TRBC Fall Festival 2009

September 13th @ TRBC

Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem

I AM GOING TO THE SBC CONVENTION

Well, Sunday after our morning worship service, I am loading up our good American SUV and heading to Louisville Kentucky to attend the Southern Baptist Convention.  I’ll probably stop and eat fried chicken and sip some sweet tea on the way.  It is somewhat funny for me, because I have long been the anti-convention/antagonistic/rebellious type of Southern Baptist.  Sort of like that kind of kid who spikes his hair just to get under his parents skin.  All things considered, I am a committed Southern Baptist, I believe in the Cooperative Program, I subscribe to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, etc., etc., etc., but I seem to always feel that these meetings are useless and I could be more fruitful for the kingdom by staying and playing softball with our guys and Wii with our students.

Fast forward to June 2009, as the senior pastor of a young growing Southern Baptist church; I usually would say emerging, but with the hijacking of this word I don’t want to be confused with those guys i.e. Rob Bell and Brian McClaren so I choose not to use the word although it aggravates me because I really like the word.  Anyway, I was approached by some members of our congregation and asked some questions about our convention.  Through these conversations I became aware that our people are interested in where there money is going and what our money supports.  Through these conversations I have found myself getting involved the Great Commission Resurgence debate.  There is more to this story, but for space I won’t give you the long version.  Suffice it to say, I was convicted that Biblical stewardship necessates my involvement in the SBC so I signed the document.  By the way I thoroughly agree with Dr. Akin’s message delivered at Southeastern Seminary.  Here is a link if you want to listen it is worth the time.  http://www.greatcommissionresurgence.com  At this point I would call myself  an intrigued young participant within our convention.  I do have some questions.

Does the Southern Baptist Convention have a future or will the trend of powerful churches loosely affiliating with the convention continue?  I don’t know what the answer to that question is.  Honestly, I don’t see us returning to the glory days of denominational life.  If we move in the direction of making our particular brand of denomination function the way it was originally designed to function I will wholeheartedly support it.  I appreciate the missions’ focus of the Cooperative Program. I support our cooperative way of supporting missionaries.  I am a graduate of a Southern Baptist Seminary and SBC helped to fund my education and there will forever be a place in my heart for that gift.  I will not support a continuing good old boy network so notorious among our ranks.  I will not support a weighted bureaucracy that depends upon local churches to feed it.  I will not support a convention that places extra-biblical constraints on leaders.

Here are some cold hard facts though that must be acknowledged; the 20^th century is gone.  It is gone forever never to return.  The funny thing is that many of us are glad that it is gone.  The epistemological basis of the 20^th century is also gone.  We could debate and converse on this fact for hours, but I am convinced the epistemological foundation of this generation is contrary to modernity.  Call it postmodern or postwhateveryouwanttocallit, people’s worldview has changed and we must work hard to communicate the truth of the Gospel in such a way that makes sense.    This culture has shifted to the extent that in my humble opinion the methodology that drove the SBC and its churches will have little influence in this culture and it progresses.  We must recapture the missional mindset of the early church not fight to hold on to a lost era.  Over the next week I intend to blog from the convention.  I can honestly say that I go with every intention of being a cooperating Southern Baptist.  I have been very rebellious in the past, but as a more mature believer I intend to join together with other like minded individuals who desire to fight for the Kingdom!

Toward a Great Commission Resurgence

This afternoon as I was studying for Sunday’s message, I was listening to a podcast from Southeastern Seminary. The seminary president, Dr. Danny Aiken was preaching a message calling Southern Baptist to refocus back towards a “Great Commission Resurgence.” As I listened to Dr. Aiken, I found myself captivated with his proposal. This is exciting! A little bit of information would give you insight into my viewpoint and why I found this message so captivating.

I did not grow up in a Southern Baptist Church. My heritage brings me from a mainline denomination into the Southern Baptist Convention. Originally, I become a Southern Baptist out of pragmatics. The local Baptist church was the only church which had a fully integrated youth ministry, so in order to hang out with girls I ended up at the Baptist church. After surrendering to Jesus, I involved myself in the local Baptist church youth ministry while still attending the mainline church with my parents. As time progressed, God’s sovereignty brought a wonderful pastor into my life who mentored me and discipled me. His commitment and belief in me is a key reason that I am where I am today. I will always be thankful for Bro. Randy Kuhn for the hours he has spent with me and the countless prayers he has offered on my behalf.

