Quick Hits :: July 25, 2006 :: Supersized Again Edition

* This week, Tom Ascol is writing a series on "Confessional Integrity and Theological Education". Contrary to the alcohol resolution, I believe this is a real issue in the SBC that needs to be addressed. When professors believe they have the interpretive rights to subscribe whatever meaning they want to certain confessional articles, a real crisis is at hand. Here is part one and part two thus far. Part three is forthcoming later this week. * Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowship recently came out with their statement on the Emergent Church. Mark Driscoll mentioned, "I will not comment on the statement other than to say the concerns are real and shared by many including myself. " (HT: Resurgence). * Jason Engwer of Triablogue fame gives some great quotes from Early Christians concerning belief in a hell of eternal consciousness. That reminds me that I need to get back to reading some of the early patristics! * Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea shared about a Baptist church in the state of Georgia that sponsored an ice-cream social for the Muslims at the mosque across the street. Check out this quote: "This will lead us to have good relations in the future," Imam Riyadh Thabitah said. "All God's creation...we have to respect each other. We are followers of the same God. Each of us have different rules to follow." This is why I have made religious pluralism one of my greatest theological foci! * Was Martin Luther King Jr. a heretic? Go see for yourself. James White reminds us that indeed, theology does matter. Non-Trinitarian, denial of substitutionary atonement, denial of man's deadness in sin, detestation of the sovereignty of God? Sheesh. * Gary Gilley, pastor of Southern View Chapel, has written three in-depth articles on the Emerging Church. For anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the movement, let me encourage you to check these articles you. Here they are: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. * My Sunday School teacher and SBTS prof, Dr. T.J. Betts, was in northern Israel when the Hezbollah attacks first took place. He was part of an archeological dig in Tel Hazor, Israel. Garrett Wishall, also a member of our church, wrote an article which appeared in Baptist Press last week in which Dr. Bett's shares some of his experience (we got the long version in SS because I was that inquisitive guy who HAD to ask). His most famous line, however, has to be when he said, ‘Wow, look at that,' referring to explosions taking place in Tiberius (where they had arrived after being evacuated from the dig). Gotta love that technical language! Really, that's why I love Dr. Bett's so much! * Many of you are aware that last week, Steve McCoy killed the Missional Baptist Blog. However, I feel it necessary to give it props for the great job this blog did in networking fellow young Southern Baptists. I never pimped my blog or made the blogroll but found myself visiting it several times a week. It will be missed, but as Steve shared, it served its purpose. * Will Turner provides some quotes from Timothy George in the forthcoming release of First Things 165 (August/September 2006) concerning the place of Southern Baptists after the revolution. Five points Turner provides in George's piece concerning the aftermath of Greensboro include charismatics, "neo-Calvinists", Woman's Missionary Union, Baptist bloggers, and the "young moderates." Bottom line: the SBC is at a crossroads. * The Thirsty Theologian has chimed in on the alcohol resolution by providing two excellent articles dealing with Sola Scriptura, the SBC, and hermeneutics. They are: God Gave C2H60 - Introductory Comments and God Gave C2H6O - Sola Scriptura and the SBC. Quote: "Perhaps the most glaring deficiency of the SBC resolution is the atrociously amateurish hermeneutics. If this is a good example of the author’s exegesis and hermeneutics, I wouldn’t let them teach my five-year-old’s Sunday school class, let alone represent an entire denomination." (HT: JT). * Scott Hill points out what many of us have been attempting to emphasize on the alcohol resolution. It is not about alcohol - it's about Scripture. The dissent was not first made by moderationists but Bible-believing teetotalers who believe in the sufficiency of Scripture. We are not advocating anything except the Bible - period. * Joe Thorn recently provided a good quote from founding president of Southern Seminary, James P. Boyce, who spoke out against the resolution on alcohol in his day. Boyce concluded that a resolution against the consumption of alcohol “was not germane to the work of the convention.” (1888 Annual of the SBC, pp. 33-34). * What d'ya know? Another First Person article on the alcohol resolution. This time from Richard Land. If only we could get our leaders this outspoken on the defense and proclamation of the gospel! This makes me wonder where our passion really lies. * Baptist Press recently ran three articles on the 24th Annual Founders' Conference which I unfortunately was unable to attend. They are: Gospel will prevail despite churches that hide it, 'New Perspective' corrupts the Gospel at its heart, and Founders' Conference examines 'the Gospel of the grace of God'. I am delighted that BP (Jeff Robinson to be exact) covered the Founders' Conference this year as the Founders' Network has really become a considerable influence in the SBC in recent years. * Speaking of the Founders' Conference, the audio is now available at SoundWord.com. Be sure to check out sermons by Joe Thorn, Dr. Tom Nettles, and Dr. David Sills. * David Wayne (Jollyblogger) has decided that it is not time to walk a middle road with Rick Warren. He mentions Warren's involvement in Synagogue 3000 which I too have been critical of in the past. That reminds me: Does anyone find it funny that Warren didn't show up at Greensboro but somehow made it to North Korea? * Douglas Groothuis reminds us that it is never a bad time to recommend a few good books. Check out his categories and recommended books. I have greatly benefited from many of them! * Justin Taylor provides a list of articles written by Thabiti Anyabwile (and I thought Brister was hard!) about the things he has learned at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Also, it is worth noting that Anyabwile will soon be the pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman. Six years ago, I went with a group of students from the University of Mobile to help out with a Disciple Now as well as a Children's Camp at FBC Grand Cayman. This is a wonderful church! One memory I will never forget is that during that week, I preached my first expository sermon (the text was Luke 18:9-14). May the Lord continue to richly bless this church with Anyabwile as their pastor! I think that's it. Some good stuff going on in the blogosphere. Oh, and I will try to keep on updated on the Band of Bloggers. It is still in the works. - tnb