Unfortunately I have had to reorganize my blog for, hopefully, the last time. I imported almost all my posts, although many of my most recent comments did not make it through the import process, unfortunately. I lost the last 2 or 3 posts I’ve put up, but hopefully by Monday (when the new SBCOutpost.com arrives) this blog should also be completed. Thanks for your patience.

The new SBCOutpost.com has me swamped and when you add to that an article I’m working to finish for The Pathway (who has recently asked me to start writing for them) along with church and work responsibilities then blogging here is just going to have to take a backseat for a week or two. Keep watching for next Monday when the new SBCOutpost.com will be unveiled. I’m very excited about it! In addition, you may temporarily see some down time this week with my website as I switch to a new hosting service. Hopefully it won’t be much, but inevitably it will cause some problems.

I’ll leave you with another item that likes to take me away from blogging (and does so with my full blessing). This is my youngest daughter, Kessed, taking a minute to give her dad a smooch. You gotta love that!

I got tagged by Art Rogers for a 5 things I dig about Jesus meme. So, here goes.

Here are the rules:

1. Those Tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus.
2. Those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers.
3. Those tagged will provide a link in the comments section here of their meme so that others can read them.

So here goes.

1. I dig that while I was still unlovable, Jesus loved me. (Romans 5:8)
2. I dig that Jesus seemed to get excited about welcoming the least of society. (Luke 18:16)
3. I dig that Jesus’ love for me is unmeasurable, in spite of the fact that my love for Him is all too often unrecognizable. (Ephesians 3:17-19)
4. I dig that Jesus’ death gives me certainty that my election is sure. (1 Timothy 5:21)
5. I dig that Jesus was passionate about the people that He loved. (John 11:35)

Ok, so I tag:

1. John Stickley
2. Alvin Reid
3. Les Puryear
4. Tim Sweatman
5. Nomad

If you are a pastor in the St. Joseph, MO area, you need to make sure to be at our Pastor’s Breakfast for the upcoming event. God is blessing this and there is a tremendous groundswell of support. I would highly encourage you to be present and ready to lead your church to be involved.

Well, I finished the youth camp this evening. It was a privilege to spend time with the students. I met John Martin Keith who led worship for us, and was impressed by his humility and faithfulness. If you need a worship leader, he is a fantastic one. The highlight of the evening, however, was watching two students commit their lives to Christ for the first time. I’ve been very tired this week, but that made it worth it.

I apologize for my relative absence from blogging. I’m leading a youth camp this week in the evenings after I get off from my job (most of you know that I’m bi-vocational). That, on top of a few other responsibilities, has me swamped. I’ll be back in a week or so as things slow down. I apologize! I will leave you, however, with a nice picture of my Father’s Day gift from my wife! I’ve been wanting an outdoor fireplace for some time and a gentleman in our church is a superb metal worker who made this for me, at Tracy’s request. I’m pretty excited about it!

I received, today a statement sent out by Dr. Danny Akin, of Southeastern Seminary, in which he offered a few reflections on the 2007 SBC Annual Meeting.

In this missive Dr. Akin proves himself, once again, to be a more than able statesman for both Southeastern and the SBC as a whole. In the areas in which I disagree with Akin, he is loving in his tone, and in the areas where I do agree with him, he is much more suited to communicate those positions than am I. Having said that, let me offer what I believe to be the highlights of the statement.

First, Dr. Akin echoes the sentiments of Drs. Mohler, Patterson, Kelley and Roberts in his statement concerning the affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message. He does so, however, in a manner that is gracious in its presentation. In other words, he remains firm without sounding patronizing. That, in my opinion, is an encouraging step.

Secondly, Akin’s position on Private Prayer Languages is exactly what the convention needs. It helps, I’m sure, that his position mirrors my own, but I am convinced that kind of sweet spirited willingness to partner in spite of disagreement over areas which are not of primary importance is the cure for much of what ails the SBC.

Third, I have a feeling that Akin is going to get roasted concerning his willingness to host conferences like the Calvinism and Emerging Church conferences that SEBTS is sponsoring. If so, however, it will be most unfortunate. This kind of kingdom vision is what is needed at the helm of our institutions of higher learning. Akin shows us that we can disagree, and do so publicly, with some in the church, but that we can continue to learn from them and work with them to expand the kingdom. In other words, he is not convinced that disagreement in one area disqualifies you from effective kingdom ministry. I think more than a few Southern Baptists could do to listen to his point here.

