Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles

By now, you likely know the drill.  The following is my weekly article in the Canyon Lake (TX) Times-Guardian: 

“The Onslaught of Summer”

I did preach a sermon that applied directly to Memorial Day, but, with the “mini-series” I did here on “weeping with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), I did not get to the subject with an article. However, whether most people in our culture really know—or care—about the true meaning of Memorial Day, it came and went. So, Summer is now officially upon us.

Now, the calendar will not verify that point until June 21 and the Summer Solstice. However, by that part of June, South Central Texas will already have had more than a month of decidedly blast furnace-like weather. (No, it is not as hot here as Phoenix, but it is not usually Phoenix’s “dry heat” either!)

Now, it’s not that I dislike heat immensely. Frankly, I much prefer it to cold (at least below freezing or high “wind-chill”-type cold). But, heat can get old fairly quickly, especially if you’re not having fun in the heat.

For some reason, it is not quite the same to me to have fun in the heat here at Canyon Lake when there are so many other people coming here to do the same thing. Thus, it is the combination of the heat and the wall of humanity that takes some of the fun out of it for me.

That is what adds up to “the onslaught of Summer,” as I titled this article. What I mean is that the beauty and normal peacefulness of our area undergoes an annual invasion this time of the year that transforms it into one of the largest and most diversified combination of a water park and campground in the world.

For example, the Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, I pulled out of my subdivision onto FM 306 and the traffic headed toward the Guadalupe River was every bit as bad as a traffic jam in Dallas or Houston. (Unlike Dallas or Houston, however, the traffic going the other direction was almost non-existent–which was fortunate for me, because it left me with an alternate route!) Sadly, I allowed myself to get frustrated imply because I was inconvenienced.

Here’s what I should have thought–and did think, after I got a little emotional distance from my initial gut reaction: As much as all these people and their vehicles might inconvenience me, this is far better for so many people who live here and rely on these Memorial Day through Labor Day crowds to survive business-wise. After all, with the record rains last Spring and early Summer, Canyon Lake was almost like a ghost town straight on through the Summer. As a result, many businesses did fail, or just hung on by a thread.

There is another way I should have looked at all these people, also: through God’s eyes. You see, according to the Bible, every person who has ever walked this earth is made in God’s spiritual likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). In addition, Jesus died on the Cross to pay for the sins of all mankind (John 3:16). Those two points make it clear that, in God’s eyes, each and every person is of infinite and eternal value.

Therefore, as I re-think “the onslaught of Summer” at Canyon Lake, I need to realize that the frustration and inconvenience is really nothing more than a cleverly disguised opportunity. If I will choose to look at it God’s way, I will see that, this time of year, I get the chance to encounter a lot new people whom I would never meet otherwise, many of whom do not yet know Jesus Christ. If I will but choose to love them with God’s love, I may even be presented with an open door to share the gospel with one or more of them through some series of events that I would never fathom beforehand. 

Lord, open the doors that are Your will… and may I recognize those doors when they are right in front of me.

Coming Tuesday: “Some Thoughts on Evangelicals and the Political Landscape in 2008 (II)”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Thoughts on Evangelicals and the Political Landscape in 2008 (I)”

(Note: My computer is still not fixed. One of my deacons [we call them "Servants of the Church," translating the Greek diakonos, instead of just transliterating] hooked up the one hard drive in the building that is working and an antiquated monitor from the back room storage area. Thank you, Buddy Glass, for your ingenuity!)

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a “love-hate relationship” with politics. To make a long story short, I grew up in a politically-connected family in Mississippi. As a result, on the one hand, I have a major fascination with the political realm. However, on the other hand, I think that politics is, at least generally, a very dirty game, so to speak.

How do I hold those two extremes together, you might ask? Well, I think the former is explained fairly well by the fact that the political realm exercises a disproportionate power over our everyday lives. Thus, almost every election carries with it the potential for major skulduggery or significant positive change, depending on who is elected and decisions that person makes/votes he or she casts. The latter is no more complicated than the fact that every law that is enacted by a bad Congress or legislature or commissioners’ court or school board is about 10 times harder to get rid of after the fact than it is to pass in the first place. Relatedly, make no mistake, there are special interests–often diabolical–lurking in the shadows behind the scenes, attempting to manipulate, strong arm or buy (i.e., through bribery) every significant vote at every level of government.

I admit that my viewpoint on that last part may be somewhat jaded by my personal experience. After my senior year in high school, because I had a full scholarship to Mississippi College, I was “donated” by my parents to my cousin’s (successful) campaign for governor of Mississippi. As his “go-fer,” I saw more “smoke-filled room” deals than I care to remember. I have been quite cynical ever since. But, that is partly because whenever I have had the opportunity to compare notes on my experience with someone else who has done the same kind of job and, usually, they have seen almost exactly the same thing.

The worst part of this was that my cousin was not a particularly corrupt or ambitious politician, as politicians go. The problems (many would say “realities”) he encountered were: 1) the thoroughly ambitious professional types who ran his campaign; and 2) the compromises he had to make to get anything done (at least, in trying to work with those who play hardball).

