In light of all the discussion that the recent statement on the environment and climate change has created, I think it is appropriate for me to clarify a few things concerning my personal position.

There has been some speculation that this statement means that those who signed it are endorsing the existence of Global Warming. I can assure you, from my perspective anyhow, that this is not the case. I am not a scientist. I do not have the ability to argue along scientific lines as to the existence of Global Warming or not. I am not trying, by supporting this initiative, to claim that Global Warming is true or not. There are, however, two specific reasons that I think this is an important issue to consider and address as conservative Evangelicals.

First, the issue of creation care is a biblical issue. For far too long those who have been the significant voices urging in the protection of the creation are those who will most often stand in opposition to biblical truth. This is shameful. Those of us in the Evangelical community have often been known as the ones who laughingly refer to our responsibility to “have dominion over the earth” as if that is some biblical principle that allows us to avoid our responsibility to manage what God has given us. This is no way necesitates the need to assume that the earth and its resources should be cared for to a greater extent than humanity, but rather it is an admission that although we are to use the resources the creation provides to care for humanity, we must not be careless or wasteful in that process. I support this initiative as a step in the right direction of recognizing that biblical Christianity and creation care should go hand in hand.

Secondly, this issue of Global Warming, climate change and creation care may or may not be true. As I stated before, I’m not a scientist and I will defer to their judgment on the issue. Since they are decidedly split in this area, it’s only fair to say we collectively do not know for certain what is occuring in the atmosphere and in our climate. Having said that, there is no denying that the topic of Global Warming is a partcularly significant topic, particularly among younger generations. Going one step further, it would also appear to be a biblical and moral issue. While I do not know if Global Warming, as popularly defined, is accurate or not, I do think it is safe to say that there is damage to the environment that is the result of irresonsible human behavior. That kind of behavior should be controlled by a biblical response of creation care. Due to the significant influence of popular culture promoting Global Warming, among other things, I think it is only appropriate that the Evangelical community address it as we would any moral issue that is known as a significant culutral issue of our day rather than try to dodge or deny the issue. It is important that the Evangelical community have some voice instead of simply allowing those in the mainstream who do not share our biblical value system to be the only voices of influence.

So, in conclusion, this statement is not an endorsement, on my behalf anyway, of Global Warming. It is, however, a recognition of the Evangelical community’s need to take a more prominent role in the advance of faithful, biblical stewardship of creation. I hope that we can all unite under that banner.

The statement concerning the climate which I wrote about yesterday, and which has recieved enormous amount of publicity, has recieved additional clarification which I would recommend that you consider. I’ll link to a few article that I believe are helpful to read in light of yesterday’s statement.  

Baptist Press :: This is an article providing detail about the statement and its author. You can read it by clicking here. 

Dr. Frank Page :: This is a statement released by SBC President, Frank Page, whom I admire greatly. You can read the statement by clicking here.  

 I’ll be honest enough to admit that I often look skeptically upon the actions of men like Al Gore who preach about the need to prevent global warming and yet live in monstrous homes doing excessive damage to the environment. It seems to me that they struggle with practicing what they preach. As a result of their hypocrisy I am often, unfortunately, uncomfortable accepting the premise that they are trying to promote. As a result I, like many evangelicals, have been difficult to convince in regards to issues like Global Warming. That reticence to embrace their philosophy based on pre-determined biases, however, has probably impaired my ability to really consider their claims. If I am fair it is only appropriate to admit, at a minimum, that conservative evangelicals have not embraced creation care nearly to the degree that we should have, from a biblical perspective.  

Thinking along those lines, I am encouraged by a recent effort by leading Southern Baptists to admit our lack of support for creation care and admit that we should be more supportive of the need for said care. Beyond that, I am encouraged by our efforts to at least consider that these claims may have some level of validity in them. The initiative that I’m speaking about is the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. It is led by Jonathan Merrit and has been endorsed by a variety of heavy hitters in SBC life. Men like Danny Akin, Malcomn Yarnell, David Dockery, Frank Page, Alvin Reid, Darrin Patrick and others have rallied around this effort to be more encouraging towards creation care and more willing to, at a minimum, consider the possibilities that others have espoused in regards to global warming, among other things. 