After high school and in college, I began to flirt with different beliefs and with different denominations. I have studied with Anglicans, Methodists, and Presbyterians. At the end of the day, I felt strongly that the Southern Baptist Church offered me the most consistently Biblical expression of my beliefs. I deeply believed in local church autonomy and cooperative support for missions as well as the authority of Scripture.

That was almost a decade ago. As I have now “become a Southern Baptist” leading a cooperating Southern Baptist Church I have found myself frustrated with the shape of this convention, almost to the point to do what so many young SBC guys do; send our check into the CP and stay out of the junk and in our local church. From State Conventions stuck in the 60’s to Paige Patterson and his agenda to rid the SBC of what he considers inappropriate for good Southern Baptist boys, I consistently find myself embarrassed to call myself a Southern Baptist when attemtping to reach this POMO culture. I have been frustrated with the way we present ourselves to the culture around us, being seen more for what we are against rather than who we are for and the Kingdom we represent. I am not liberal, but just because Richard Land says it on Meet The Press does not mean that I stand behind his words or that he speaks for me. For the past few years, I have found myself clinging by a string to the SBC because I fundamentally believe in local church autonomy and cooperating together to do missions along with the fact that I believe the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a solid confession. I could write a better one, but could not we all, that is just a revalation of our depravity.  Mine is better than yours.  We never really grow up.

I believe in inerrancy, infallibility, and sufficiency of Scripture. I preach with all my heart the substitutionary atonement of the cross. I believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. I believe in the virgin birth, deity of Christy, and sinlessness of his life. I believe the book of Genesis is an actual account of real life events with real life people. I believe the ax head floated as well as all the other miracles of Scripture. I believe in the Trinity. I believe we can only be saved through saving faith. I believe saving faith is surrender to the Lordship of Jesus resulting in a new life. I believe in a real hell. I believe Jesus is coming back bodily. I believe we are saved by grace through faith. I believe baptism is an outward expression of an identify change. If I forgot anything it’s because I forgot what I wrote. Suffice it so say, I am a conservative through and through.

I am not a fundamentalist.

As I listened to Dr. Danny Aiken, I was thankful for a leader within our convention outline what we are and who we are and what our purpose is.  I was thankful for a man who hears the cry of younger leaders.  I was thankful for a vision!  Dr. Aiken outlined the following points.

1. A Commitment to Christ’s Lordship

2. A Commitment to Gospel-Centeredness

3. A Commitment to the Great Commandments

4. A Commitment to Biblical Inerrancy and Sufficiency

5. A Commitment to a Healthy Confessional Center

6. A Commitment to Biblically Healthy Churches

7. A Commitment to Sound Biblical Preaching

8. A Commitment to a Methodological Diversity that is Biblically Informed

9. A Commitment to a More Effective Convention Structure

10. A Commitment to Distinctively Christian Families

I can sign my name to this list. I can get excited about this movement within the convention. Here’s the link to listen for yourself. http://www.greatcommissionresurgence.com/media/ Thank you Dr. Aiken.

I probably won’t make the convention this year, but if this attitude prevails, I might go one day. The best comment in Dr. Aiken’s message in my opinion  is awesome, “The little boys in our convention need to sit down and the men need to stand up and lead!”

Samson, My Hometown

Well for those of you that know me, you are aware that Samson Alabama is my hometown; those that did not know that, now you do. Until this point I have said very little about the tragic events that occurred there a few short weeks ago. We spent time in our Sunday morning gathering praying for the community, but other than that, I have been silent. As I was celebrating my 8^th anniversary friends of mine were going through one of the most horrendous events ever in that small village. March 10^th will forever be etched in the mind of Samsonites as day all desire to forget but all will remember.