Anyway, having admitted my cynicism with the political process (and where it came from), let’s move on to the election cycle in 2008. On that front, let me ask initially: “Have you thought about how incredibly different the situation is for evangelicals this year than even just four years ago?”

In 2004, almost all conservative evangelicals (yes, Dorothy, there are non-conservative evangelicals out there–even if you or I don’t see how they can have any consistency and believe that way!) were firmly in the Republican camp and thought we were the core of their political victory. That was especially true of Southern Baptists, who, with naive arrogance, thought of ourselves as a high percentage of the 16,000, 000 figure that was the public relations number the SBC blithely quoted back then (and still does on occasion). Even worse, we thought the Republican Party needed us and respected us and what we believe.

Skip forward to 2008–and the picture ain’t pretty! Not only is there good reason to understand that at least most of the Republican Party heirarchy never has done anything more than give lip service to cherished conservative and SBC positions on many issues. That is the embarrassment of being played for suckers. But, at least as hard to face–we were playing the Republicans, too. We significantly overestimated our numbers and, thus, our importance to them.

On that last point, it is humbling to admit that the SBC actually is about six million (vs. 16 million) and that other evangelical groups also have quite similar problems in keeping up with their actual active membership figures. A key question here is: As we try to face up to this kind of humbling reality in 2008, what do we need to learn from the immediate past and, from the Lord’s perspective, how should evangelicals view ourselves coming up on the 2008 elections?

Sadly, that is all I have time to develop today. So, I will continue on this subject on Tuesday.

Your thoughts?

Coming Saturday (I hope!): “Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles”

A Delay for Technological Reasons

I am having computer problems, both on my personal computer and the church computer.  Unfortunately, I don’t know when I will have a functioning computer to post on.  Thanks to my son, Timothy, for allowing me to use his laptop to get this up to alert you.

Some Thoughts Before Moving to the Next Topic

Well, I finished my lengthy series, “The Holy Spirit and the Southern Baptist Convention,” at a decibel level closer to a whisper than a bang.  As I will explain briefly below, that has more to do with changes–or insights–concerning myself than anything else.

First, I no longer am the angry man who began this blog last Summer, soon after the SBC meeting in San Antonio.  I now realize that the main reason I could see Al Mohler’s seething anger so clearly when he spoke in S.A. was no more complicated than “It take one to know one.”  Even though I had repented of my anger many times from being unfairly released from my position at the Criswell College (as I saw it) in 2003, I now realize that such repentance had not “taken” permanently yet at that point.  As a result, I had no probem at all seeing Dr. Mohler’s ”splinter” with 20/20 vision, while somehow not seeing the massive “log” in my own eye. 

No, this does not mean that I think any less that Al was enraged (both depth- and length-wise) to the point of sin.  Actually, I still think he owes the Convention an apology for his behavior last June in S.A.  And, given that he has since apologized to his faculty and senior administrators for previous angry escapades, it is not impossible that such might not happen at some point.

But, what it does mean is that I now fully admit that Al was not alone in the strength of his anger.  No, I did not stand in front of the Convention and demand my own way like an angry spoiled child, as he did (and as several other leaders may have done, but it was not as obvious, given their better exterior control of their emotions).  But, I was just that angry anyway.  And, as a result, I know that I must offer my deeply heartfelt apology to anyone I offended under the control of the anger about which I was in denial at the time.

Second, in finally getting beyond the anger, I realize that I am simply not a warrior by personality.  Although it has taken me a lot of years to learn not to be controlled by fear, the growth has been to a point of healthy directness, not picking fights.  Personality-wise, I have always been irenic, a peacemaker.  It has been entirely out of character–even courageous Spirit-filled character–for me to be as agressive as I was for much of the past year.

Do I think the things needed to  said?  In many cases, yes, and, in some cases, I was the one to say them.  In other cases, no–at least not the way I said them.  The percentages here are, in retrospect, very embarrassing–and for good reason.  I was wrong to lash out in anger.

Third, although I will offer some opinions in the next several blogs on the situation of evangelicals against the wider political landscape as the 2008 electoral season rolls on, I have come to realize that this is not the strength I have to offer to my brothers and sisters in Christ.  My strongest areas are biblical studies and theology, not just in teaching, but also in writing.  In the past, I have often proven able to take very difficult material and simplify it (without oversimplifying) in order to make it understandable and readable for wider audiences.  That is where I will concentrate my efforts more in the time ahead, because, after considerable recent reflection, I see that is how the Lord has gifted me and how He has used me most over the years–and, I believe, will continue to do so in the future.

Fourth, as I have watched the SBC closely in the past several years, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the current powers that be are running it into theground.  The denomination, despite all the excuses and misdirection plays and smoke and mirrors is in significant numerical decline and it is highly unlikely that “more of the same” is going to do much of anything other than keep the masses in denial as the decline picks up speed.  Thus, unless the power brokers wake up quickly and make changes at least as dramatic as those proposeed by reform advocates, those currently ensconsed in power will be looking up too soon and noticing that the SBC of their dreams is a sinking sink.  Without a rapid infusion of new blood and new ideas at the top and across the board, it is very much in danger of shrinking and dying on the vine.

