peterlumpkins.com

Down in the River to Pray

There was a time in recent memory when both the Ordinance of Baptism and Ordinance of the Lord's Supper were considered sacred moments in the life of the Church. Sadly, too much I sense both have been reduced to showtime. Stage lights for the Supper and dramatic video for the symbolic burial and resurrection replace the reverence of obeying our Lord's command, memorializing our gracious redemption... With that, I am... Peter Read more →

HyperCalvinism vs. "Functional" HyperCalvinism

Ed Stetzer, the presently reigning official numbers champ (for everything Southern Baptist) is the successor of Thom Rainer who was the successor of George Barna who was the successor of George Gallup, Jr. If you're old enough, you'll recall the notable phrase, "a new Gallup poll reveals..." Now you know my age! >>> All that changed with the revelation of George Barna's best seller, Frog in the Kettle, which I purchased via a mass-mail promo card when I was pastoring my first church in the early eighties. Man, did I... Read more →

The Great Commission Resurgence: Biblical Mandate or Baptist Movement? Part II

The locus classicus impetus for global gospelizing is found in Matthew's record of Jesus' departing words: >>> "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:18-20). While some... Read more →

The Great Commission Resurgence: Biblical Mandate or Baptist Movement?: Part I

The heart of Baptists in the south could be summed up as an "eliciting, combining and directory for the energies of the whole denomination in one sacred effort, for the propagation of the Gospel" when the Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845. Since, innumerable concerted efforts to "propagate" the world with the Gospel presented themselves as Baptists continued to ride the wave as a missionary force with which hell itself must contend. And contend it did. One hurdle after another Satan placed on the evangelistic track Baptists were running,... Read more →

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue: A Brief Critique: Dr. Greg Welty: Final Part

If it is not evident by now, perhaps my readers left the party too soon. I will mention this once again: if one can wade through Dr. Welty's essay and manage to grip it, one will cruise through the rest of the volume. Welty's piece is fairly intense and notably challenging >>> Thus far, I've focused mostly on Welty's biblical treatment of Unconditional Election, specifically on Ephesians 1:3-11. In this final part, which again will stay relatively within the first section (I have no interest presently in teasing out 'Effectual... Read more →

Cleaning The Closet: Contemplating the Future for SBC Tomorrow

I'm going to do a bit of house cleaning on my site. Further, I am contemplating the future of SBC Tomorrow >>> I want to say upfront, that for two solid years, I have been amazed how this site has developed. From the beginning, it seemed a corpus of faithful readers, though small, developed. And, the corpus has done nothing but swell. I also believe this site has been, at least in a small way, instrumental in offering for a much-ridiculed group of believers (traditionally minded Christians) a much-needed voice... Read more →

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue: A Brief Critique: Dr. Greg Welty: Part III

This is the the third post I offer on Dr. Greg Welty's paper in the Building Bridges Conference collection (see links below) I recommend this series as a great resource in understanding some of the issues surrounding the Calvinist Resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention >>> As I stated in Part I, Dr. Welty is an admirable scholar who offered, within the collection Lifeway published, by far, the most sophisticated presentation from the Calvinist perspective. And, even though the exchange on Part I, along with a subsequent email exchange between... Read more →

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue: A Brief Critique: Dr. Greg Welty: Part II

I want to tease out one aspect of my former post concerning Dr. Welty's paper given at the Building Bridges Conference last fall and collected as part of a series published by Lifeway. In Part I, I wrote: "The initial impression I had as I read the scriptural summaries Welty offered, especially pertaining to Ephesians 1:3-11, was the obvious absence of any engagement with the corporate configuration of election that clearly rules in Paul's thought pattern in Ephesians." With that in mind, I'd like to proceed >>> Dr. Welty focuses... Read more →

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue: A Brief Critique: Part I: Dr. Greg Welty

I finished my initial reading of "Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue," a collection of papers given at Ridgecrest Conference Center in the fall of 2007 for the Building Bridges Conference. The forum was the result of a meeting between Drs. Danny Akin, Thom Rainer, Tom Ascol, Ray Clendemen and Brad Waggoner, who met in the spring of the same year to brainstorm a way to facilitate healthy debate and analysis concerning the rising influence of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. The conference was phase one of their strategy and... Read more →

Indy & Beyond: A Few Reflections on the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention

A few thoughts about the SBC, Indianapolis, Indiana 2008 >>> Southern Baptists are the greatest body of believers on earth. I know that is post-denominational theo-gobbledygook for many today, the long ago, faded reality of a by-gone era, the unrealistic rumblings of a traditional not biblical Christian. Well, so be it. Let the despisers of ecclesial Christianity wallow to their heart's desire in the church without walls they continue to construct. Never mind the In-Not-Of principle about which our Lord instructed, the jagged edges of which the contemporary Church is... Read more →

Frank Cox: An Interview with the Next President of the Southern Baptist Convention

On February 21, I met up with Dr. Frank Cox, Senior Pastor of the North Metro First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, Georgia. One thing I recall from my first encounter with Dr. Cox is the immediate likableness of this man. His comfort at talking instantly puts one at ease. During the "small talk" as I was setting up the recorder for the interview, Dr. Cox mentioned his tenure at North Metro Church--28 years. Indeed this is his one and only Church since graduating from New Orleans seminary in 1980.** Most Pastors... Read more →

On Making Water into Wine: Liberating Jesus as The Moderationist Model: Part II

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana...When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine"...When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine...the master of the feast...said..."Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory..." (John 2:1-11, ESV, emphasis mine) I mentioned in Part I... Read more →

On Making Water into Wine: Liberating Jesus as The Moderationist Model: Part I

Little doubt exists that the most oft recited reason moderationists offer as evidence that consuming alcoholic beverages in moderate amounts for pleasurable purposes is morally acceptable, lays squarely at the feet of the Founder of Christianity Himself, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. His practice, they say, unmistakably included partaking of alcoholic beverages Himself >>> That the alleged practice of which they speak has a long rich history no one can deny. Even Jesus' own contemporaries uttered a similar observation: "For John the... Read more →

The Strange Absence of Wade Burleson & Ben Cole: O, Brothers, Where Art Thou?

I find it interesting that Wade Burleson & Ben Cole's names are absent from the new "Time to Change" initiative, an initiative calling for the repeal of two IMB guidelines which poses limitations to the appointing of certain missionary personnel. This was Enid's favorite topic of choice for a solid two years. Why their names are absent is surely a curiosity worth mentioning. Enjoy my curiosity below... O Brothers, Where Art Thou? To our brothers Wade and Ben we wonder where you be To ignore such a fine initiative makes... Read more →

God Calls Strong Men for Strenuous Times: Dr. Frank Cox for President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Several weeks ago, I did an interview with Frank Cox, Pastor at North Metro First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, Georgia and announced candidate for President of the Southern Baptist Convention. He answered what I thought then--and still do--were hard, pointed questions. I appreciated Dr. Cox's honest, straightforward answers. One gets the impression when speaking to Dr. Cox he's a no-nonsense guy. That is... That is, he is saying it the way he believes it and not the way he thinks you'd like to hear it. A person who does this, from... Read more →