Gina Welch is Jewish and an atheist. In her new book, In the Land of Believers, she chronicles her two-year sojourn among the members of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. “I wanted to know what my evangelical neighbors were like as people, unfiltered and off the record, not as the subjects of interviews conducted by the ‘liberal media.’ I wanted to try to take them on their own terms. Who, exactly, did they think they were? Why were they so determined to convert non-Christian America? And how were they going about it?”
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Jim Hamilton on Daniel 1
Jim Hamilton preached to the students of Boyce College on Monday night and knocked it out of the park. His exposition of Daniel 1 was faithfully exposited and powerfully delivered. You can download the audio here or press the play button below. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/BoycePodcast/20100301-boyce-podcast-hamilton.mp3] Jim is Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Seminary and the Pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church here in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a long-time friend, and I am grateful for his faithful ministry to our students.
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Earle Ellis, RIP
UPDATE 3/5/10: Southwestern Seminary has posted its news release and tribute to Dr. Ellis here. —————————- I received news today that E. Earle Ellis passed away last night. He was research professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern Seminary, and a prolific scholar of the New Testament. As Russell Moore notes, “he believed the Bible when that wasn’t cool in the SBC.” We were all waiting for the appearance of his commentary on 1 Corinthians for the International Critical Commentary series. He was the consummate scholar and widely respected in the worldwide guild of New Testament Studies. He will be missed. SWBTS will be issuing a statement in due course. In…
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Powerful Testimony
My colleague Dr. Chuck Lawless shared a powerful testimony to God’s grace in SBTS chapel yesterday. This is a good word, and you need to hear it. The Lord’s arm is not too short to save! (Isaiah 59:1)
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Russell Moore on Misguided Christian Outrage
Russell Moore has a must-read at The Resurgence website. In it, he asks whether Christians should be outraged by the new “We Are the World” single that was recently recorded after the Grammys. He writes: “Well, yes, I am outraged. Willie Nelson should have been invited to participate. He’s still every bit as talented as he was in 1985, and if Nick Jonas can be invited, then certainly Willie should’ve been too.” Okay, there’s actually more to it than that. Go read it here.
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A National Shame
It is a great national shame that we send women off to fight our wars. I understand that saying such a thing is terribly non-PC these days. The general egalitarian spirit of the age looks askance at the idea that women are to be protected, not deployed. Nevertheless, that used to be the consensus view in the Christian West. But we have fallen a long way from that integrity. That is why I am surprised to see Mary Eberstadt’s OP-ED in Friday’s Washington Post. It goes decidedly against the egalitarian grain. She writes:
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Ryken’s Defining Challenge for Evangelicals
Christianity Today asked Philip Ryken last week what he expects “to be Wheaton’s greatest ‘identity challenge’ in relating to trends in American culture?” His answer: “I think the issue of homosexuality will for the foreseeable future be a defining challenge for the evangelical church generally, and, therefore, also for the college.” He calls homosexuality a “defining challenge” not just for Wheaton, but for all of evangelicalism. There are a number of reasons that I agree with this assessment, but let me just give you a few thoughts to consider.
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David Platt in SBTS Chapel
I believe David Platt (@plattdavid) to be the most passionate and compelling missions-mobilizer in Southern Baptist life today. He brought a powerful and convicting message in Southern Seminary’s chapel service that I think everyone needs to hear. His text is Luke 9:57-62, a text which he argues presents us with three questions about our priorities: 1. Are we going to choose comfort or the cross? (Luke 9:57-58) 2. Are we going to settle for maintenance or are we going to sacrifice for mission? (Luke 9:59-60) 3. Are our lives and ministries going to be marked by indecisive minds or undivided hearts? (Luke 9:61-62) Don’t listen to this if you don’t…
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GCR Report Now Online
Here’s a pre-recorded version of the Great Commission Resurgence interim report that Pastor Ronnie Floyd delivered tonight to the SBC Executive Committee. You can download the text version of Floyd’s address here. This is only an interim report, and the final report is not due until May. Nevertheless, it is clear that the work of the GCR Task Force promises to be epoch-making for Southern Baptists. The report warns Southern Baptists that we have two options: “Die a painful death, or live a painful change. . . What our convention chooses to do will determine what God does with this denomination. . . Wilderness wanderings or Canaan conquests.” We all…
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View GCR Report Online
Last summer, the messengers of the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention appointed a task force to study how Southern Baptists can work more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission. The final report will be given at the SBC in Orlando this summer, but Ronnie Floyd will present an interim report to the SBC Executive Committee tonight. So all eyes are on Nashville. At about 10:30pm EST, you will be able to see a video of Floyd’s report and a downloadable manuscript of his remarks at www.pray4gcr.com. Be sure to take a look. And be sure to pray for their work. (HT: Ronnie Floyd)