GUSTAV

As of the present, we are going nowhere. Planning to hunker down and take whatever Gustav dishes out. But, I reserve all rights to bail out at the last moment and head north to fairer land. Lake Charles should be on the west side of the storm according to the weather prognosticators. See ya'll on the other side of Gustav.

SPEAKING OF CALVINISM...

HERE is an excellent article for you to read and to consider. It is about as coherent an article that I have ever read on this subject. BUT, and you know what that means, was to much ground yielded in order to make sense of a subject that so little is directly known about?

Consider this quote: "First, the grace, goodness and mercy of God would support the position that God saves all infants who die. This is the strongest argument and perhaps the decisive one. God is love (1 John 4:8) and desires that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4)."

Now I certainly do not have a problem with that reasoning but is that sound reasoning according to the Calvinistic understanding of Scripture? Many arguments center around the "all" of I Timothy and it seems here that the authors do not have a problem with the fact that God would be desirous that all would be saved. I see an inconsistency here. Does all really mean all? Does all really mean just the elect? OR Does all really mean the elect plus any un-elect infants who die in infancy? I have not written the authors directly and highly doubt that they have any clue who I am or even have the time to interact here on this blog, but the questions I raise I believe are relevant. For if it is conceded by Calvinism that God truly desires that all men(and by that all I certainly mean ALL) be saved, then much of the bickering that exists between Calvinists and Non-Calvinists is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors.

There may be more options but I came up with three.

1. ALL means all of the elect AND non-elect infants.(Non-elect infants go to heaven)
2. All means only, all of the elect.(Non-elect infants go to hell)
3. All means all.(God does not get everything He desires but He does do everything He decrees).

Wow, that last parenthesis ought to raise a few eyebrows.

Great article and I hope bringing attention to it helps you in your own studies.

And that is what I think...

CALVINISM VS NON-CALVINISM

For those of you who stop in, would you please take the time to answer this question/s. Is the fact that someone either is or is not a Calvinist a deal breaker for you? In other words, are you willing/unwilling to work alongside someone whose soteriology differs in this respect? Please note that I am not asking if you would be willing to work alongside Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. In regards to the Southern Baptist Convention, is the Calvinism issue a deal breaker for you no matter which side you happen to land on?

Thanks

Prayer for the Pollock Family

Please lift up this family during their time of grief. The story can be read HERE.

SBC IN DECLINE? GOD FORBID or GOD CAUSED?

Numbers can go a long way in helping to explain things. Sometimes, too many numbers add to the confusion one may already be experiencing. And when it comes to number crunching, surely by now, we are familiar with the concept that two people can view the same data, crunch the same numbers and arrive at differing conclusions. If one likes variety, the commentary in blogland and the media concerning the SBC's LATEST NUMBERS has provided a lot of it.

The data recently released has given one the opportunity to say that the SBC is a dying soldier.(HERE comment #38) And this individual goes on to say that to refuse to acknowledge that the SBC is dying is equivalent to having one's head stuck in the sand.(HERE comment #42) While it is easy to see that the numbers in the area of membership and baptism have decreased, it is not easy to see how this implies impending death. A tree may lose a leaf or three in the winds that blow and it does not mean death to the tree. In fact, a rose will eventually shed all of its beautiful blooms and cycle through a strengthening stage before it blooms again or it may sleep for a winter waiting the God-given cycle of the seasons in which spring will come again and the rose will have opportunity to bloom. Ecclesiastes gives us this comfort that to everything there is a season and the writer of Psalm 1 records that a tree will bring forth its fruit in its season. It would be foolish to deny the fact that the numbers have fallen. It is rash to conclude that the SBC is dying. Unless of course God has given you an extra revelation.

There are some good thoughts about what is taking place in the SBC and to what end the numbers may have an interpretation. The following two quotes of individuals I have pulled from other blogs and will let you read them for yourself. A link to the original is there should you want to pursue these longer.

