Baptists are Baptists because of worship. Our predecessors, the English Particular Baptists, claimed worship as their early distinctive from every other Christian denomination in the world. Understand that their idea of “worship” were two principle concepts or ordinances, “Baptism” and “The Lord’s Supper.” This new people group wanted desperately to be “people of the Word.” In doing so they sought to worship as those in the earliest church did with a desire to take everything back to their … [Read more...]
Celebrating 200 years of Mo. Baptist history
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth of several articles commemorating Baptist history in Missouri, written by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Historical Commission. As we celebrate 200 years of Missouri Baptist History it’s amazing to see how Baptists migrated across Missouri through the development of associations and church plants. In the 1840’s the west central part of Missouri was mainly plains and prairie without a large population. Several Baptist Churches were planted in … [Read more...]
Sutherland Springs: Proof texts and guns in church
After the recent horrific church shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX I saw a lot of varied reactions on social media. Of course there were renewed calls for stronger gun control laws and there was the predictable defense of Second Amendment rights. Many of social media posts both for and against gun control came from self-identified Christians. I believe that followers of Jesus should be vocal in this debate, but that is not subject of this post. I want to discuss the exegesis of some of … [Read more...]
The cost of ingratitude
In Romans 1:18-22 the apostle Paul traces the downward course of human departure from God, beginning from ingratitude to Him in verse 21, to the deepest moral depravity in the statements that follow. In verse 18 he says that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” – a warning we would do well to heed in these critical days. It all begins with ingratitude to God. Three times Paul says that … [Read more...]
Darkness & light at Sutherland Springs
GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) – John’s prologue in the Gospels is my favorite Christmas passage, showing us in theological outline what happened in Bethlehem’s stable. We know that Jesus is “the Word,” the light that shines in the darkness. With somber joy we read that “the darkness did not overcome it.” I thought of that passage as I’ve considered the darkness manifested at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs Nov. 5. As I write this, hours after the event, pundits are talking in the … [Read more...]
‘Nothing new under the sun’: Unborn life, biblical sexuality addressed by the Reformers
JEFFERSON CITY – The author of Ecclesiastes once wisely wrote, “there is nothing new under the sun”. This truism is perhaps best exhibited in society’s current moral failings. For many Christians, it seems as though issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender dysphoria are new problems facing the church. However, a closer examination of church history shows that Christians have argued against these very same moral issues throughout previous generations. As we celebrate the … [Read more...]
The church restored: A baptistic contribution to the Reformation
JEFFERSON CITY – In the early sixteenth century, the Church of Rome was in deep trouble. As described in earlier editions of the Pathway, several leaders emerged with hopes of repairing the Western Church from within. Sadly, their proposed reforms were rejected and they soon found themselves on the outs with the pope and his bishops. Yet Lutheran and Reformed ideas took root and, before long, Protestantism was dominant in the northern third of Europe. But there appeared pockets of … [Read more...]
Is the Reformation over?
JEFFERSON CITY – Having been warned that all Baptist campus ministries were not equally committed to the authority of Scripture and the necessity of evangelism, I joined Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) as a first year student at the University of Virginia. In Cru, I met students from a wide variety of denominational backgrounds: Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Episcopalians and, yes, Roman Catholics. Having grown up in a strongly Catholic area, I knew that doctrinal dissonance existed … [Read more...]
Rethinking the Reformation’s ‘Five Solas’
JEFFERSON CITY – This year, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. At the center of the Reformation were five solas, the Latin word “sola” meaning “only” or “alone.” While many have heard of these five solas before, there are aspects to each you may never have been taught. Without “Scripture alone” the other solas are in danger of being lost. The Reformers experienced this danger first hand. Rome had elevated tradition so high that it became a second infallible source of … [Read more...]
Boy Scouts & the disappearing paths
The Boy Scouts of America announced last week that the organization will now accept girls as members, thus ending the uniqueness of this iconic institution. Many commentators have lamented the moral decline of the Boy Scouts, seen in the organization’s steady capitulation to the ideology of the sexual revolution. But there is something deeper going on here, and it goes beyond one’s views of sexual morality. The Path of Wisdom and Virtue The Boy Scouts offered a pathway toward manhood, a … [Read more...]
Mo. Sen. David Sater: Creating a better foster care system
There are over 13,000 children currently in Missouri’s foster care system. Due to circumstances beyond their control, these children are wards of our state. That means that they are our responsibility and, in a way, are all our children. They are Missouri’s children. Over time, some of these 13,000 children will return to their families, some will be adopted and some will remain in the system until they age out. Sometimes, these children come to the state from difficult and even tragic … [Read more...]
Honor, provide for your pastor
I have pastored churches in Missouri, Kentucky, New York, and Florida over the last 21years of my life. There is no greater privilege than being called to the great responsibility of shepherding the beloved people of God as an instrument in the hands of the Great Shepherd of our souls. Pastoring can be hard, but the joys of work far outweigh the heartaches. There is nothing I would rather do with my life than caring for God’s people so that they grow up into Christ. Colossians 1:28 says, … [Read more...]
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