Fourth, the point that Akin makes in regards to our convention’s lack of attention paid to the need for regenerate church membership is on the money. When we can argue for 30 minutes over our already determined confession of faith, but reject a resolution calling for integrity because we are scared that someone might be telling us what to do, we have simply gone too far. That kind of blatant disregard for biblical faithfulness is most unfortunate.

Finally, Akin is also right to express concern over our low attendance. If we can’t get 9,000 Southern Baptists to show up for our meeting while it’s being held in the bastion of SBC life, that being Texas, we have problems. When there are numerous SBC churches in the state that draw, on a weekly basis, more than the entire national convention can draw, we are beyond just having problems - we’ve come to a place where we may be sucking wind on life support.

Having just read the statement, those are my thoughts. I am curious to hear yours.

Reflections on the SBC in 2007

Having returned home from the annual meeting of the SBC in San Antonio , I again was reminded why I love and appreciate the people called Southern Baptists. We are not perfect to be sure. Sometimes we can be somewhat funny and even a bit strange in how we do business. Still, our love for the Lord Jesus, devotion to the Bible, and passion for the lost makes me glad to be a part of this family. It honors me to serve you and our Convention at Southeastern Seminary.

As I have done in previous years, let me share some reflections on this year’s meeting, where I think we are, and where, by God’s grace, we can go in the days ahead. Know that what follows will chart the future for Southeastern Seminary.

First, I rejoice in the re-election of Frank Page as our Convention president, and the election of Jim Richards and Eric Redmond as 1st and 2nd vice presidents. All three are friends of mine, and they are men for whom I have great respect. I will support each of them this coming year, especially with my prayers.

Second, we saw a renewed commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the sufficiency of Scripture, our doctrinal commitments, and the priority of the Great Commission both at home and abroad. All Southern Baptist should be able to unite around these great affirmations. Along with my fellow seminary presidents, I believe the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a solid theological confession to guide us. It is not an exhaustive statement, but it is a sufficient statement. It, along with the Abstract of Principles, will continue to give theological direction to Southeastern. This is what our convention reaffirmed on Tuesday evening. Barry McCarty, our chief parliamentarian said to me at the airport following the Convention, there was no understanding that this motion was asking our agencies to do anything different than what we had been doing. It was a reaffirmation, not a re-direction. In that context let me say this. Your seminaries are not interested in theological witch hunts. At the same time, we will not be ostriches with our heads in the sand. If we spot a teaching that possesses a danger to our churches or will compromise our ability to fulfill the Great Commission, you can rest assured that we will withstand it with all our might.

Third, Southern Baptists are overwhelmingly a body of cessationist and continualist when it comes to spiritual gifts and their activity today. We are not “charismatics” in any historic sense of that word. This is what the recent LifeWay survey clearly revealed, and I am surprised at a number of shrill responses I have heard. I am personally grateful for the research done in this area by LifeWay under the superb leadership of its president Thom Rainer, and I am disappointed that some have questioned Dr. Rainer’s motives and intentions. I have known Thom for more then ten years, and I know him to be a man of the highest degree of integrity. Now, let me put my theological cards on the table as I did at this convention. I am a continualist, “open but cautious,” when it comes to the activity of spiritual gifts in our day. This has been my position since I began teaching at Criswell College almost twenty years ago. It is also the case that I do not have a private prayer language nor do I believe that one can make a good case for a private prayer language from the biblical text. Still, I must be honest and note that good non-charismatic scholars like D.A. Carson and Darrell Bock believe 1 Corinthians 14 allows for the possibility of such a gift. Therefore, for me and for Southeastern Seminary, the issue will be one of priority and agenda. If someone makes private prayer languages an agenda item, then I will oppose them in the strongest measure. In fact, as I said above, I will withstand any agenda or movement that gets in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ. Perhaps you wonder how many of our faculty at Southeastern has a private prayer language. The answer is I do not know. I have never asked. It is not an issue with this faculty, and it will not become one.

