orthodoxy), and Richard Foster; and  the problems that the movement attempts to correct, as well as potential ways it can get things wrong.

My own interest in the movement came about in the 1980s,  when I was invited to attend services at St. Joseph of Arimathea, an Anglican church in Berkeley, Calif.  It appealed to me aesthetically: I enjoyed the Gregorian chants, the peaceful atmosphere, the simple, traditional architecture of the sanctuary, the liturgy (although I could take or leave the use of incense, as well as the vestments).  Theologically, however, I had too many differences: I could not accept infant baptism, I felt it promoted too great a clergy-laity distinction, most importantly, I objected to its sacerdotalism (the belief that a priesthood is needed to intercede between people and God).

Later I became acquainted with Touchstone magazine (at the 2000 Wheaton Theology Conference, incidentally) in which conservative Christians from the mainline Protestant denominations, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy as well as Evangelicalism write on matters of common concern.  It attempts to be a forum of “mere Christianity,” a phrase borrowed from the book of the same title by C. S. Lewis, the “patron saint” of the magazine.  I also became interested in the writings of Robert Webber, particularly Ancient-Future Faith.

I don’t know how the insights of the ancient-future church movement can fit in with what we are doing at Beaver Baptist Church.  On occasion I like to include reciting the Nicene Creed in order to emphasize our unity with all Christians throughout the ages and the world today.  I have also introduced the practice of spiritual disciplines, which are of course not limited to the ancient-future movement.  We also incorporate a couple of elements from the “church calendar” such as having Maundy Thursday or Good Friday services during Holy Week.  These aspects of traditional worship have been positively received, or at least tolerated at our church.

In general, Southern Baptists are likely to be unreceptive to this kind of traditional Christian worship, although the SBC is large enough to have a diversity in worship styles.  For example, Sojourn Church in Louisville, Kentucky uses elements of ancient worship.  The Baptist Church of the Redeemer in Houston, Texas is also incorporates a liturgical style.

We’re on vacation for two weeks, the first half of which will be in Louisville where we will see much of our family. 

We also got to visit our old church family at Clifton Baptist Church.  It was a refreshing time for us.  We saw–if only far too briefly–many of our old friends.  The service was wonderful, Bruce Ware preached on Psalm 116 on the subject of Thanksgiving.  The music, led by Chip Stam, was beautiful.  It was good for me to see a fresh example of what I hope to see develop at Beaver Baptist Church.

It makes me think of how, on the one hand, it is good to have a vision for the church, ideally directed by Scripture.  On the other hand, I want to be directed by the Holy Spirit, to avoid subtly substituting my idea of what this church should be for God’s intention for this church.

Yet, I mustn’t be afraid to lead.  I could easily fail to move forward because of indecision.  This quote from Thabiti Anyabwile helped me to see this truth:

And we cannot be afraid to lead. There may be 1,000 things we must be sensitive to, but we must resist the paralysis that comes from over-analyzing and tea leaf reading. Leadership is as much an act of faith as prayer. We must trust that God is at work in our leadership of the church, and that He will providentially rule in our prayerful efforts.

The moment I read that quote I saw that was an area in which I am weak.  This past year is one in which I had to learn a lot about leadership–the hard way.

I liked this. It was simple: Doxoblogy: TULIP For Dummies

Hey, who is he calling a dummy?

This New York Times article: Students Flock to Seminaries, but Fewer See Pulpit in Future - New York Times (HT: R. Albert Mohler) looks at the phenomenon of seminary graduates either deciding not to enter pastoral ministry, or entering seminary with other goals in the first place. The reporter spoke to administrators and graduates of Candler School of Theology at Emory University (United Methodist), Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, and an official from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

My question is, how representative is this sampling? Not in a pure statistical sense, but how can you get a feel for what is happening in seminaries without inquiring what is happening in the Southern Baptist Convention seminaries and three other large evangelical seminaries, Dallas Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The last time I checked, the four largest SBC seminaries and the three seminaries just mentioned make up seven of the ten largest seminaries in the U.S.

