In 2008, the General Conference, which meets every four years, rejected a similar proposal, 300-484. In 2012, voicing disapproval with a RCRC publication that described “aborting children as ‘God’s work’ or ‘holy work,’” the Church and Society committee approved a measure to withdraw from the RCRC, but the General Conference did not vote on the... Continue Reading

Greear told the convention he prayed last night and believes “we need to leave St. Louis united.” Gaines said “there’s no way God is not doing something in all of this.” He said he has decided internally Tuesday night to withdraw but agreed to serve as president after a conversation with Greear. ST. LOUIS (BP)... Continue Reading

Slated for a vote to serve as president of the convention are J.D. Greear, pastor of the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, and Steve Gaines, who serves as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, one of the more historic parishes for Southern Baptists….Greear, 43, who is a strong Calvinist, represents the resurgence... Continue Reading

Being an ecclesiastical father is filled with frustrations and delights as well. But opportunities abound. Opportunities to step up. Opportunities to teach, exhort, admonish, encourage, challenge, contribute – all in keeping with the station of life and season of ministry in which the Lord has us.   Sounds implausible, doesn’t it. A father at 62.... Continue Reading

Southern Baptists are less evangelistic,” acknowledged Trevin Wax last year, a popular Southern Baptist cultural commentator and managing editor of The Gospel Project. “There’s no way to prove or disprove this statement. But considering the drop in the SBC’s baptismal numbers, it seems clear that Southern Baptist outreach efforts are diminishing — either in effectiveness... Continue Reading

The Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America both hold their annual synods this week. Both will be discussing same-sex marriage. Will we recognize and be able to admit we are not of the same mind? Will we be able to have the much-needed pragmatic conversations about how both sides of this issue can... Continue Reading

The church’s Book of Discipline states that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” and that “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” are not permitted to be ordained. The Baltimore-Washington Area Reconciling United Methodists said the move to not approve a candidate who was recommended by the ministry board was a rare one.   A married lesbian who had... Continue Reading

And so we forget to fear the right thing. We fear the shrinking of the church, so we do everything we can to make it more palatable. We fear ostracization by our society, so we try to be as cool as possible. We fear the direction our country is heading, so we throw previous convictions... Continue Reading

Knowledgeable: Formal qualifications like MDiv or even a Bible College degree are not required. But he should have a good knowledge of the Bible and of doctrine. If it’s a confessional church, he should be able to commit to the confession.   I was recently asked about the kind of qualifications a church should be... Continue Reading

Yes, knowledge apart from grace simply puffs up, but this does not make knowledge disposable. Edwards says that the people of God will love the things of God. They will search out his ways, following the trails of doctrine in the Scriptures straight to the throne. In our day, it is common to see emotion/experience... Continue Reading