As a pastor, I’m grateful for the way our church family participates and responds in worship. They are “all in” whether it’s during the musical portion of worship, praying, reciting verses, or the sermon, and I greatly appreciate it. I especially appreciate our time together as each week we recite an article of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Granted, I know it’s not the same as Scripture (no Baptist should ever say it is), but it highlights some top-tier things we believe about … [Read more...]
Is the Bible literally true?
Christians are sometimes asked if we believe the Bible is literally true. After all, whether eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood is a plunge into cannibalism, or a figurative expression of full devotion, depends on how we understand the language of Scripture. In one sense, we might say the Bible is divinely inspired literature through which God speaks to human beings in our own language. This naturally includes a range of literary devices, from narrative to hyperbole. So, … [Read more...]
FBC Buffalo to host apologetics workshop
JEFFERSON CITY – First Baptist Church, Buffalo, is hosting an apologetics workshop Oct. 13-14 with an emphasis on debate training. “Think As A Debater” is led by Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network members Dave Van Bebber and Adam Cochrun. In this workshop, participants explore the foundations for interacting with individuals of other faiths, or no faith system at all, in a dialogue and debate setting. The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning to think more critically … [Read more...]
Spurgeon collection launched online
KANSAS CITY (BP) – A website expected to hold the largest digitized collection on the internet of writings by famed British pastor Charles H. Spurgeon is now available. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in partnership with B&H Academic, launched the website on June 21. Also known as "The Spurgeon Archive," Midwestern Seminary's original Spurgeon Center website has been combined with www.spurgeon.org, which was founded and donated by Phil Johnson, the executive director of … [Read more...]
Resolutions: Heart of Southern Baptists in brief
I first attended the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in 1982, early in the days of the Conservative Resurgence. The next few years saw some of our best-attended and most contentious meetings. In those days, news media from everywhere descended on our meeting sites, trying to figure out who we are and what we’re doing. They mostly failed; we are notoriously hard to understand. Then and now, the aspect of convention business most comprehensible to non-Baptist observers is the … [Read more...]
The Book of Jude: Who are those guys?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “The Last Apologist: A Commentary on Jude for Defenders of the Christian Faith,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. Who, exactly, are the “certain men” about whom Jude writes in verse 4 of his epistle? Jude delivers serious warnings about the religious scoundrels who have infiltrated the church - without naming them. Perhaps this is because there are too many to name - an indication of how … [Read more...]
Theology shapes view of culture, God
There was a time when the term “theology” related solely to issues within the church. Theology was viewed only as a tool to differentiate between denominations or to resolve internal church struggles. However, limiting theology merely to the realm of church-related or scholarly concerns demonstrates forgetfulness regarding the numerous areas of life affected by biblical theology. Since sound theology helps Christians rightly understand the Word of God, theology should practically … [Read more...]
Contending for the faith
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “The Last Apologist: A Commentary on Jude for Defenders of the Christian Faith,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. * * * * Jude writes in verse 3 of his epistle, “I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” The Holy Spirit has stirred Jude’s heart, causing him to grieve over the manner in which … [Read more...]
Are some beliefs non-negotiable?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “The Last Apologist: A Commentary on Jude for Defenders of the Christian Faith,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. * * * * With an estimated 2.2 billion Christians in the world, worshiping in more than 41,000 denominations, one may legitimately wonder how we can possibly fulfill the prayer of Jesus that we all be as one (John 17:22). But diversity does not necessarily … [Read more...]
Movie Review: ‘The Case for Christ’ makes case for best ‘Christian’ movie yet
I’ve been on a classic movies kick lately, spending my evenings watching cinematic masterpieces like Casablanca, North by Northwest and Lawrence of Arabia. What makes these films endure throughout the decades isn’t so much the story (Casablanca and North by Northwest have major plot holes, and Lawrence of Arabia doesn’t have much of a story at all); it’s a director’s deft touch and high-quality acting. For too long, so-called “Christian” movies have been on the opposite end of the skill … [Read more...]
TIME magazine covers prompt Mo. Baptist critiques
JEFFERSON CITY – TIME magazine shocked the American public on April, 8, 1966, by publishing a simple cover with one red-letter question on a black background: “Is God Dead?” When TIME reproduced their 1966 cover design this April—now with the question, “Is Truth Dead?”—Missouri Baptist ministers and theologians reaffirmed their confidence in the eternal truth of the living God. “Truth is not dead,” Owen Strachan, associate professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological … [Read more...]
Are Jude and Peter plagiarists?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of excerpts from the new MBC resource, “The Last Apologist: A Commentary on Jude for Defenders of the Christian Faith,” available at mobaptist.org/apologetics. * * * * History is rife with famous plagiarists. Primatologist Jane Goodall “borrowed” from sources ranging from Wikipedia to astrology websites to produce a 2013 book, Seeds of Hope: Wonder and Wisdom from the World of Plants. Alex Haley’s epic Roots is now … [Read more...]
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