Dr. Mohler comments on the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia. Her name is Julie Pennington-Russell, and she’s leaving the pastorate of Calvary Baptist in Waco, Texas to take the reins in Georgia. Dr. Mohler writes: “Gender is the issue. For those who support and celebrate women as pastors, this singular concern is irrational. For those who believe that the Bible is clear that only men should be pastors, this singular concern is non-negotiable. The Southern Baptist Convention has made its convictions on the issue clear. The adoption of the revised edition of The Baptist Faith & Message in 2000 elevates the issue to confessional status. This is…
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The Mailman Is Back
The Mailman Karl Malone is back. Not back to the NBA, but back to his alma mater and mine, Louisiana Tech University. Not only is he back as an assistant coach for the basketball team he once took to the Sweet 16, but he’s also promising to clean up the program: “The days at Louisiana Tech University of baggy pants, cell phones in the arena, hats turned to the side — those are over.”
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Peggy Noonan: “Let Go of George Bush”
Have any of you wondered why Peggy Noonan has soured on President Bush? After all, she left her job as a columnist just to help him get re-elected in 2004. Yet, now she is one of his most ardent opponents. In a recent Op-Ed, she explains why she “let go” of President Bush and why she thinks other conservative supporters should do the same:
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The SBC and Integrity in Church Membership
Yesterday I guest hosted the radio program “Jerry Johnson Live” with Mark Overstreet (download podcast or mp3). We interviewed Dr. Tom Ascol about the resolution that he has recently submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention. His resolution calls on Southern Baptists “to repent of our failure to maintain responsible church membership, and . . . to repent of the widespread failure among us to obey Jesus Christ in the practice of lovingly correcting wayward church members.”
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Missions and Masturbation
John Piper is known for provocative titles. Who can forget books and articles with titles like “Don’t Waste Your Life,” “Sex and the Supremacy of Christ,” “Don’t Waste Your Cancer,” and many others. But as I was browsing the front page of the Desiring God website today, I think I found the title that wins the award for provocativeness: “Missions and Masturbation.” Now how do you pass up reading an article with a title like that?
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How the Prayer of Jabez Killed Caedmon’s Call
I just finished listening to a fascinating interview with Derek Webb in which he gives some of the reasons for the break-up of Caedmon’s Call (listen below). Believe it or not, Derek says that Bruce Wilkinson and The Prayer of Jabez were in part to blame for the band’s demise! Derek explains that his first solo album was inspired by an encounter that Caedmon’s Call had with Bruce Wilkinson at a trade event. At this event, Wilkinson was supposed to speak for about 20-30 minutes, and then Caedmon’s was to perform a few songs when he finished. Wilkinson held forth for about an hour and a half telling the crowd…
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Derek Webb Reunites with Caedmon’s Call
I think Caedmon’s Call lost big time when Derek Webb left the band in 2003. Even though the band went on without him, for many fans, it was as if the band had broken up. Caedmon’s Call 1.0 gave way to Caedmon’s call 2.0, and it marked the end of an era of great music. So I’ll bet I’m not the only one who’s happy to hear that Derek is reuniting with the band. Here’s what Cliff Young said in a recent press-release:
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The Gospel Coalition: Foundational Documents
Last week I followed Justin Taylor’s live-blogging of the first conference of the “Gospel Coalition.” On Sunday, Justin sent me the authorized version of the Coalition’s foundational documents. You can download them here. According to Mark Driscoll, the Gospel Coalition began as a theological colloquium led by Dr. D. A. Carson and Dr. Tim Keller. The colloquium has been meeting for the past few years and has focused its efforts on drafting “a new evangelical reformed confession of faith.” Members of this colloquium included Alistair Begg, Kent Hughes, Philip Ryken, Mark Dever, Ray Ortlund, Ligon Duncan, and representatives from organizations such as The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Desiring…
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Interview with the Widow of a Turkish Martyr
Last month, I posted a week-long series on the three men who were martyred for Christ in Turkey. Recently, Father Jonathan Morris interviewed Shemza Aydin, widow of martyr Necati Aydin. Morris met with the widow in her home in Turkey and was able to speak with her and her children. You can read the interview here, or you can watch video excerpts from the interview here. Please pray for this dear family. And be encouraged that God is sustaining this widow and her children with His amazing grace. I think you can see that this is so in the following exchange, especially the very last sentence from Shemza:
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Who’s tougher on tongues: DTS or the SBC?
USA Today drew a contrast yesterday between Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in alleging that DTS is more open to the charismatic gift of tongues than the SBC. Here’s the relevant excerpt: A major battle over tongues has roiled the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest group of American Protestants. The SBC’s International Mission Board does not accept international missionaries who speak in tongues in public worship because it is not recognized as a part of Baptist identity, says spokesperson Wendy Norvelle. Next month, at the SBC’s annual convention, a group of pastors will ask the SBC to officially determine whether tongue-speaking adheres to Baptist principles.…