I would encourage you to run by their website and take a look. If you agree with the statement, sign it as well. I just finished signing my name to it. Hopefully this will be an encouraging step in the right direction as we make a concerted effort to care for God’s creation and consider scientific evidence from a biblical perspective and be better stewards of what God has given us.  

I found these two helpful resources today that I wanted to pass along. It should be noted that they are wholly unrelated to each other.

The first resource is  an article by John Piper on the biblical statements concerning elders within the church. As a lifelong Southern Baptist, the concept of elders in the church was a foreign one to me until about 10 years ago. As I began to study God’s word on my own, however, I began to be more convinced of the importance of a plurality of elders within the New Testament church. I now serve in a church that is led by a body of elders whom I respect greatly and who are being blessed by God in their efforts. If you are interested in the concept of biblical elders at all, I would recommend this article to you.

Click here / HT: Jason 

The second resource is a great idea for anyone who is working on church facilities. At our church we are opening our newest building project on Easter Sunday (if you’re in the area, join us for service, Grand Opening and continental breakfast), and we are getting started on our next project which includes the completion of our children’s facility, our youth facility, adult classrooms, dining hall and kitchen. Anyway, I’m one of those geeks who is always interested in what’s out there for church facility design and ran across an article on ChurchRelevance.com dealing with the 7 most innovative new church designs across the country. It’s fascinating stuff.

Take a look by clicking here

I desperately wanted to attend the Text & Context conference this week but previously scheduled obligations precluded me from attending. I was visiting the site today watching a few video clips that were prepared beforehand to help promote the conference I viewed this short clip from Dr. John Piper. I highly encourage it to you.   

The title of this post is the remarkable quote from J.P Lipscomb as he spoke about his wife, Linda, who died on Valentine’s Day after a bus accident while serving in Asia with the IMB. As I read this article on Baptist Press today I was forced to be still for a moment and think through his words. The whole quote was actually: “Linda knew she was dying, we never had any respect for death. Death is given too much respect. … The only way you can get to heaven is to die.” I wonder how many of us have that kind of attitude when it comes to living for Christ? Throwing caution to the wind, racing towards the Kingdom, aggressively promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of the cost.

I’ll be honest with you,  I often struggle with having this kind of attitude.  Scripture is so clear to us in 1 Corinthians 15 when it says, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Too many of us struggle with living in fear of death. We live in terror of pain. We walk around worried that someone won’t like us or that something might bother us when reality tells us that all that anyone can do, at most, is kill us and what kind of punishment is that? It’s the gateway to eternity! Why do we fear the greatest hope that we have? 

I would encourage you to read the story of Linda Lipscomb and her death. I hope it challenges you like it has me.  

I am very excited to share with you the news that our church will be hosting our first GO Conference in October of 2008! This conference is an opportunity to be exposed to cutting edge missions on a very personal level. We have lined up a variety of incredible speakers including Dr. Bob Roberts and Dr. Jerry Rankin. We also have more speakers who have yet to be confirmed but who we will announce in the near future.

In addition, this conference will feature the opportunity to get to know various missionaries who are serving both here in America and overseas on a personal level. We will have a number of NAMB and IMB missionaries here on the campus to share in our services and lead break-out sessions. 

The conference will be October 24-26, 2008. Don’t miss it! 

Perry Noble is the pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the country, NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Perry’s blog is one of the most widely read in evangelical circles. I’ve been subscribed to his updates for some time now and find them to be insightful.

He recently started a series of articles entitled “What I wish someone would have told me”. It’s specifically focused on church planters who are starting out and ask him the question “What do you wish someone would have told you before you began?” Although I’m not a church planter, I find his insight to be helpful to anyone working in a ministerial setting. Even if you are not working in a vocational ministry, however, I would encourage you to take a look at his thoughts. They may help you understand those of us serving in ministry a little bit more. There are times that we can be strange animals to figure out.

Part 1: Your Primary Objective Should Be To Be Faithful To Jesus And His Vision.

Part 2: You WILL Be Tested Within The First Year Of Starting A Church By A Big Giver! & Do WHATEVER It Takes To Grow…and SHUT UP About How Much It Cost!

Part 3: You Cannot Take People To A Place You’ve Never Been! & Have Fun!

Part 4: You Will Be Criticized When God Begins To Move–Expect It And Get Over It.

Part 5: NEVER, I MEAN EVER, APOLOGIZE FOR PASSION!