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Bullseye: Perceptive Reflections on a Collapsing Culture: Free Church Press New Release

Click on image to enlarge Free Church Press is excited to announce a new title by William F. Harrell: Bullseye: Perceptive Reflections on a Collapsing Culture. Dr. Harrell is Pastor Emeritus of the historic Abilene Baptist Church, Martinez, Georgia. Bullseye is Harrell's second book. In Bullseye, Dr. Harrell aims his bead for cultural issues facing the church today. Those who purchased Harrell's first volume--Straight Shooting: Pastoral Reflections for Today's Church--will note in Bullseye the very same folksy literary style Dr. Harrell commands. Below are a few of the targets onto... Read more →

President of Southern Baptists' ERLC on suspending Duck Dynasty's patriarchal leader

Phil Robertson (pic source) Dr. Russell Moore offered commentary on the recent A&E suspension of Phil Robertson, Duck Dynasty's patriarchal figure. Moore described the network television decision "censorious cultural fundamentalism" that is neither “progressive” nor “pluralistic.” The ERLC president went on to conclude: "Let’s have genuine diversity, meaning let’s talk honestly with one another about what we believe and why. Muting one another isn’t what debate is for in a free society. It’s what remote controls are for." Read the entire statement-- "Duck Dynasty?" on the president's blog, Moore to... Read more →

C.J. Mahaney, The Victims, and Depths of Darkness

I got about two-thirds of the way through the Second Amended Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand filed by attorneys representing the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against young, restless, and reformed icon, C.J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), two SGM churches, one SGM school, and ten other SGM leaders.1 Truth is, I couldn't go on. It's most horrifying and even solicits the deepest anger and rage from a person's soul. To imagine these poor children--children then the ages of my five grand babies now--might have suffered such degraded... Read more →

Heritage Foundation Fellow hounded by Piers Morgan and Suze Orman for his position against gay marriage

(pic source) Ryan T. Anderson serves as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and a Free Society for The Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank in Washington, DC. According to his bio, Anderson researches and writes mainly about marriage and religious liberty, but also has expertise in justice and moral principles in economic thought, health care and education, and bioethics and natural law theory. In addition, he co-authored the book entitled What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense (Encounter Books, December 2012) along with two Princeton scholars, Robert P.... Read more →

9 year old stands up to Westboro Baptist's homo-hatred

NPR reports about 9 year old, Josef Miles, who stood up to Westboro Baptist Church's hate-filled protest against "fags" with his own personal protest--"GOD HATES NO ONE." Below is a picture courtesy of his mother, Patty Akrouche, who posted the pic on facebook, a pic now shared over 100k times. And we think protests don't work any more... Josef Miles (photo courtesy of Patty Akrouche) Read more →

Homosexual hatred justly condemned

Close to a cool three-quarters of a million viewers have watched a minute and a half clip of Charles Worley's Mother's Day sermon uploaded to youtube. I suspect every pastor would like that kind of traffic on a sermon he'd preach >>> However, the longtime pastor at Providence Road Baptist Church, a "King James Only" independent Baptist church in Maiden, North Carolina,1 did not receive the views he did because of his magnificent preaching skills. Instead, he got viewed for the hatred he spewed about homosexuals: ...the Bible's against it... Read more →

Rick Warren's absurd call for Al Mohler to apologize by Peter Lumpkins

Al Mohler's recent post entitled "Is the Megachurch the New Liberalism?" raised questions not only concerning megachurch pastor, Andy Stanley, and his all-but implicit acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, but Mohler also drew fire from unsuspecting critics1 >>> Legendary Saddleback pastor, Rick Warren, did not just take issue with Al Mohler's piece; rather the father of the purpose-driven movement called for the seminary president to apologize for unduly offending thousands of churches for the lone reason the church happened to be big. Reportedly, Warren tweeted to Mohler: @albertmohler Would a... 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 →

J. Budziszewski on engaging the homosexuality issue by Peter Lumpkins

The Family Research Council sponsors an annual Witherspoon lecture symposium dealing with public policy, political philosophy, and moral issues. Those who give lectures are among the most accomplished scholars in their respective fields. A decade ago, natural law philosopher, Jay Budziszewski delivered the Witherspoon lecture >>> Dr. Budziszewski is an associate professor in the departments of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recent books include Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law (InterVarsity Press, 1997) and The Revenge of Conscience (Spence Publishing,... Read more →