Fifth, my church is not interested in denominational politics.  When I first arrived, there were a fair number of traditional SBCers here, but most of them wanted nothing more than to go through the traditional SBC motions.  Some of them were the biggest malcontentents and trouble-makers in the congregation.

Now, rapidly approaching two years in this pastorate, there are few of those left.  As a result, there is almost nobody that cares one whit whether this congregation is a Southern Baptist church or a baptistic unaffiliated Bible church.  In fact, a number of our longer-term attenders (i.e., who have not gone through our church membership class) likely don’t even know that we are an SBC congregation, because we do not push it in our services and only lightly in our handout literature.

Bottom line: It is hard for me to justify the time and effort I was putting in on the blog much of last year, given the atitude of our church.  And, as time has moved on, I’ve realized that it was a “one-man crusade,” at least within this church.

Finally, I’ve had to face that I have several book contracts to honor.  Like Wade Burleson, I need to time to concentrate on such writing responsibilities that I took on in good faith and, partly as result as being consumed with this blog for much of the past year, have let slide–and have simply come to the point where, in good conscience, I must turn my attention and energy to those projects.

Thank you for graciously considering what I have just laid out!  If you have relevant thoughts or questions, I would be interested in your thoughts.

Coming Thursday: “Some Thoughts on Evangelicals and the National Political Scene in 2008 (I)”

Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles

This is my weekly article from the Canyon Lake (TX) Times-Guardian:

“Weep with Those Who Weep (Conclusion)”

            As I said in my article two weeks ago, one of the best summaries in the entire Bible of the range of emotions needed in supporting other people is Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”  Though I am sure that reasons for rejoicing will show themselves in due time, it has been quite a time for learning about the second part of that verse recently.

            Now, in saying that, I am not being a pessimist.  In fact, I think it is actually quite realistic to observe from life that, sometimes, similar things happen as if in “seasons.”  At the very least, as the well-known verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, immortalized to the Baby Boomer generation by The Byrds’ song “Turn, Turn, Turn,” says, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.”  Or, to put it in everyday common sense wording: “When it rains, it pours.”

            That is very much the way it has been for the last several weeks with some dear people who have been through some very deep emotional water.  So, since that state of affairs continued through yesterday (I’m writing this on a Monday), I am doing this last installment on “weeping” before moving on to other topics in future weeks.

            In my last article, I reported on the death of a relatively young man (he was 45) and how difficult it had been for his family.  In this installment, I’m following through with what Paul Harvey would call “the rest of the story.”  You may be relieved to know that, even though there is still much grief to be worked through in the time ahead, there has been a good bit of rejoicing mixed in during the ensuing week.

            Here are the big events that took place during that time.  First, after his death on Monday, there was a graveside service at Cranes Mill Cemetery on Thursday morning.  It was only attended by family and a few close friends.  After I presented my remarks, a number of those present spoke up and expressed thanks for how this man had touched their lives and how much they would miss him.  Second—though it may seem like strange timing, completely out of sequence—the memorial service was not held until Sunday afternoon.

            However, let me quickly add that there was a very good reason for delaying the memorial service for six days, until 4:00 p.m. Sunday.  It was to allow as many friends as possible arriving in Kerrville for the Kerrville Folk Festival to get into town and find out about the memorial service in time to make the drive to Canyon Lake.  The reasoning for this was based on the fact that a number of his friends from Kerrville are non-Christians and the family had requested that the thrust of the service be presenting the gospel message.  Of course, I was more than happy to comply with their wishes.

            In hearing that, you may be asking yourself “Aren’t funerals primarily for talking about the deceased?”  Certainly, you have every right to ask that question.  After all, most funerals or memorial services do focus on eulogizing the person who has died. But, does that mean that’s the way things are supposed to be?

            Well, if Jesus’ actions mean anything in this discussion, it is striking to note what He did as He stood in front of the grave of His close friend, Lazarus, in John 11.  Instead of comforting Lazarus’ sister, Martha, in regard to the death of her brother, Jesus presents the gospel concerning Himself and His coming resurrection to her and challenges her to believe (11:25-26), which she does (11:27). 

Why did Jesus do so?  Was He terribly insensitive?  Not at all.  In fact, in John 11:35, we find out that Jesus did indeed “weep with those who weep.”  However, He also had an overriding concern in all this: that Martha—and others who were there—were spiritually prepared to follow Lazarus in death. 

             There is only one way to be prepared, and that is through faith in Jesus (11:25; 14:6).  Thus, like the family I dealt with this past week, Jesus was willing to put off the grieving until He knew that He had done everything possible to make sure that all loved ones and friends had the opportunity to hear the gospel and believe.  That does not mean they will believe.  But, they cannot do so unless they hear and understand the message.  That was Jesus’ heartfelt concern and it was also my job this past week.

