Very few men could carry the mantle “elder statesman of the Southern Baptist Convention,” but I heard one today. Dr. Albert Mohler held a forum on the campus of Southern Seminary on the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. He delivered an address that he recently gave at the first meeting of the Great Commission Task Force (audio, video). This is the most lucid analysis that I have heard of the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Mohler tackles the big questions that every single Southern Baptist should be wrestling with. You need to hear this one. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/Mohler/20090819_Presidents_Forum.mp3]
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Louie Giglio Renounces Twitter Renunciation
In a recent press conference, Louie Giglio renounced his previous renunciation of Twitter. Hopefully, he won’t have to hold a future press conference renouncing his renunciation of his renunciation of Twitter. While we all wait to see whether or not this sticks, you can follow him at www.twitter.com/louiegiglio.
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Michael Vick and Moral Outrage
Let’s do a thought experiment. Imagine for a moment that you are walking down the street, and you pass a small boy sitting on the curb. He looks to be about eight years old. You do a double-take when you notice that he has a cricket in his hand. Just as you pass, he grasps the cricket by the legs and yanks them off. How do you respond? Perhaps you would think, “That’s a little cruel. I guess boys will be boys.” Would you even stop to say anything to the boy? Maybe so, but maybe not.
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Is Obama the Anti-Christ?
Perhaps you have seen the YouTube video going around that claims to give biblical evidence that Barack Obama is the anti-christ (see above). The presentation sounds like a learned insight on the biblical text, but I assure you it is not. It is filled with factual inaccuracies and exegetical fallacies and should be discarded onto the scrapheap of crackpot-pseudo-intellectual hooey. Thankfully, Dan Wallace has disposed of this one in fairly short order. You can read it here. Wallace concludes this way: “Is he the Antichrist? In the least, the linguistic torturing required to make the biblical evidence say this is beyond the pale of reason and, perhaps, sanity.”
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Poseur Coffee Drinking
Owen Strachan’s bit on “poseur coffee drinking” is a hilarious and true must-read. He writes: What you find on many websites is some kind of description like this: “I love reformed theology, U2, anything by Steven Soderbergh, and a fresh cup of joe.” Or maybe: “My interests are theology, issues of social justice, Beastie Boys, and an Americano from (fill in neighborhood coffee shop here).” Or perhaps: “Can’t resist a good Bonhoeffer quotation, Edwardsean philosophy, and a venti mocha with light whip.”
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Les Paul (1915-2009)
The Associated Press reports that Les Paul has passed away: “Les Paul, the guitar virtuoso and inventor who revolutionized music and created rock ‘n’ roll as surely as Elvis Presley and the Beatles by developing the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, died Thursday at age 94. . . “Paul, who died in White Plains, N.Y., of complications from pneumonia, was a tireless tinkerer, whose quest for a particular sound led him to create the first solid-body electric guitar, a departure from the hollow-body guitars of the time. His invention paved the way for modern rock ‘n’ roll and became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy…
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Too Complementarian?
In the most recent edition of “Ask Pastor John,” Pastor John Piper answers this question: “Do you think complementarianism is so important to some people that they deny women more opportunities than the Bible denies them?” Listen below or visit the Desiring God website. [audio:http://media.desiringgod.org/audio/q_and_a/4141_do_you_think_complementarianism_is_so_important_to_some_people_that_they_deny_women_more_opportunities_than_the_bible_denies_them.mp3]
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Opening Messages to Boyce College
I can’t imagine a better place to be serving in academic ministry than Boyce College. This week, we kicked-off a new school year, and, after a quiet summer around the office, it is always exciting to see new and returning students bustling around campus once again. As the Dean, I had several opportunities to address these students over the weekend. I have posted one of the messages below, and the rest are available at the Boyce College website. [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/BoycePodcast/20090809_Boyce%20Dorm%20Meeting.mp3] If you have not done so already, please sign-up for the Boyce College Podcast, or add our feed to your favorite feed-reader. There you will find weekly broadcasts of sermons from…
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Tommy Nelson Speaks about Heart Attack
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Tommy Nelson’s heart attack (here and here). He is doing much better and has made a video for his congregation describing his experience (see above). It’s good to see him back at his old humor. I am grateful to the Lord that he is doing well.
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Crossings Camps
Christianity Today reports that Christian camp ministries are in decline. Bob Kobielush, president of the Christian Camp and Conference Association, explains why: “Camp attendance has been declining since the 1990s . . . due to rising operational costs, government regulations, competition from sports and music camps, and the growing popularity of summer mission trips. He also noted that many churches no longer value the traditional camp experience, and that many megachurches now offer their own camps. . . Kobielush said it could take three to five years before Christian camps see growth in attendance again, but he remains optimistic.” Even though the Christian camping industry is taking a hit nationwide,…