The following was posted HERE by Morris. Morris writes:

"I guess I have a little different take on the news. Should we not be considering the fact that maybe the Lord is pruning the SBC in accordance with John 15:2? Why does He prune? So that the vine will bear more fruit."

The following was posted HERE by Dave Miller. Dave writes:

"My point is that we need to examine the data rationally and openly. Debbie wants to use the data to support an extremist pessimism about the SBC. You have tried, I think it is fair to say, to downplay the seriousness of the data, at least to some degree.

I think the data demonstrates a problem. The sky may not be falling. We may not be at a Code Blue as Debbie would like to believe, but we do have a problem, which needs to be addressed."

What I like about both of these quotes is that they encourage us to consider other options before we bury the SBC. I offer my own thoughts now as to what we should be considering as well as we digest the information that these numbers contain.

If, as a gardener, my garden begins to produce less and less there are a couple of questions I may ask myself.

1. Did I plant less seed?
2. Did I plant using Good seed?
3. Did I water what was planted?
4. Did I plant in the same field too often?
5. Did birds or insects devour part of my planting?
6. Did I have enough help to reap what I planted?
7. Did I pull up a veggie while pulling weeds or did my weed killer get blown by the wind onto
my veggies?
8. Did weeds choke out the plants?

These are all things that I can assess. But there are other options that stand above the rest. If God is responsible for giving the increase, then...

9. Did God give us increase but we lost more than we gained?
10. Did God just not give us much increase?

Perhaps you have other options to consider. I prefer the garden variety because so much of Scripture has an agricultural background but offer yours whether garden related or otherwise. While considering these possibilities, it is imperative that we do so with hearts interested more in God's working than our own agendas. Surely there is an explanation. It would be wise for us to see the whole picture before we declare a verdict. The Scriptures record that, "He who is first in his own cause seems just, but his neighbor comes and searches him out." Let us search the evidence and seek the Lord. And may God strengthen and mold the SBC that the lost, through the SBC, will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

THE SUBTLETY OF CHANGE

By now, just about everyone has or should have heard of the science behind the frog in the boiling water. George Barna's The Frog In The Kettle deals specifically this concept. The basic premise is to make change occur so slowly that one adjusts to the change without even realizing what is happening. Cataracts of the eyes slowly dim the vision of individuals and the effects are not noticed immediately but only later when the cumulative effects have drastically clouded one's vision. Long distance runners are not made over night but over a period of time, their bodies are trained to accept the rigors that running a marathon require. Training for running may not be so subtle but my point in using it as an illustration is to demonstrate the time that is required to build up endurance. It can be a lengthy process but over time, the body begins to adapt to the conditions that it faces. With subtlety and time, people can be overcome in just about any circumstance.

The greatest danger that any Christian, any group/church/denomination can ever face is the dilution of the Gospel. Or said in another way, any compromise regarding who Jesus is, why He came, what He accomplished while here and will accomplish when He returns is the greatest danger that we face. The greatest subtle change we face is the adoption of cultural practices and norms in an attempt to convey the Gospel. It is precisely here, the adoption of the culture, where the Gospel is diluted. Yes, Paul used Mar's Hill(Acts 17:23) as a starting point or rather as a conversation starter, but Paul did not adopt that altar of the "UNKNOWN GOD" into his practice as a Christian. And that is the subtle danger we need to be aware of in this present world. There are those who would have us believe that there is no danger in a Christian practicing Yoga. See HERE. There is certainly nothing wrong with exercise though bodily exercise profits little compared to godliness(I Tim. 4:8). But to adopt the Yoga practices of emptying one's self and the likes does begin to dilute the Gospel. The keeping of our hearts and minds comes through Jesus Christ(Phil. 4:7), not emptying one's self of negative energy or simply emptying one's self of everything. Rather, we are told to meditate(Psalm1), and we are told to think on things(Phil. 4:8). We are told to purify our hearts but this occurs not as we become nothing within but rather as we draw near to God(James 4:8) and this is not the god within but rather the God which is above(Romans 1:23).