Coming Tuesday: “Thoughts about My Journey before Moving on to Other Topics”

The Holy Spirit and the Southern Baptist Convention (Conclusion): “What the SBC and Other Evangelicals Can Learn from 1 Corinthians 12-14″

Well, I have finally made it to the end (at least as far as I know at this point!).  When I began the series, I never expected to go on for well over 40 posts.  I also did not expect to change as much as I have–hopefully for the better–over the course of these months that encompassed this series.  (That will be the subject of my post next Tuesday.)

I have learned a great deal in doing this series, not least that I am probably as guilty as most other people in the SBC on many of the points that I have treated (more about this Tuesday).  It has been a humbling experience to be convicted by the Spirit to consider the log in my eye and realize that, oon occasion, I have hypocritically railed against things in the SBC that I myself was either guilty of–or of something else just as bad.  This has fueled a surge of spiritual growth in me in my later 50s, and for that I am deeply grateful.

But, that is the subject for Tuesday.  Now, finally, to “finish the course” (though not as literally as Paul was talking about in 2 Tim. 4:7) in regard to this series… .

Here’s how I’m going to do it.  I am taking the principlized statements I drew in moving through 1 Corinthians 12-14 and use them as the basis for my “application” in this post.  See what you think.

The following is what I laid out as the “puzzle pieces” of 1 Corinthians 12-14 in my most recent series post:

(12:1-3) For persons to be truly “spiritual,” they must be under the Lordship of Christ.

Sadly, I think this is something to which not a few supremely gifted leaders merely give lipservice.  They have found out that, because of their giftedness, many people will put them on pedestals and follow them, no matter whether they are walking with the Lord, under His lordship or not.  You may not be able to tell it before the house of cards comes falling down.  But, when those who are close to the fallen leader ask how long it had been on, often it is years–years in which their ongoing sin was nothing less than prideful rebellion against the lordship of Christ.

(12:4-6) Every gifted person is unique in his or her contribution (i.e., even if you have the same gift and ministry, you will not have the same effect).

If all conservative churches–whether in the SBC or other evangelical groups–really believed this, we would work much harder at helping all believers to find their spiritual gifts.  Also, we would speak out against the widespread presence of subtle”personality cults” in which certain leaders, whether consciously or unconsciosly, seek to virtually “clone” followers into their own image.

(12:7-11)  There is a great variety of spiritual gifts, all given as the Spirit chooses.

Years ago, I desperately desired the gift of evangelism–and I was disappointed with the Spirit that He did not give it me.  Fortunately, I grew out of that selfish perspective.  He knows best in every situation.  We need to learn to trust Him in those choices.  The unified variety of the Body is its genius.

(12:12-26) Each gifted person is a member of the Body of Christ… and there are no second class citizens.

The SBC has no lock on “worshiping” the great orator in the pulpit or the great leader–completely disregarding this truth in 12:12-26.  Other evangelical groups are just as guilty.  But, in lifting up this narrow group of speaking/leadership gifts, we are ignoring at out peril the gifts that keep our churches going behind the scenes, particualrly all the service gifts (see 1 Pet. 4:10-11).  This is asking for trouble and, if the behind the scenes people were not much more selfless than the leaders who love the spotlight, it would be disastrous!

(12:27-31a) Some spiritual gifts are of greater value to the Body than others and those are the ones that should be desired.

It is a squeemish thought indeed for many of our churches to place the gifts of “apostle” and “prophet” alongside “teacher” as the most important gifts we need.  if you know of any that are doing that who are full-bore Charismatic churches, please let me know.  (This is convicting!)

(12:31b-13:3) The truly “excellent”–and only spiritually profitable–way to use spiritual gifts is in love.

In the two SBC annual meetings I have attended, I recall less messages that came across as loving (by the definition of 13:4-7) than those which did not.  Since I don’t get out to hear my fellow pastors much, I would simply venture the guess that we all need to strongly consider whether our speech–and our actions–are authentically loving.

(13:4-7) The love needed to properly employ spiritual gifts is selfless and like the character of God Himself.

I have always thought of myself as a relatively giving person.  But, my study of 13:4-7 in this series exposed in me some areas of selfishness that were embarrassing and convicting.  It also helped me see how easily we all tend to define love in such a way that it is comfortable for us as individuals.  How self-deceived we often are!

(13:8-13) Spiritual gifts will end at the Second Coming of Christ, but we must keep maturing in our use of them and realize that only love will continue into our eternal relationship with the Lord.

It has been difficult to come to the point of admitting that giftedness and maturity are two very different things.  In the Christian life, it is not either/or, but both/and.  However, because giftedness is flashy, calling attention to itself, while maturity is just wise and steady, never seeking the limelight, the gifted persons–even unloving gifted persons–get the attention.  This fleshly tendency will be turned upside down in the presence of the Lord.

(14:1-19) Prophecy edifies the Body and tongues do not, unless they are interpreted.

This is a problem in some of the more radical Charismatic evangelical churches that go overboard with tongues.  Should it be considered a problem that, in most of our churches–even continuationist congregations–there is never a need to even apply this passage?

(14:20-25) Tongues make unbelievers think Christians are crazy, while prophecy can help cause a non-Christian to look at their lives.