Michael McCendon was a classmate of mine. I really didn’t know him that well. We spoke in school, played a couple of sports together, and did the traditional rural small school thing, but we weren’t close. As reflect back some 10-15 years I don’t recall anything that would ever lead me to believe this young man could ever do something so sinister. It seemed like all the trite, cliché responses you typically hear after an event like this was accurate. He was nice and quiet and kept to himself.

I was sitting in my rocking chair waiting for Christy to come home, getting ready for our Anniversary night when my sister called and asked me if I had heard from Mom and Dad. I could tell by the passion in her voice, she was startled and a little scared; she then began to tell me the information that she had heard which at that point was minuscule and patchy, but of course it caused both us of to long to her the voice of our parents and know they were OK. Fortunately, shortly thereafter I was able to speak to Mom and she began to put the pieces together of the day’s events. I will never forget that conversation.

The more information I gathered, the more broken I became. This is Samson for goodness sakes! I would usually refer to my hometown as Mayberry where nothing remotely exciting or dangerous ever happened. It was as far removed from reality as anyplace in the planet, or so I thought growing up! We had our yearly fights and drugs were becoming fairly prevalent, but that was the extent of our “danger.” Now my sleepy hometown has forever lost its innocence, forever stamped with this tragedy, forever branded and reminded of the reality of evil.

As I process what has occurred, the only way I can make sense of any of it is through the lens of the cross. The cross allows perspective to see that we has humans are broken and in need of repair. There is real evil in this world. The fall of Adam and Eve is not a mythological story, but rather a literal event whose implications are just are real today as when Cain killed Abel. No one, at least no one that I respect, can dismiss these actions without declaring them evil and heinous. To hate one’s life so much that he would take the life of another is the ultimate expression of our sinful nature it is the epitome of evil and the work of Satan.

My prayer for my hometown is that through this tragedy, they will more clearly see the substitutionary work of Christ. Jesus endured the agony of the cross to purchase us from the evil one. His death is the only way to bring sanity to this world. Evil is present, this world is broken, but Jesus died to begin the process of putting us back together, and then through his church, to begin putting the world back together. His resurrection is the guarantee that it will happen! We will never understand tragedy this side of eternity, but tragedy does force us to articulate our own matrix and paradigm for understanding and believing and interpreting life’s events. Jesus Christ is the only way I can make sense of the “real” world. His death, resurrection, lordship, and reign is the only way I can sleep at night.

I don’t have answers for this tragedy. Unfortunately, far too many “well meaning” Christian leaders attempt to theologize and philosophize when we simply need to point to Jesus. My heart breaks for young men who had their family ripped from them. Only the peace of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit can comfort. I don’t have words for a family which has been destroyed. I simply pray that Jesus reveal himself through this. I will close with an amazing quote by C.S. Lewis. Writing in The Problem of Pain, Lewis enduring “a great dark night of the soul” in his own personal life pens these words.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Love the Nuke

My good friend Dr. Adam Lowther recently published this article in the Boston Globe.  His words should be heard.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA is likely to bring about a historic shift in nuclear weapons policy as the administration undertakes a significant effort to dramatically reduce the size of the nuclear arsenal. In 2009 alone, the administration will produce a Nuclear Posture Review and oversee the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in December. Obama will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with obligations in the Strategic Offense Reduction Treaty, which requires that the United States reduce its deployed strategic warheads to 1,700-2,200 by 2012.

Obama’s nuclear agenda focuses on: securing loose nuclear material from terrorists, strengthening the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and moving toward a nuclear-free world.

Pushing the president in the direction of a “world free of nuclear weapons” are paragons of past political power – former senator Sam Nunn of Georgia and former secretaries of state George Shultz and Henry Kissinger – as well as a host of Washington think tanks.

Offering an alternative view of the nuclear arsenal are the “modernizers,” led by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, and Commander of US Strategic Command General Kevin Chilton. Over the past several months, they have outlined what it will take to maintain and modernize the most advanced and secure nuclear arsenal in the world.

In the debate over the appropriate size and purpose of the nuclear arsenal, abolitionists make five basic arguments:

American political leaders have failed to alter nuclear policy for the post-Cold War security environment.

Terrorism, not Russia, is the primary threat facing the United States. Nuclear weapons do not deter terrorists.