Christianity Today records "surge in sexuality debates" by Peter Lumpkins

Christianity Today posts an interesting twist on the recent debates over same-sex marriage. Of interest to Southern Baptists is its subtle display of disagreement between Al Mohler and Richard Land. Mohler is "Targeted for “Appearing to Pander to the Homosexual Lobby”". Satisfying clarity from Dr. Mohler on this issue is yet to appear. With that, I am... Peter READ THE FULL ARTICLE Read more →

Al Mohler, homosexuality, and continued moral confusion (part II) by Peter Lumpkins

continued from part I >>> The second public response Mohler offered was in personal correspondence he allowed North Carolina pastor, Les Puryear, to post on his site. Mohler was responding to Puryear's personal question to him concerning his statement about "homophobia" and the reference to "we've lied…" In part Mohler wrote: "...I point out that I never said anything remotely like what you suggest in your message. As you must know, my original statement made no reference whatsoever to the Southern Baptist Convention nor to Southern Baptists, but was a... Read more →

Al Mohler, homosexuality, and continued moral confusion (part I) by Peter Lumpkins

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, made headlines at the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix when he openly affirmed quoted words by Jonathan Merritt: "We've lied about the nature of homosexuality and have practiced what can only be described as a form of homophobia…We've used the 'choice' language when it is clear that sexual orientation is a deep inner struggle and not merely a matter of choice" (//link). In response to whether those words were accurately quoted, Mohler said: >>> "I'm thankful for the question, my brother, and... Read more →

Can Al Mohler Remain Silent about Southern Baptists Lying about Homosexuality and Practicing Homophobia? by Peter Lumpkins

How long can our president of Southern Baptists' flagship seminary, Dr. Al Mohler, hold out before addressing the confusion he created at last week's Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix, AZ by publicly aligning himself with Jonathan Merritt, a decidedly gay-lifestyle sympathizer who believes strongly that his generation will not stand for traditional sexual mores but will be more neutral toward homosexual unions? >>> Many Mohler advocates praised Dr. Mohler's speech as brilliant, timely, and, literally, a "well deserved beatdown" toward the duly elected Southern Baptist Convention messenger1 who asked Dr.... Read more →

Baptist Press rectifies the silence on Al Mohler's controversial words--''homosexuality comments reflect Scripture"

Baptist Press just posted an explanation on the provocative words spoken concerning homosexuality at the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix, AZ by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president, Dr. Al Mohler. Michael Foust, staff writer for Baptist Press, writes: Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. says comments he made about homosexuality at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting reflect biblical teaching, and his remarks are receiving support from two prominent evangelical leaders who minister to the homosexual community. Dr. Mohler received strong support from Alan Chambers, who serves as president... Read more →

Brian McLaren Encourages Al Mohler: "Please don't back down" by Peter Lumpkins

Emergent icon and well-known radical theologian, Brian McLaren, posted an encouraging note he wished someone to pass along to Dr. Mohler. Dr. McLaren desires to express his genuine thanks and appreciation to Mohler for his courage to "take a risk and say things that you believe need to be said" even when Mohler knew he would be "maligned for doing so">>> Of course, McLaren is referring to Dr. Mohler's controversial words at the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix when Mohler not only charged evangelicals and Southern Baptists with lying about... Read more →

Question Raised Over Baptist Press Silence Concerning Al Mohler's Provocative Claim about Homosexuality and Southern Baptists by Peter Lumpkins

North Carolina pastor, Tim Rogers, raises the question concerning Baptist Press' silence about Dr. Al Mohler's claim at the SBC in Phoenix that evangelicals broadly and Southern Baptists particularly "have lied about the nature of homosexuality" and practice "what can only be called a form of homophobia." During the Q/A time at the end of the seminary report at the SBC, Dr. Mohler affirmed the words were his and accurately quoted by cultural critic, Jonathan Merritt >>> In his article entitled, "Where is Baptist Press Coverage?" Rogers explains: "When one... Read more →

Al Mohler and Homosexuality: Setting the Record Straight by Peter Lumpkins

Now that we have moved into some calmer waters since last week's rapids over my question and Dr. Al Mohler's response at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), I thought it necessary to set the record straight. My understanding concerning Al Mohler's position on homosexuality before the SBC has been entirely swept aside by much of the internet buzz >>> Why people make such broad-brush implications in the face of clear facts remains a tribute to the unmitigated nonsense one finds so often on the internet. It really makes me ashamed... Read more →