Will « Thoughts & Actions

Preaching That Hospitalized A Pastor

From this Christian Post article on June 22, 2008, a pastor in Indiana rode around on a dirt bike during his sermon preaching, lost control, crashed, and was sent to the hospital for a fractured or broken wrist. Nothing is mentioned if he was able to finish the sermon or not, but my guess is that he didn’t. But what inspired this pastor to use a dirt bike as a platform and tool for preaching?

Is it because he lacks trust in the full authority and sufficiency of Scripture alone as the inspiration to change hearts and lives?
It it because he thinks amusing entertainments and theatrical pomp that dazzles the eyes of the simple and deadens minds can inspire and convict cold and dead hearts to newness of life?[1]

The Cambridge Declaration of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals rightfully laments about pastors who erode the Gospel and erode worship of God through such showmanship:

The loss of God’s centrality in the life of today’s church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.

John MacArthur decried some years ago about such churches who’s favorite hymn song is, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones was witnessing the same rank theatrics in churches in his days, and was passionately pleading pastors to avoid being theatrical pulpiteers, but remain faithful Gospel preachers.

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[1] John Calvin, Institute of Christian Religion, Book IV.15.19. Although Calvin was speaking of theatrical pomp that dazzle’s the simpleton’s eyes and dulls minds in connection with baptism, the argument is not limited to baptism only but the entire worship.

July 22, 2008 Posted by Will | 2008 Archive, Christian Living, Ecclesiology, Evangelism, Leadership, Preaching, Theology, Worship | | 1 Comment

Declining SBC Baptism Numbers Is A Good Thing (Part 2)

Last year, I had written about the SBC’s brooding over declining baptisms. Well, according to the June 10, 2008 USA Today article, the SBC continues to snivel over it.

According to the article:

345,941 baptisms were conducted in 2007
387,454 baptisms were conudcted in 2002
422,048 baptisms were conducted in 1972

Also according to this article, the SBC views “baptism as a central measure of spiritual vitality because they only baptize those old enough to make a commitment to Jesus - meaning that it measures how successful they are in spreading the Gospel.”

Is it any wonder the SBC is in such a sad shape? This view of baptism is not even biblical. Baptism is a central measure of spiritual vitality, but measuring baptism is not determined by the success of the Gospel being spread but measuring baptism is determined by the grace God has chosen to redeem His people for Himself.

In other words, if in 1972, 100 out of 100 people who heard the Gospel message got baptized while in 2007 88 out of 100 people who heard the Gospel message got baptized, the problem isn’t that the Gospel isn’t unsuccessfully being spread. Rather, the Gospel is still being spread, but that God saves those who are His people by His sovereighty.

The good news of the declining baptism rate in the SBC is that fewer false or inappropriate baptisms are being applied. If in 1972 and 2002, far too many unregenerates who should have never been baptized had been baptized, then in 2007, 22% less of the unregenerates got baptized compared to 1972 and 12% of that compared to 2002.

Salvation is an act of God’s sovereignty and election, not man’s ability to spread the Gospel. To say it another way, whether God chooses to save anyone through our efforts of spreading the Gospel is His choice. We are simply responsible for spreading the Gospel.

July 16, 2008 Posted by Will | 2008 Archive, Culture, Ecclesiology, Evangelism, History, Leadership, Philosophy, Southern Baptist Affairs, Theology | | No Comments

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established… Proverbs 16:3