America’s advanced conventional capabilities can accomplish the same objectives once reserved for nuclear weapons.

As a signer of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the United States is required to move toward nuclear abolition.

The threat of accidental detonation, miscalculation leading to nuclear war, and proliferation of nuclear weapons and material can only be overcome by total nuclear disarmament.

While each of these arguments bears some element of truth, they do not represent a complete understanding of the strategic role nuclear weapons play in ensuring the sovereignty of the United States or the evolution of American nuclear policy. Although each of the abolitionists’ arguments deserves a detailed refutation, a brief rebuttal must suffice.

First, Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush were responsible stewards of the nuclear arsenal, bringing the number down from a high of 24,000 to the current 5,400, which will continue to decline to between 2,200 and 1,700 to meet the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty requirements. Nuclear-capable bombers were also de-alerted more than a decade ago. Cutting the size of the nuclear arsenal 80 percent is a substantial shift in policy.

Second, terrorists do not threaten the sovereignty of the United States. Even if they carry out a successful attack, America will survive. Russia, however, continues to possess the capability to destroy the nation. Unilateral disarmament will not change that.

Third, conventional capabilities will never effectively substitute for nuclear weapons. Yes, they can destroy the same target. But, they lack the same capacity to generate fear in the heart of an adversary. Fear acts to deter, which is why we possess nuclear weapons.

Fourth, if the United States moves toward disarmament, it will be the only nuclear power to do so. Every other nuclear power is modernizing its nuclear arsenal. Thus, the United States may soon reach a point where it can be held hostage by other states.

Fifth, in the 65-year history of the bomb there has never been an accidental detonation, miscalculation leading to nuclear war, or large-scale nuclear proliferation. History suggests the opposite. Nuclear weapons make those that possess them risk averse, not risk acceptant.

The truth is nuclear weapons remain a fundamental aspect of our national security. Without them, the American people will face greater, not less, danger and adversaries willing to exploit our perceived weakness. Arbitrarily shrinking the nuclear arsenal by an additional 50 percent may not be a wise idea. It certainly deserves careful thought.

Dr. Adam B. Lowther is a faculty researcher and defense analyst at the Air Force Research Institute.

Substitutionary Atonement

No other week forces me to examine myself like Easter week. It has long been a habit to use this week as an opportunity for careful introspection of my life, responsibilities, priorities, ministry, etc. As we approach what we Christians call Good Friday, I am reminded evermore the great and awesome grace of God displayed in glory through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The past few years has seen a considerable attack on the orthodox view of substitutionary atonement. What exactly did Jesus accomplish on the cross? Why did he die? These questions have eternal ramifications and their implications have far reaching consequences for followers of Christ. As a young pastor, it has been a difficult struggle for me to watch some of my counterparts drift away from an orthodox view of the cross. I am concerned that in the fight for relativity many have lost the very propositional truth which we want to make relevant for our particular culture.

As someone who has cut his teeth serving in traditional Baptist churches, I have seen firsthand the need to bring the Gospel into the 21^st century. Far too many churches continue to present the Gospel as if time is frozen within the mid 20^th century. Worldviews have changed, culture has shifted, and paradigms which were once accepted have been replaced. Whether we choose to live in defiance of this or we choose to accept this new reality, we live in a new world. I am thankful for many of my “missional” brothers who have presented a rational, well articulated, reasonable call to arms to the traditional church to reexamine their methodology in order to fulfill their mission. I am of one accord with them. But I do have some concerns.

I am concerned that in the whitewash of postmodern shifts, many young leaders have allowed the methodological shifts to influence proper and sound theology. Men such as Rob Bell and Brian McClaren are two examples. Note Rob Bell’s remarks,

Notice what Jesus says in the Book of Matthew: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” What he is doing here is significant. He is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. He is giving them permission to say, “Hey, we think we missed it before on that verse, and we’ve recently come to the conclusion that this is what it actually means.”

