Are Southern Baptists Calvinists? That’s one of the questions being discussed this week in Ridgecrest, North Carolina at the conference “Building Bridges: Southern Baptists and Calvinism.” This conference could not have come at a better time, given that debates about Calvinism among Southern Baptist often generate more heat than light. I have great hopes for better things from this conference. Speakers include Albert Mohler, David Dockery, Malcolm Yarnell, Tom Nettles, Voddie Baucham, Danny Akin, Tom Ascol, and many others. You can podcast the messages from the conference through iTunes at the following link: Building Bridges Podcast (SEBTS Audio). Or you can visit Lifeway’s site and download the MP3 messages directly…
-
-
The Amendment Is On the Table
Last night, our proposal to amend the doctrinal basis of the ETS was formally presented to the Society to be voted on at next year’s gathering in Providence, Rhode Island. Here’s what happened.
-
Andreas Köstenberger on Evangelical Boundaries
By now, many of you will have read Justin Taylor’s interview with Andreas Köstenberger, accomplished NT scholar and current editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS). Among other things, Köstenberger discusses with Taylor the issue of evangelical identity and the role of the ETS in the larger evangelical movement. He writes:
-
Rob Bell Is Coming to Town
Pastor Rob Bell is bringing his “The Gods Aren’t Angry Tour” to Dallas next week. In anticipation of the big event, Kate Goodloe from the Dallas Morning News called to get me to comment on Rob Bell’s controversial ministry. Like most most reporters who cover controversial issues, Goodloe includes in her story both supporters and critics. I was brought in as the critic. Her account of our conversation is good, so far as it goes. But I thought I would fill in some of the gaps since some of my remarks need some more context. Here’s the relevant excerpt from Goodloe’s report:
-
ETS President Comments on Proposed Amendment
ETS President, Dr. Hassell Bullock, comments on our amendment proposal in an interview with Collin Hansen for Christianity Today. Here’s the relevant section: CT: Is there any merit to suggestions for changing the ETS doctrinal basis? BULLOCK: The recent return of Francis Beckwith, the ETS president, to the Catholic faith of his childhood, has obviously and understandably created questions within the society about the adequacy of our theological basis, which is quite brief: “The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs. God is a Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each an uncreated person, one in…
-
Pastor Charged with Criminal Discrimination against Female Pastor
Christianity Today has a story about a Finnish pastor who is being charged with criminal discrimination against a female pastor: ‘A Finnish district court prosecutor recently charged a member of the Finland state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), with criminal discrimination for refusing to work with a female pastor. Two other church leaders have also been charged for not interfering to prevent the alleged violation.
-
S. M. Hutchens on Evangelicalism and Feminism
On Monday, I highlighted an article to which I contributed for Touchstone magazine, “Evangelicalism Today.” On Tuesday, one of the editors of Touchstone, S. M. Hutchens, responded to our article and had this to say about what feminism has done to the evangelical movement.
-
Touchstone Forum on Evangelicalism
The latest issue of Touchstone magazine has a forum in which a diverse group of Evangelicals answer questions related to the state of Evangelicalism today. I am a contributor to this discussion along with Russell Moore, Michael Horton, Darryl Hart, John Franke, and David Lyle Jeffrey. The article is posted online, and you can read it here. Here are the questions that each of us answered: â— “How do you define ‘Evangelical,’ in a way that distinguishes Evangelicals from other believing Christians? And has this definition changed over the last several decades?”
-
Richard Land: Third Party Is Not a Bluff
Richard Land has some things to say in an interview with Newsweek that I hope Republicans will hear. Some of the key exchanges are below: NEWSWEEK: So we wanted to ask you, first of all, about the third party idea and whether it’s serious. A number of people are suggesting it is just a threat. LAND: My intuition [is that] this is not a bluff. If Giuliani is the nominee, there will be a third party. There are things that Giuliani could do to help mitigate the damage. But I have been in too many discussions over the last 15 years where evangelical leaders have said, “The one thing we…
-
The Besetting Sin of Worry
Pastor John Piper has a good word for those who battle the besetting sin of worry. His remarks are in answer to the following questions: “Is there a place for worriers in the church? Or is it a problem that some people perpetually worry?” You can listen to him here, or you can read a transcript of his remarks here.