The only mention of evanglical Christians was this: “Students who are evangelical Protestants, meanwhile, often end up at advocacy groups, sometimes called parachurches, which have defined the priorities and solidified the influence of conservative Christians.” That is not an accurate definition of “parachurches,” which includes far more than advocacy groups.

Reading this article just confirmed my belief that the mainstream media still doesn’t get evangelical Christianity in America, and doesn’t even want to try.

There are things you should know before becoming a Calvinist (hat tip: Rick Ritchie): The Mechanical Contrivium: Trivia about Calvinism

Michael Haykin has a wonderful post “Puritan Balance About Coming to Christ” in which he shares an insight from John Flavel on how God accomplishes his salvific will without obliterating man’s personality:

Coming to Christ shows the voluntariness of the soul in its motion to Christ. True, there is no coming without the Father’s drawing; but that drawing has nothing of compulsion in it; it does not destroy, but powerfully and with an overcoming sweetness persuades the will. It is not forced or driven, but it comes; being made willing in the day of God’s power. Psalm 110:3. [The Method of Grace (New York: American Tract Society, n.d.), 201].

This makes me want to read Flavel for myself. Which, I am sure, is exactly what Haykin intends.

My friend Lamar Duke, who is the Associational Missionary for the Baptist Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania, visited Beaver Baptist Church this past Sunday. I took the opportunity to speak with Lamar about some of the ongoing controversies within the SBC, particularly the IMB brouhaha. Lamar and I (and many others, to be sure) are concerned that the conservative resurgence in the SBC has left a culture (at least in some circles) where every difference among Southern Baptists is being fought over until it is resolved in favor of one party or the other. We agreed that there has to be room for differing points of view, especially on issues not addressed in the Baptist Faith and Message. Recently, Lamar circulated this article written by John Avants, a VP at NAMB:

MAKING EVANGELISM GOOD NEWS AGAIN 

I write about good news. I talk about good news. I share good news. I seek with all my heart to be good news to all those around me. That’s why this will be the most difficult article I have written in this wonderful year since I became Vice-President of the North American Mission Board, leading Evangelization.

Today I will write about bad news. I will speak up loud and clear about bad news that threatens to destroy or at least render irrelevant, the largest and most wonderful tool of good news in the world today - the people called Southern Baptists. And then I will make an unapologetic appeal and challenge to every Southern Baptist to turn away from the destructive course we seem to be on.

For years I have been deeply concerned about the critical spirit among Southern Baptists. It seems that we must have something to fight about and someone to oppose. Now those of you who know me are aware that I was an open part of the Conservative Resurgence. There are some things that are so vital that they are worth a fight. The Bible is one of those things. Without its full truth, there is no assurance that I have any good news to tell. But I believed that when the issue was settled, we would move forward together like a mighty army against the real enemy - the one who keeps this world in darkness. I believed that we would see a sweeping movement of evangelism that would result in the greatest spiritual awakening we have ever imagined. So far, we have chosen a different course.

We have turned on each other like a pack of dogs fighting over a bone. We divide over reformed theology. We split our churches over music style. We insist on uniformity on issues that go far beyond the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. We push away our best and brightest young leaders because they don’t preach or worship or function the way we have in the past. Never mind if they baptize thousands. We are so busy gossiping incessantly about each other, we don’t have much time to talk about Jesus anyway.

If you listen to talk in Southern Baptist circles, I’m sure you will notice something that I have picked up on - every one of our leaders is an incompetent idiot! At least, that’s the appearance from the way we talk about each other. I am struggling to think of one key Southern Baptist leader that has not been the victim of these constant barrages of criticism. I know most of these men. They are good men. They are God’s men. They are gifted leaders, gracious servants who long to see God move among Southern Baptists in power. But they are not perfect men. And if we continue this course of action, this prideful, disgraceful slandering of each other, we should not be surprised at all by the lack of God’s favor on us.