In the evolution of becoming current in our methodology we must not buy wholesale the undercurrent by some of its leaders that we also evolve in our theological matrix. Now, back to the cross; I write these comments to speak to young leaders about the absolute need to fight for a proper understanding of substitutionary atonement. Jesus died as our substitute. His blood was shed for our sin. We deserved the cross, the Father poured out his wrath that we should have endured, on his Son. The cross is not just an example for us. It is not a myth. The cross is the fundamental truth that gives salvation. There is no other possibility. Jesus paid it all.

For those that know me, you are aware that I am not anti-contemporary. I have endured great scrutiny because my leadership is seen as progressive and oftentimes radical. With that said, the purpose of progressive methodology is to greater influence one’s particular culture with the timeless message of the Gospel. The danger that I see subtlety making its way into younger “emerging” leaders is the breaking down of the wall between methodology and theology. Thereby allowing the same approach to methodology, (need to be relevant, hip, cool, contemporary) to be immersed in theology ultimately changing the Gospel. I am looking forward to further debate on these issues. To God be the Glory.

Brian McClaren and Biblical Accuracy

As I write this blog, I am listening to a podcast in the background. Brian McClaren is teaching on the first three chapters of Genesis. For those of you that so desire, this podcast is found on the Emergent Podcast found on ITunes. As I listen to this man teach, I am captivated by the way he communicates. I understand why he has garnered such attention from the emergent crowd, but one fact startles me.

As the talk begins, McClaren begins with certain parameters; McClaren doesn’t think that it is important for us to see the events of Genesis as literal events. Does a snake really talk? For McClaren it doesn’t matter. The real issue for McClaren is the story presented not the facts of the Biblical record. As a Bible student who feels that systematic theology has taken precedent over sound exegesis I appreciate the fact that McClaren uses the terminology of “story”, but I am very alarmed at the way he has discounted the events of the story. In my terminology this makes the Biblical record a myth and Jesus a liar.

I can not go to this place with McClaren. In recent discussion, I have mentioned to mentors of mine who played a vital part in the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention that I am convinced the authority of God’s word is under attack while most conservatives are more interested in talking about whether Baptists are Calvinists. The greatest danger for the conservative evangelical movement is to be found in leaders like Brian McClaren and Rob Bell; guys who are very likable and communicate so smoothly all the while eroding the very foundation upon which our faith is built on. My generation is not turning to Al Mohler and Paige Patterson for answers; they are watching Nooma videos and reading McClaren. Make no mistake, the Christianity these men present is not orthodox Biblical Christianity. They are not just innovators with a hip and trendy methodology; they are leaders of new religion not simply a new brand of Christianity. I pray that as we journey forth in this adventure into the 21^st century, some of our leaders would wake up. While we are arguing over should we sing certain songs, wear certain clothes, preach from certain translations, the real battle is being fought on a very basic foundational level. Is the Bible accurate and authoritative?

Thorington Road Baptist Church

As I sit in my office typing this blog, my heart is broken for many of my friends who are in ministry settings that are difficult, trying, and painful. I am working on a writing project that outlines what I believe the greatest hindrance to the Gospel is in our day; the local Church. There I said it; the local church has become her own worst enemy. The fighting, complaining, bitterness, splits, division, schism, scandals, controversy, inauthenticity, rebellion, weak commitment, consumer crazed church hopping, etc. etc. etc. is the reason that so many outside God’s covenant criticize, rebuke, avoid, and ignore our message. With that said, as I listen to some of these young warriors talk about their struggle, I am thankful for the shalom God has given me. I admit this has not been the story of my ministry in its entirety. I left a ministry setting that was dead fixated on past accomplishments unwilling to acknowledge current reality, but I count my blessings for Thorington Road Baptist Church. This is a church that is surrendered to Jesus and focused on his Kingdom. Do we have problems? Of course we do, but we don’t live as if we don’t. This is a genuine, authentic, loving group of people. The more I listen to the struggle of my friends, the more thankful I am for the privilege of pastoring here. I don’t know what the future holds, but I am excited about the opportunity. God has been so good to my family to allow us to lead a body of believers that are focused on the Kingdom. It is great to raise my family in this environment. In many ways, I am thankful for Thorington Road Baptist Church because they have reignited the fire of my calling. My heart breaks for those that don’t enjoy the same.