peterlumpkins.com

Does overseas missions strategy need reform? At least one SBC professor says it does

A piece by Will Hall in the Christian Examiner rehearses a journal article published in The Southwestern Journal of Theology by Midwestern professor of missions, Robin Dale Hadaway. Hall's article entitled "Prof calls for SBC overseas missions reform: Does drastic drop in IMB baptisms merit major remake?" lists among the changes Hadaway proposes: 1. Drop the two percent "reachedness" threshold and return to the original 20 percent or at least adopt a 10 percent baseline. "Exiting a people group that is more than two-percent evangelical," he said, "is the historical... Read more →

Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill, and planting churches

Question: Is a church a real church if it disbands when the pastor resigns? Set. Go! Read more →

New Calvinism gets reviewed by young British Baptist Calvinist

Jeremy Walker, co-pastor of the Maidenbower Baptist Church in the United Kingdom has penned a well-balanced critique of the young, restless, and reformed movement in the evangelical church. Entitled The New Calvinism Considered: A Personal and Pastoral Assessment , the volume is available in the United States in both paperback and digital versions.1 Walker himself theologically identifies with Calvinism as a confessional, Particular Baptist assuring his readers his intentions are not to "mindlessly ignore, attack, or defend any particular group, but to deal fairly with the new Calvinism."2 In fact,... Read more →

Whatever happened to Lake Ridge Church?

It's been said of Acts 29 Network, "When you're looking for theologically vibrant, healthy models that lead to growing churches, where else are you going to look?" If I am not mistaken, Dr. Ed Stetzer introduced Southern Baptists to the church planting network known as Acts 29 while he was Director of Research and Missiologist at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). In addition to introducing Southern Baptists to Acts 29 Network and its assumed "theologically vibrant, healthy models" of church planting parallel to none, Stetzer also planted a church... Read more →

New Release by Free Church Press! The Secrets of a Great Church by Jerry Vines

Just in time for The John 3:16 Conference, The Secrets of a Great Church by Jerry Vines will be given free of charge to all registered participants. In addition, through the generosity of friends of Free Church Press and Jerry Vines Ministries, a complimentary copy will be available to messengers who drop by the booth at the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, TX. Read more →

Tom Nettles and the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (part II) by Peter Lumpkins

In part I, we rehearsed the historical relationship Dr. Tom Nettles, professor of historical theology, at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has had with Founders Ministries since its inception in 1982. Nettles still sits on the board of directors for Founders Ministries. Nor has Dr. Nettles been rhetorically shy about stating in forceful language precisely how he sees those Traditional Baptists who deviate from what Director of Founders Ministries, Tom Ascol, has called "historic Southern Baptist Orthodoxy." Nettles wrote: >>> Southern Baptist beginnings were self-consciously and vigorously Calvinistic. This is... Read more →

Al Mohler, Homosexuality, and the "New Liberalism" by Peter Lumpkins

Last week, I raised the question concerning Andy Stanley’s perplexing story about a gay couple in his church. I wrote: Stanley tells the story of a couple who divorced while members of his church. The issue was, the husband had fallen in love with another man... The problem is, not once in the entire story did Stanley question the homosexual relationship the two men experienced. Instead he questioned whether or not the men could serve in their Buckhead branch since one of the men was still married... Stanley questioned the... Read more →

Rick Warren's bridge to Mecca by Peter Lumpkins

Twenty-five years ago, two mega-churches stood as measuring stick for the church-growth movement. One was an evangelical church, the other a nominal Southern Baptist church. One was located outside Chicago, the other in sunny California. Bill Hybels was pastor of the former and Rick Warren the latter >>> Few talk about Hybels anymore. But Warren stays in the spotlight. So, Warren's latest celebrity spotlight features his bridge-building project to the Muslim world. And apparently he's gone theologically berserk with syncretistic folly. According to Jim Hinch, journalist with the Orange County... Read more →

When Calvinists and their Calvinism becomes destructive to local churches by Peter Lumpkins

I'm often intrigued when the question is raised concerning the destructive results untold churches have experienced when Calvinism is both introduced and imposed upon a local congregation--a congregation whose theological heritage is not Calvinism or Reformed >>> Inevitably, skeptics will log on and challenge the assertion suggesting that non-Calvinists destroy just as many churches as do Calvinists. Of course, in one sense that may be true. Controversial beliefs are no respecter of persons. We may all have controversial beliefs; that is, beliefs which may be entirely incompatible with a particular... Read more →