Dr. Mohler’s convocation address this morning was outstanding, and it relates to the subject matter of my last post. The title of the address is “Which Way to the Future? Southern Baptists, Southern Seminary, and the Future of the Evangelical Movement in America” (download audio here). In essence, Dr. Mohler argues that the evangelical movement provided the theological resources that the SBC needed to mount its conservative resurgence in the 80’s and 90’s. Now, Southern Baptists find themselves in the position of returning the favor. As the theological identity of evangelicalism becomes increasingly amorphous (and in some cases theologically liberal), Southern Baptists—with Southern Seminary included—need to lead the way in…
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Köstenberger Takes Over at B&H
The publisher B&H has just released an important announcement: “B&H Publishing Group, the publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources, has named Andreas J. Köstenberger as director of acquisitions for its academic program. In a unique partnership, Köstenberger will continue to serve as director of Ph.D. Studies and professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. Köstenberger also serves as editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS).”
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Obama’s Faith
There was quite a hubbub last week over President Obama’s faith after a Pew Forum survey showed that 1 in 5 Americans believe Obama to be a Muslim. I don’t know how so many Americans could be so misinformed as to believe such a thing, but there it is. In fact, Obama professes to be a Christian, and all the indications are that he is a progressive one at that. In other words, his Christian faith resembles more what you would find in one of the liberal mainline churches than what you would find in an evangelical church.
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Apologetics Conference
My friends at Denton Bible Church are hosting an apologetics conference this November 5-6, and it looks like they’ve got a great line-up. It’s called the “On Guard Christian Apologetics Conference,” and featured speakers include William Lane Craig, J. P. Moreland, and Sean McDowell. Here’s a description of the event from the conference website:
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Olasky vs. Wallis
Marvin Olasky reports for World Magazine that Jim Wallis’ Sojourners group has been receiving funding from George Soros—the billionaire leftist who has financed groups promoting abortion, atheism, and same-sex marriage. Anyone who has paid any attention at all to Wallis’ leftward commitments shouldn’t be surprised that Soros might be interested in beefing up Sojourner‘s bottom-line. Wallis, however, is denying the report. In fact, he got downright prickly in a recent interview when asked about Olasky’s article:
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Anne Rice Reads Scripture
CT‘s interview with Anne Rice is a fascinating read. I have to say that I am astonished to discover how much she enjoys reading conservative, Protestant interpreters of scripture. She lists D. A. Carson, Craig Keener, and N. T. Wright among her favorites, and says, “Of all the people I’ve read over the years, it’s their work that I keep on my desk.” Here’s a piece of the relevant exchange:
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McKnight Interviews McLaren
Scot McKnight recently sat down and asked Brian McLaren three questions about what exactly McLaren believes (see above). I have the three questions transcribed below, but I think the last question is the most important. In the third question, McKnight asks McLaren if he’s a universalist. Don’t hold your breath for a direct answer because McLaren doesn’t give one. McLaren says that he is not an exclusivist but that he can’t say that he’s a universalist either. He won’t commit to either view. McLaren’s says that he’s working within a new “narrative” in which those old questions of heaven and hell don’t make sense anymore. In spite of McLaren’s obfuscation,…
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The Faith of Katy Perry
The most recent issue of Rolling Stone has an interview with pop music sensation Katy Perry. I’ve written about Perry before and have noted her past life as Katy Hudson—a Christian music star and the daughter of two charismatic youth pastors. What I found interesting about this interview in Rolling Stone was her remarks about her current spiritual state and practices. She describes it this way: “Speaking in tongues is as normal to me as ‘Pass the salt.’ A lot of religions use meditation or chanting as a subliminal prayer language, and speaking in tongues isn’t that different–it’s a secret, direct prayer language to God. If I felt intuitively that…
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Inconsistent Pro-life Evangelicals
Randy Alcorn has been a heroic pro-life advocate for many years. His part in the fight has cost him greatly. Nevertheless, he soldiers on. Mark Driscoll has recorded a series of conversations with Alcorn about the issue, and it would be well worth your time to watch all of them. The most recent installment focuses on inconsistent pro-life evangelicals—that is, those who call themselves pro-life but then don’t vote their stated conviction. Here are links to all three parts. Part 1 – Why Does Bestselling Author Randy Alcorn Make Minimum Wage? Part 2 – How God Uses Evil for Good Part 3 – Are Young Pro-Life Evangelicals Inconsistent?
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Evangelical Bigots?
Carl Trueman notes that for Americans under 35 years of age, homosexual marriage is not even an issue. That figure indicates a great generational divide over attitudes toward homosexuality. The trend lines in our culture are moving decidedly in the direction affirming homosexuality as normal. Trueman predicts, therefore, four challenges that lie ahead for Christians. Here’s the fourth challenge that Trueman mentions: “Those evangelical leaders, academics and evangelical institutions that prize their place at the table and their invitations to appear on `serious’ television programs, and who enjoy being asked to offer their opinion to the wider culture had better be prepared to make a choice. As I have said…