The first time I heard someone speak in tongues, I did wonder if they were crazy… and I was already a Christian.  When I try to put myself in the shoes of an unbeliever, I think it would be the same in the vast majority of the cases.  By contrast, I’m pretty sure I would have been scared by prophecy, though I would have listened carefully.  We have only had people speak in tongues even close to audibly a few times in this church, and I do not recall any reaction from presumed unbelievers present, but that may well be because they did it fairly quietly in their seats (would that be a semi-private prayer language?).

(14:26-33a) There are clear guidelines provided by Paul for those contributing to the worship service, notably tonguess-speakers and prophets.

Most churches have got the “decently and in order” side of church services down pat.  What about the spontenaity angle broached in 14:26?  Could it be that most of our churches–outside the Charismatic wing of evangelicalism, of course–have settled in to the corporate equivalent of a marriage without romance and fun?  It’s worth considering.

(14:33b-35) Women are not to dominate the congregational time in which prophecy is to evaluated and are to defer to their husbands (at home) in asking questions.

We allow women to pray in our services and have allowed women to effectively “preach” (i.e., be the primary speaker) in our Sunday service twice in the year and three-fourths I have been here.  I believe that fits within the use of present infinitive in both 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:12.  Some SBC and other evangelical churches, however, do not allow women to speak at all, seeing those two passages as hard and fast restrictions, simply ignoring 1 Corinthians 11:5.  Others, in stark contrast, place no “order” controls on women at all and, as a result, sometimes are competely dominated by women.  In my view, both extremes are just that–extreme, not balanced, biblical positions.

(14:36-40) Anyone not listening to Paul’s authoritative apostolic guidelines on prophecy and tongues will be ignored because they are not acting “decently and in order.”

For some reason, I am always amazed at those (usually fairly small, but highly arrogant) people who try to take over churches, believing that they know best how to run things, usually especially the church services.  They are going to have it their way or they are going to take their ball and go home.  This, sadly, is way too close an attitude to what is dealing with in 14:36ff.  I’m afriad that it would be closer to scary than interesting to find out how many SBC and wider evangelical churches have had one of those kinds of incidents in the last several years.  I know that ours has–and the two churches I pastored back in the ’70s and ’80s both had it happen. 

I will not trouble you with my chapter summaries.  However, my attempt to summarize the overall message of 1 Corinthians 12-14 was as follows: Gifts are given by the Spirit to edify the Body of Christ by operating: 1) under His Lordship; 2) in love; 3) with growing maturity; and 4) in an orderly–but not mechanical or ritualistic–manner.

Touche.  This summary presents a balance rarely seen in any of our churches, no matter what denominational or theological flavor.  This one sentence can occupy must of the rest of my Christian life, if I take it seriously.  I know that, even after having been a Christian for almost 37 years, I still have a very long ways to go by this standard.  May the Lord give me–and thee–grace as we seek to follow and glorify Him by proceeding down the spiritual path illuminated by 1 Corinthians 12-14!

Coming Saturday: “Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles”

Coming Tuesday: “Thoughts about My Journey before Moving on to Other Topics”

Substitute Post: “My Take on the SBC Presidential Election”

I have decided to wait until Thursday to do the final post in my lengthy series, “The Holy Spirit and the Southern Baptist Convention.”  That will afford me a couple more days to think through that crowning treatment.  I need that because, among other more logistical reasons, I have realized just how much I have changed during the months in which I have traveled the meandering course of this blog series.

In its place, I am going to offer as today’s fare a few thoughts on the known candidates for President of the Southern Baptist Convention, with the election now only a few weeks away.  By the way, I will not be in Indianapolis.  As I noted in the paragraph above, much has changed with me and, at this point, I simply cannot justify either the expenses or time to make the trip. 

But, that does not mean I am not interested or that I am not praying.  So, I will go ahead and offer what is by no means an unbiased opinion on the election.  (Fairly obviously, the only real difference between my bias and those of others is that I will admit it, whereas many others do not–perhaps attempting to fool themselves as much as anyone else into thinking they are “objective” observers.)

As I write, there are six known candidates for the presidency of the SBC.  If nothing else, it is refreshing that the candidates are not limited to the stereotypical megachurch pastor who has waited his turn in the Conservative Resurgence ranks to get the nod for the top office in SBC life.  In fact, while there still are two “megachurch” pastors, there are also two smaller church pastors and two candidates with strong missions backgrounds.

Undoubtedly, things would have been much different had Al Mohler stayed in the race.  However, his health did not permit that.  And, to his immense credit, Mohler did not put his long-standing ambition of being elected Prez of the SBC, so that he could preside over the meeting next June in Louisville, over what was best for his family and Southern Seminary.  It was a humble decision on his part, even if it was made much easier by his health situation.

In an attempt to be at least semi-objective in the way I approach this, I will handle the stated candidates in alphabetical order: Cox, Drake, Hunt, Puryear, Wagner and Willis.  However, I cannot promise great objectivity from this point forward.  Or, as umpires calling balls and strikes put it: “I just call ‘em the way I see ‘em.”