Fourth, I believe it is clear that Southern Baptists have got to grow in the discipline of thinking theologically and living biblically. Hopefully the new Broadman and Holman work, A Theology for the Church, will help us in this area. I had the honor to edit this book, and it includes contributions from some of the brightest and best in Southern Baptist life. Our own David Nelson, Pete Schemm, John Hammett and Ken Keathley participate in this project. You will also discover that Mark Dever, David Dockery, Tim othy George, Al Mohler, Russ Moore, Paige Patterson, Malcom Yarnell, and Greg Thornberry penned significant chapters as well. Southern Baptists cannot afford sit on the sidelines when it comes to good and careful theological reflection. At Southeastern we are committed to loving God with our heart and head. We believe in pursuing the model left to us by the apostle Paul, the great theologian and the great missionary. We believe the best context for doing theology is the Great Commission. The best missionaries are capable theologians, and the best theologians are also passionate missionaries. The two must never be separated. This is absolutely essential for the future health of our denomination.

Theological discussion and debate, carried out in the atmosphere of mutual love and respect, is a good and healthy thing. Indeed, it is vitally necessary for the health and well-being of the church. Southeastern is delighted to partner with LifeWay and the Founder’s Ministry in sponsoring a conference on Calvinism at Ridgecrest on November 26-28. No subject needs more light and less heat than this one. Extreme positions and dispositions need to be exposed, confronted and rejected. Areas of agreement that will show how we can work together for the gospel need to be embraced and affirmed. We are thrilled to host on our campus, October 26-27, what is certainly to be the premier C.S. Lewis conference in America in several decades. We also are glad to sponsor a conference on the Emerging/Emergent Church with participants like Mark Driscoll and Ed Stetzer on September 21-22. I applaud neither Pastor Driscoll’s view on alcohol nor his less than wholesome language. The former is unwise and runs the risk of compromising his witness. The latter is blatantly sinful. However, we need to hear and learn from persons like Mark Driscoll in how to effectively engage an increasingly secular culture with the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ. We can learn from those with whom we do not see eye-to-eye theologically, or practically, (e.g. in everyday decisions of Christian living). I want a well informed and educated student body. I believe it is appropriate to invite to a college or seminary campus those you would not invite to speak or lead in worship when your local church gathers for worship. It seems to me that a clear difference exists between the two.

Fifth, I was delighted we approved a resolution on integrity in ministry but disappointed we did do the same for one on regenerate church membership. Some feared the latter was telling the local church what to do, but a resolution can never do that. Some may think there was some political agenda in the works. However, this is a clear biblical and theological issue all Baptist should be able to affirm. Perhaps the resolution presented needs to be reworded or adjusted, but an emphasis on regenerate church membership needs to be recaptured by our churches. I have personally been saying this for several years now. I will continue to speak to this in the days ahead.

Sixth, it was a joy to welcome Geoff Hammond as the new president of North American Mission Board and to receive their fine report. Southeastern hopes to work side by side with the North American Mission Board in the years to come as we seek to reach North America with the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Finally, this year’s attendance is a cause for grave concern. In spite of “pre-convention activity,” this was one of the smallest conventions in years. Our annual meeting is also aging, and I include myself having turned 50. A younger generation committed to the goals and convictions of the Conservative Resurgence must be sought out. We must get them involved with what we are doing. They need our wisdom and we need their passion and energy. I pledge to do my part to see this happen. I believe what is happening on our seminary campuses is a very hopeful sign.

God has blessed our Convention beyond what we deserved. He has indeed been gracious and faithful. Now is the time for us to come together as a mighty army equipped and ready to take the gospel to the nations. Tim e is short. The hour is urgent. Heaven and hell are real and Jesus is the only difference. If you come to Southeastern, if you send your children to Southeastern, know that our challenge will not be, “Should you go to the nations?” Rather, it will be, “why would you not go? You have already received the command to go to the nations by the Lord Jesus Himself.”

Southeastern is committed to being a Great Commission Seminary, and a Great Commission seminary is what we will be. I love you and consider it a joy words cannot capture to serve you.
Danny Akin
President

As always, the SBC Annual Meeting proved both fascinating and excruciating at the same time. What never ceases to amaze me, however, is how much time I can spend hovering around the display tables at the larger than life LifeWay store that is set up in the exhibit area. This year, however, I amazingly chose not to purchase a single book for myself at the LifeWay tables, other than a new bible that I picked up for use when I’m preaching. I did procure a few things for my wife and girls, but nothing in the area of books for me. That’s not to infer, however, that I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to pick up some new reading material elsewhere. I was given two books as part of the Missional Network dinner that I attended, and I purchased two more books that evening during the Missional Network Gathering that was held. So, all in all, I’m very satisfied with the books that I brought home with me. I’ve listed the books below, if you care to check them out. I’ll provide reviews for each one as I complete them. I’m currently working on Transformation by Bob Roberts.