Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Ineffable Glory Thoughts on the Resurrection By Edward McKendree Bounds, Homer W. Hodge
The Ineffable Glory Thoughts on the Resurrection By Edward McKendree Bounds, Homer W. Hodge: "Had Jesus Christ delivered no other declaration than the following Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation He had pronounced a message of inestimable importance and well worthy of that splendid apparatus of prophecy and miracle with which His mission was introduced and attested a message in which the wisest of mankind would rejoice to find an answer to their doubts and rest to their inquiries ST COLERIDGE"
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
MISUNDERSTANDINGS, MONIKERS AND MISREPRESENTATIONS: REFLECTIONS OF AN UNDER 40 PASTOR IN THE SBC
Recent days have seen the increasing warning that pastors under 40 are abandoning the SBC for a movement that is more relevant. Large church pastors on the cutting edge are paraded before the followers of SBC goings-on for the purpose of demonstrating “how it ought to be done.” Falling baptismal rates, shrinking churches, and graying heads are cited as supporting evidence of the tragic direction of the once mighty ship of the SBC. Having instilled fear into the heart of the young, the barely 40 pleads with the nearly 40 to come out and “be ye separate” lest the ship sink from a lack of interest. Our participation in the Great Commission is beckoned at every turn, as well it should be. However, according to some, the call is not simply to DO the Great Commission; rather, it is to do the Great Commission “like us.” The newly created box is to do things out of the box.
This is not to say that we are not encapsulated within our own time and culture. However, we must be careful not to act as if the Great Commission is prone to failure. When we participate in the command of Christ to make disciples by teaching and baptizing, we can be sure that the Commission will accomplish its intention. In other words, the power of salvation resides in the Word of God properly taught, preached, and obeyed. Therefore, as an under 40 pastor, and at times a victim of others misunderstandings, monikers, and misrepresentations by barely 40 pastors, I offer a series of posts from one under 40 pastor for your consideration. In not necessarily any order of importance, I offer the first of seven reflections of an under 40 pastor.
1. Theological Integrity.
I was raised during the age of “if it feels good, do it” or “if it works, it must be good.” Now, the slogans of Wall Street and the quips of psychology often plague the methodological approach of our churches. We have rightly lamented the “front door-back door” problem. However, these slogans and quips should be reserved for Corporate America. Too often in church life, we examine the pragmatic success, seek the approval of the polls, and then search for the prohibitions of Scripture. We must regain the notion that the word of God is more than boundaries that should not be crossed, but they are directives that should be followed. By doing so, we will maintain our theological integrity.
The most unpragmatic doctrine of today is Ecclesiology. Supposing we could solve the debates of Soteriology, will it really matter if we fail to address Ecclesiology? As a man who has been twice dunked but once baptized, I fear that if we lose this precious doctrine, we will lose our identity, not as Baptists, but as obedient disciples; those who name Christ as Lord. The commission of our Lord is to make disciples, which includes a proper practice of baptism. We must obey ALL the commands of Christ, which involves the proper practice of ecclesiastical observances, even though they may bring disagreement with other ecclesiastical traditions.
Our coherence of the problems we face today is reflected in the solution that we offer to rectify the problem. If we fail to find the solution, it is because we have misunderstood the problem. Baptismal rates are not the problem; rather they are the reflection of the problem. I cannot help but find the irony of appealing to baptisms as the end-all of success, while simultaneously wanting to undo our doctrine of baptism. Perhaps we are too concerned with waxing the fruit when we need to be deepening the root. In other words, will the solutions offered today cause our roots to grow deeper as Christ-followers, or will they simply make us more appealing to those who gather around to observe what is being produced? Is our interest to develop followers of Christ, or observers of worship? Followers of Christ are interested in what He teaches. Observers of worship pursue “what works for me” and what “feels good today.”
If we seek unity at the expense of a biblical ecclesiology we will lose our integrity as people who have throughout our brief history championed theology. It is our particular theology that invited our being named Baptists. Fundamentally, the methodological problems we face today pale in comparison to the problems that we will face tomorrow if we lose our integrity. The command to honor the Commission is not a command to prioritize His commands according to pragmatic successes; rather, it is a command to obey all that we have been commanded by our Lord, lest He ask of us, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). To claim Christ as Lord and then prioritize His commands is to have a lack of integrity in our theology. We should passionately pursue Soteriology, but in doing so, let us not sacrifice Ecclesiology on the altar of pragmatics. If we sacrifice Ecclesiology, we need not fear the death of our churches, for we will have killed them.
This is not to say that we are not encapsulated within our own time and culture. However, we must be careful not to act as if the Great Commission is prone to failure. When we participate in the command of Christ to make disciples by teaching and baptizing, we can be sure that the Commission will accomplish its intention. In other words, the power of salvation resides in the Word of God properly taught, preached, and obeyed. Therefore, as an under 40 pastor, and at times a victim of others misunderstandings, monikers, and misrepresentations by barely 40 pastors, I offer a series of posts from one under 40 pastor for your consideration. In not necessarily any order of importance, I offer the first of seven reflections of an under 40 pastor.
1. Theological Integrity.
I was raised during the age of “if it feels good, do it” or “if it works, it must be good.” Now, the slogans of Wall Street and the quips of psychology often plague the methodological approach of our churches. We have rightly lamented the “front door-back door” problem. However, these slogans and quips should be reserved for Corporate America. Too often in church life, we examine the pragmatic success, seek the approval of the polls, and then search for the prohibitions of Scripture. We must regain the notion that the word of God is more than boundaries that should not be crossed, but they are directives that should be followed. By doing so, we will maintain our theological integrity.
The most unpragmatic doctrine of today is Ecclesiology. Supposing we could solve the debates of Soteriology, will it really matter if we fail to address Ecclesiology? As a man who has been twice dunked but once baptized, I fear that if we lose this precious doctrine, we will lose our identity, not as Baptists, but as obedient disciples; those who name Christ as Lord. The commission of our Lord is to make disciples, which includes a proper practice of baptism. We must obey ALL the commands of Christ, which involves the proper practice of ecclesiastical observances, even though they may bring disagreement with other ecclesiastical traditions.
Our coherence of the problems we face today is reflected in the solution that we offer to rectify the problem. If we fail to find the solution, it is because we have misunderstood the problem. Baptismal rates are not the problem; rather they are the reflection of the problem. I cannot help but find the irony of appealing to baptisms as the end-all of success, while simultaneously wanting to undo our doctrine of baptism. Perhaps we are too concerned with waxing the fruit when we need to be deepening the root. In other words, will the solutions offered today cause our roots to grow deeper as Christ-followers, or will they simply make us more appealing to those who gather around to observe what is being produced? Is our interest to develop followers of Christ, or observers of worship? Followers of Christ are interested in what He teaches. Observers of worship pursue “what works for me” and what “feels good today.”
If we seek unity at the expense of a biblical ecclesiology we will lose our integrity as people who have throughout our brief history championed theology. It is our particular theology that invited our being named Baptists. Fundamentally, the methodological problems we face today pale in comparison to the problems that we will face tomorrow if we lose our integrity. The command to honor the Commission is not a command to prioritize His commands according to pragmatic successes; rather, it is a command to obey all that we have been commanded by our Lord, lest He ask of us, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). To claim Christ as Lord and then prioritize His commands is to have a lack of integrity in our theology. We should passionately pursue Soteriology, but in doing so, let us not sacrifice Ecclesiology on the altar of pragmatics. If we sacrifice Ecclesiology, we need not fear the death of our churches, for we will have killed them.
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