Frank Cox is the pastor of a church that marginally qualifies to be called a mega-church (from an actual week-to-week attendance standpoint vs. highly non-current membership rolls).  He is well-connected in Georgia state convention political circles.  However, it appears that he did not want to wait his turn at the national level.  Thus, he jumped into the race with both feet just about the time Mohler withdrew.  Did he have “insider” information or not?  I have no clue.  But, one look at his campaign web site was enough to turn me off on Mr. Cox.

Wiley Drake is the pastor of a small church in Buena Park, CA and current Second VP of the Convention.  Given the causes that he has championed over the years, nobody can doubt Wiley’s courage… though many have second-guessed his wisdom and discretion.  I genuinely like Wiley personally, but it is very ironic to me that the only time Wiley has won elective office was when he made us laugh so hard that no one took him seriously because it was clear that he was not taking it seriously.  He is completely well-meaning, but most people still view Wiley like you would your crazy uncle.

Johnny Hunt certainly appears to be the classic megachurch pastor who, as a CR “company man,” has waited his turn for the presidency (although many would argue that he passed on his turn in Greensboro, when he chose to back Ronnie Floyd instead of running himself).  If that is not the case, I just hope that Hunt has the courage to speak up and make it clear that he is his own man between now and the Indy meeting.  If not, I will give you one guess (because you will only need one!) which group of power-brokers will be pulling the strings of his presidency behind the scenes.

Les Puryear is the pastor of a church with an average attendance of about 200 in North Carolina.  He joyfully put in a great deal of work to organize the inaugural small church conference held earlier this Spring.  Les is, if anything, an independent thinker.  No, he is not a maverick.  But, nobody has Les in their pocket.  Though he is in favor of some of the “reform” ideas I have championed this past year, he gives evidence of viewing every issue on its own merits.  As a result, it is practically impossible to place Les in a category on the current SBC landscape.  In fact, I know of nobody in our midst who has such strong opinions (and frequently expresses them on the blogs) who has done a better job of keeping from being lumped into a group–other than maybe “independent voices.”

Bill Wagner is a career missiologist who has a vision for how his passion could helpfully impact the entire SBC.  I greatly admire his choice to take this step of courage, which I suspect may have been partly triggered by missionary David Rogers’ willingness to be nominated in an unwinnable First VP race last year.  I will go ahead and say that he is my second choice.

Avery Willis also has impeccable credentials from a missions and writing standpoint.  However, the thing about Avery’s candidacy that I don’t get is why he is doing this.  If he is using the race as a way to highlight his areas of continuing missiological passion, I guess he has as much right to do that as Wiley Drake.  If he is doing it to highlight that career missions types deserve to be nominated for high office in the SBC, it just seems like he and Bill Wagner are cancelling each other out–much like Ronnie Floyd and Jerry Sutton in Greensboro.  I don’t know Avery, though I have heard many nice things about him.  And, that is enough to make him my third place candidate.

When the dust settles, though, I have to back Les Puryear.  It is high time that a small church pastor is elected President of the SBC, given that some 80% of our churches are the same size as Les’s congregation or smaller.  And, I think that small churches–and the SBC–would really have to go some to find a more capable advocate than Les Puryear.

PS- With the long-expected (i.e., since we knew it already, but couldn’t find any more ways to ”dress it up” to sound postive) news of the decline in overall numbers of the SBC, it can no longer be ignored that small(er) churches in the SBC are on the “endangered species” list.  Could it be any more timely to elect a small church pastor as Prez, given the crying need for focus on, and help for, small churches that is the currently emerging reality?

Selah and Amen. 

Coming Thursday: “What the SBC and Other Evangelicals Can Learn from 1 Corinthians 12-14″

Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles

Here’s my weekly article for the Canyon Lake (TX) Times-Guardian.  Please notice that it is a follow-up from last week’s article, as well as the prayer requests I had made in behalf of Karl Farrar and his family.

“Weep with Those Who Weep (II)”

When I wrote my article last week, I had absolutely no idea what would happen in the time in between then and now. As you will see, however, this article deserves that title even more than the one I did a week ago.

 

Last Tuesday morning, a close friend in our church called me to say she was taking her son to the emergency room at North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio. He had been coughing up blood early in the morning and, obviously, she did not want to take any chances.

 

Why did she go into San Antonio, you might ask, given that the hospitals in both New Braunfels and San Marcos are closer? The reason is that her son had cancer and his treatment had been taking place through North Central Baptist. (And, I must say that, when I had been there to visit, the care had certainly seemed top-notch and the staff courteous and compassionate—qualities that, unfortunately, are not “givens” in too many hospitals today.)

 

At the end of her phone call to me, I had promised to pray and asked for her to let me know what happened. An hour later, however, I received another call from her and she was in panic mode!

 

Right there in the emergency room, her son had started spitting up much more blood, then quickly lost consciousness… and a pulse. It took a group of doctors and nurses about 20 minutes to get his heart started again, before quickly getting him to the Intensive Care Unit.