All of this begins when God's Word ceases to mean what it says and men begin to form God's Word rather than letting God's Word TRANSFORM them(Romans 12:2). This is why Intelligent Design can be so subtly dangerous. ID says there must be a god. The Scriptures record more than the fact that there is a god who created, it reveals the true God that created. ID may offer a conversation starter but it cannot be adopted into the Christian belief of Creationism. The Scriptures offer so much more than simply that there is a design. But rather than acknowledge that God is revealed in creation, they would rather make their own god, evolution. If evolution is too bitter for some, they are offered ID rather than the Gospel. Here again, hear my point. ID may be a conversation starter, but it IS NOT THE GOSPEL.

As pertaining to Baptist Identity, we do face a two-fold problem. We do face the problem of legalism that can/will creep in if we cease to focus on Jesus as the Scriptures reveal Him to us. We also face the problem of liberalism that can/will creep in if we cease to focus on Jesus as the Scriptures reveal Him to us. In both of these cases, if either of them came at us with a full-frontal assault, we would recognize them for what they are, but our Adversary is much more subtle than that. He gently slips these seeds of discord into our fields under the guise of equal rights, academic rigor and steadfastness to tradition. He paves these inroads of turmoil with good intentions and self-pleasing methods.

These days that are upon us as Christians and Southern Baptists require a devotion and steadfastness to the revealed Word of God both Incarnate and written. We are called upon to be as wise as serpents but harmless as doves. Let us be Bereans and if we err, let us err toward the direction of grace, mercy and love when we know not how we should proceed.

And this is how I see it.

ON BLOGS AND SBC PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS

The SBC blogworld is beginning to warm up now as the Indy date quickly approaches. Speculations, confirmations and predictions are the music of the keyboards. Certainly, it is a privilege to serve as president of the SBC and in the capacity of president, the ability to appoint the Committee on Committees which nominates the Committee on Nominations is also a heavy responsibility. The trustees, which eventually are elected out of this cycle, determine the direction that the ship of the SBC and its entities will sail. While one may argue that the responsibility of the trustee is to reflect the beliefs of those who were responsible for electing the president, it is highly unlikely that the trustee will vote in any way contrary to his own personal convictions and political leanings. Therefore, I believe it is possible to say that the trustee is not so much a representative of the people as he is a representative of an ideology. And this, the ideology, is where the great divides occur. To some, the issue of how a candidate feels about Calvinism is the chief concern while others are pondering his view on the role of women in the church and yet even others are pondering if his ideology will continue along the lines of the Conservative Resurgence begun in '79. Should the next president be a small church pastor or a large church pastor? Should the next president be the president of one of the seminaries or should they not be allowed to serve as SBC presidents? To be sure, each group will claim that Scripture and God are on their side as well as the use of historical precedent to bolster their belief. What an amazing amalgam, this group called the SBC.

Yet, for many SBCers, this time in June will pass with no thoughts of Indy but plenty of action at VBS. For many years, that is the position I took. I was willing to swim in the pond of the SBC without much concern for the water in the pond, because after all, I am a pastor of an AUTONOMOUS church and no echelon exists to tell me what my church can or cannot do. Ah, BUT, the church I serve has chosen to associate itself with the SBC and so it becomes a matter of importance to us about that by which we can be/are identified. It becomes important then for us to let our voice be known in this ship of the SBC. We therefore seek presidents whose ideologies most reflect our own because we trust that the president will make appointments of those of like mind on our ideologies as well. In turn, then, we swim in a pond of our own making, or so we hope.

The challenge to shape the pond is a formidable task desired by many. In pursuit of this challenge, temptations will abound both visible and in stealth. Guard your hearts and your keyboards. There is no reason for any of us to be devoured by Satan if we truly are all seeking the exaltation of Christ and the decrease of ourselves. Run. Run Hard. Run Clean.

And that is how I see it.