God is doing just fine, by the way! His kingdom will advance with or without us. In my last article I wrote about the fresh movement of God on college campuses. Just after I submitted the article, a renewal reminiscent of the Jesus Movement days began on the campus of Asbury College. It started as a normal chapel and transitioned into a powerful multi-day season of prayer, testimony, repentance, and best of all, evangelism! Now the students are determined, as the campus chaplain told me, “to take Jesus to the world!” Why is it, do you think that God is choosing to move among college students like this? Could it be because they are utterly unconcerned about our foolish rantings against each other and are simply determined to follow Jesus? What a thought!

I have been sending reports of campus outbreaks and fresh movements of evangelism to everyone I can, all across the continent. What a time it is for us to focus on what God is doing in the world. But I find most Southern Baptist talk these days does not center on what God is doing but on what we are doing to each other. And that is both tragic and wrong.

But it is not surprising. It is who, for the moment, we have chosen to be. But I have a growing hope in me. Even in this bad news, I see good news! I have been speaking all across the country for a year. I have been calling Southern Baptists to stop this cycle of self-destructive gossip and attack. And the response I am getting has been overwhelming. I think the vast majority of Southern Baptists are tired of this. Sick of it in fact. I think we are ready for change. So allow me to humbly suggest a course of action:

1. Personally place a moratorium in your own life on criticism and gossip. Let’s just stop it. Try this. Determine that before you criticize anyone, you will take a break to go and witness. After you have shared Christ, you will probably have neither the time nor the desire to criticize. Since we are a people who believe the Bible, wouldn’t it be helpful if we actually practiced Matthew 18?
2. Let every pastor, every Southern Baptist leader, and every member commit for the rest of this year to focus our energies on loving and sharing with those who don’t know Christ, rather than seeking to solve all the internal problems of your church and your convention. I really wonder how many internal problems we would have left if every Southern Baptist just shared the good news once a day. Why don’t we actually try it?
3. I hesitate to say this, but it might be time for a new Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. The vast majority of Southern Baptists may have to rise up and begin to speak up clearly, even with your votes. Perhaps the message should be, “Make the main thing the main thing. Quit bashing each other. Quit attacking others in your sermons who do things differently. We won’t applaud anymore. Stop being distracted by lesser things. Lead us to bring the good news to the world.”
4. Let each of us repent, both to God, and to each other, for our behavior. If we don’t stop this, it will be no wonder why lost people will stay away from our churches. Let’s cry out to God to help us love Him and each other again. Then we can love the world He sent His Son to die for.

It looks to me like we have two clear directions we can choose as Southern Baptists. We can advance together against the real enemy and become the kind of contagious, bold good news Christ-followers we read about in the book of Acts. Or we can keep gnawing on each other while the world goes to hell. Either way, our problem in the SBC will be solved. We will either be so overwhelmed with the passion and love of the power of God that the petty voices of personal attack will fade away like a distant whine. Or, we will keep up the present course until the few Southern Baptists left can find a small room somewhere, where no one will pay any attention, and fight it out together until the end.

As for me, I am full of hope! God is on the move. And I really believe that God has assigned you and me today to be a missionary of the King of the universe! Someone is waiting for me to love them, to share Christ with them, to see their whole world changed. That’s what Southern Baptists are about. And I have spent enough time sitting at this computer criticizing the criticizers! I’m getting out of this office and out into the world to make evangelism good news again. I bet you are ready to join me.

I still believe there is the need for Southern Baptists (and all Christians) to discuss differing understanding of doctrine and practice. Some differences are non-trivial, and we need to talk about them in a spirit of love. And it won’t do simply to say, “let’s forget about all of that and just go witnessing door-to-door.” But Avants is certainly right to point out that we are going to destroy ourselves if we insist on imposing conformity on all but the most trivial matters.

Fide-O Interviews Wade Burleson. It may be that the the proposed guidelines regarding baptism for IMB candidates is driven by a Landmarkist agenda. One feature of Landmarkism is that only Baptist churches are true gospel churches, and that only baptisms performed in Baptist churches are legitimate baptisms. According to Burleson at least two of the IMB trustees behind the proposed guidelines are explicitly Landmarkists.

If this is true, then I have to object to the proposed changes, even though I had expressed partial agreement with them in an earlier post.