 

Perhaps you are aware of what happens when the brain does not receive oxygen. Yes, serious damage very often takes place (and quite likely did in this case, since he never regained consciousness). In my own family, my Dad died soon after a massive stroke in 1988, in which his brain had been very negatively affected. So, I immediately had a pretty good sense of what may well have happened at that point.

 

The next few days were a time of hopes going up, then falling back down. Tests were being taken and reflexes were monitored closely. Everything that could be done medically was being done.

 

However, in my biblically-informed opinion, the most important “care” that was taking place was the prayers of many people all around the country. Not only was the Comal Country Church prayer chain working furiously with consistent updates, but many other Christians around the country were joining us in praying for our brother whose physical life was hanging by a thread.

 

On Saturday, there were two bleak pieces of medical news. First, his skin took on a yellowish tint, indicating that his liver was close to failing. Second, it was concluded that the responses which had been noted to various kinds of stimuli were neurological, not indications that he was starting to pull out of the light induced coma.

 

With that in mind, and after much prayer, the decision was made this morning to remove the breathing tube and all medication except the morphine drip. That was done and, shortly after noon, amidst much weeping, he passed away.

 

What had happened? The Apostle Paul says it very clearly: “Absent from the body, present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).. That is to say, when a believer in Jesus Christ dies, his or her spirit immediately leaves the dead body and goes directly into the presence of God.

This is cause for great rejoicing for the Christian! You see, because of our common faith (John 3:16), Christians are assured that we will join other believers who have preceded us in death.

 

However, such a death is also a cause of very painful weeping. Even though we are confident where they have gone, that done not diminish the great grief of the loss. The hole in our hearts is like an emotional bomb crater. Still, because of our settled hope in Christ, we do not have to grieve as those “who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). This is not the end. There is life beyond death.

 

Are you prepared to go and be with the Lord after death through saving faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)? Or, are you, much like a reckless gambler in Vegas, choosing to play the long-shot odds that, when this life is over, that’s all there is?

 

In conclusion, what have you got to lose by, so to speak, putting your money on Jesus? An eternity in the never-ending suffering of hell, that’s what! Think about it. You just might decide to cut your losses… and save your life, forever and ever, Amen.

Coming Tuesday:  ”What the SBC and Other Evangelicals Can Learn from 1 Corinthians 12-14″

 

The Holy Spirit and the Southern Baptist Convention (XLI): “The Picture the Puzzle Pieces Portray in 1 Cor. 12-14″

Oops!  I am so out of whack in my weekly schedule (because of my computer situation and assorted pastoral factors) that I almost forgot to do this today.  As it is, I need to keep it relatively compact because of a commitment later this afternoon.  But, with today’s topic, that is doable.

The completed (picture) puzzle and its pieces–the forest and the trees–the helicopter overview and the microscopic blowup: all ways of getting across the interrelationship between the whole and the parts.  But, working with the whole and the parts of a section of Scripture is somewhat different than taking apart a gun or a car engine or a computer, then putting it back together. 

Why?  Because, in the case of a segment of biblical text, the whole is truly far greater than the sum of its parts.  In each other case mentioned above, the completed item is only somewhat greater than the totalled parts because, when it is all put together, it works.

Now, it is not that, when we put together all the constituent parts of 1 Corinthians 12-14, that it does not “work” (i.e., make a practical difference).  It certainly does–and I will talk about that much more in my post next Tuesday.  Rather, it is that the sense of the whole has been clarified by carefully studying all the parts of these three chapters.  So, now we are finally in a position to have a clarified understanding of the overall message that the Apostle Paul is seeking to get across to his readers in this amazing part of God’s inspired Word.

OK.  Strap yourself in.  I’m going to move through this material pretty quickly.  However, I hope that it will be clear enough for you to grasp the flow of things.  If not, please ask clarifying or follow-up questions in the Comments.

Here’s are the “puzzle pieces” of 1 Corinthians 12-14:

(12:1-3) For persons to be “spiritual,” they must be under the Lordship of Christ.

(12:4-6) Every gifted person is unique in his or her contribution (i.e., even if you have the same gift and ministry, you will not have the same effect).

(12:7-11)  There is a great variety of spiritual gifts, all given as the Spirit chooses.

(12:12-26) Each gifted person is a member of the Body of Christ… and there no second class citizens.

(12:27-31a) Some spiritual gifts are of greater value to the Body than others and those are the ones that should be desired.

(12:31b-13:3) The truly “excellent”–and only spiirtually profitable–way to use spiritual gifts is in love.

(13:4-7) The love needed to properly emply spiritual gifts is selfless and like the character of God Himself.

(13:8-13) Spiritual gifts will end at the Second Coming of Christ, but we must keep maturing in our use of them and realize that only love will continue into our eternal relationship with the Lord.

(14:1-19) Prophecy edifies the Body and tongues does not, unless they are interpreted.

(14:20-25) Tongues make unbelievers think Christians are crazy, while prophecy can help cause a non-Christian to look at their lives.

(14:26-33a) There are clear guidelines provided by Paul for those contributing to the worship service, notably tonguess-speakers and prophets.

(14:33b-35) Women are not to dominate the congregational time in which prophecy is to evaluated and are to defer to their husbands (at home) in asking questions.

(14:36-40) Anyone not listening to Paul’s authoritative apostolic guidelines on prophecy and tongues will be ignored because they are not acting “decently and in order.”

In a very general way, these statements summarize what I have understood each section to say as I have worked through them over these past months.  Now, I will attempt to put together each of the three chapters:

Chapter 12- All spirital gifts are under the Lordship of Christ and for the edification of the Body.

Chapter 13- All spiritual gifts must be exercised in love and growing maturity to be profitable before the Lord.

Chapter 14- All spiritual gifts used in church services are subject to orderly guidelines because everything is done for edification.

As is fairly clear from these statements, we have here a basic chiastic (i.e., inverted parallel) structuring: ABA’.  Chapters 12 (A) and 14 (A’) focuses in complementary ways on the church as Body and the edification that comes from spiritual gifts.  The “heart of the matter” of this section is chapter 13 (B): that the attitude of edification–and the attitude that is pleasing to God–in the use of spiritual gifts is love, which will go on forever.

Having come this far, it is now appropriate to ask “What is the overall message of 1 Corinthians 12-14?”  Well, fools rush in, but I am going to take a run at it.  Here’s my considered summary: Gifts are given by the Spirit to edify the Body of Christ by operating: 1) under His Lordship; 2) in love; 3) with growing maturity; and 4) in an orderly–but not mechanical or ritualistic–manner.

Selah and Amen.  I await your thoughts.

Coming Saturday: “Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles”

Coming Tuesday: “Thoughts on What the SBC and Other Evangelicals Can Learn from 1 Cor. 12-14″

The Holy Spirit and the Southern Baptist Convention (XLV): “An Apostle Concludes His Discussion about Prophecy and Tongues (1 Cor. 14:36-40)”

OK. After several months, here we go on my last post in moving through 1 Corinthians 12-14. As I said a couple of posts back, I am going to do two “big picture” posts next: one putting together all the puzzle pieces of this challenging section in an attempt to see what Paul was seeking to accomplish in an overall sense; and the other attempting to apply what I have learned to the wider contemporary American evangelical sub-culture, with some pointed thoughts about the Southern Baptist Convention.

The “crowning passage” (from the HCSB):

“Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. But everything must be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:36-40).

Before proceeding further, let me observe that I have never understood why many “experts” take verse 36 with what proceeds (i.e., vv. 33b-35) instead of with what follows (vv. 37-40). In my studied opinion, it seems to fit much more naturally with what Paul is dealing with in 14:37 than the section on women and worship just prior. Pardon me if my logic or common sense got in the way of high-brow scholarly “insight!”

As we begin with verse 36, the obvious answer to Paul’s question is No on both counts. In Acts 18, the planting of the church in Corinth is described and it would have been undoubted by all his readers in Corinth that the word of God first came to Paul. Second, even in the time since he left town–when the problems with the Corinthian believers’ over-emphasis on tongues had reached the crisis point, none of them would have thought that the word of God was now their exclusive “property” and that Paul no longer received divine revelation.

With a clear No answer to both questions in verse 36, Paul is now in a strong position to bring down the apostolic hammer, as it were, in verse 37. You see, no matter how “big for their britches” some of the Corinthian Christians were, with many of the individuals apparently viewing themselves as a highly-gifted “prophet” or as a profoundly ’spiritual” person, they were in no position to take on Paul’s apostolic authority. As an apostle, Paul’s writings–including 1 Corinthians, on which the ink had just dried–represented “the Lord’s command” to the church at Corinth (and, for that matter, all other churches then and since!).

That sets things up nicely for verse 38. If “anyone” (i.e., no exceptions in the Corinthian church, no matter how wise or gifted someone thought himself or herself to be) chose to ignore what Paul was writing in this letter we call 1 Corinthians, then such arrogance was a clear basis for ignoring any claims to be a “spiritual” nature that person made. It would be very much like some apparently greatly gifted person today getting up in church and claiming that Christians don’t need to listen to, and live by, the Bible any more, as long as that person is calling the shots. That, hopefully, would be the point at which such a heretic would not just be “ignored,” but also immediately shown the door, in our evangelical churches today.

Verses 39 and 40 then helpfully summarize the entirety of chapter 14. The main point that we should take away is what can accurately be described as “Spirit-led spontaneous, but orderly, corporate worship.” The “spontaneous” part is that prophecy and tongues are both to continue in the church’s worship (v. 39). The “orderly” part is that prophecy gets the priority over tongues because of its greater potential for edification of the Body (though tongues can produce similar upbuilding if–and only if–an interpreter is present). The overarching final word is apt: “Everything (i.e., no exceptions!) must (i.e., this is not a suggestion, but a fully-authoritative apostolic command!) be done decently and in order (i.e., which is not to be confused with “done legalistically and mechanically/ritualistically”).”

Selah and Amen.

How do you see this section?

Coming Friday: “The Picture the Puzzle Pieces Portray in 1 Cor. 12-14″