peterlumpkins.com

Systemic Racism & Sexual Revolution: Replying to Karen Swallow Prior

Formerly teaching English at Liberty University for over 20 years, Karen Swallow Prior presently serves as Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Prior is author of a number of books including Jane Eyre: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting; On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books; Heart of Darkness, and Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me not to mention her prolific online literary presence and numerous magazine articles published in Christianity Today and other major Christian publications. Prior's... Read more →

Sexual Abuse, Darrell Gilyard and the Southern Baptist Convention Part 1

The story of Darrell Gilyard easily arises to the category of legend in Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) life. As originally told, Gilyard was abandoned by his parents at a young age and wound up living under a bridge in Florida. Jerry Vines, pastor of Jacksonville First Baptist Church,1 discovered Gilyard, led him to Christ, and began mentoring him in the mid-1980s. Vines had connections to which he recommended the young, exciting, and vibrant young preacher--most notably Paige Patterson, (then) President of Criswell Bible College and Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas... Read more →

Karen Swallow Prior on John Piper's Advice to Women in Troubled Marriages

OK. I'm not much on Twitter. I've never liked it. I don't think I ever will. Moreover, it can get very vicious, even more vicious than Facebook. Yet it appears it's definitively made its mark for usefulness even among Christians, so I logged on to my old account this AM and posted a link to the piece I put up on my blog entitled, "How do Patterson Critics View John Piper on Spousal Abuse?," a piece asking some of the leaders among Southern Baptists who are bent on seeing Paige... Read more →

Is it time for Southern Baptists to get new leadership in Washington?

A new president of the greatest nation on earth will be sworn into public office in just over eight months. It's time. Eight years of Barack Obama's butchered policies and broken promises have choked to death the American spirit. He promised he'd unite us both racially and politically. However, only the most obtuse observer could deny that racially and politically, the United States of America has perhaps become more hostilely divided than in any known era of American history. Why Washington's Oval Office needs a new leader The President's latest... Read more →

Ergun Caner's first interview as president of Brewton-Parker College

DULUTH — The Christian Index recently interviewed Ergun Caner in order to give Georgia Baptists an up close and personal look at Brewton- Parker College’s new president. Just three months ago the BPC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect Caner as the 16th president of the 110-year-old institution of higher learning. Retiring BPC President Mike Simoneaux endorsed Caner’s presidency by stating, “Dr. Caner brings a wealth of experience to the presidency with more than three decades in Christian higher education, leadership, Biblical teaching, preaching, and apologetics. This appointment will... Read more →

John Calvin: a Real Evangelical Cover-up

James White is the director of Alpha & Omega Ministries, a small and apparently struggling1 apologetics ministry located in Phoenix, Arizona. I listened fairly regularly to White several years ago but grew tired of what I perceived to be a narcistic infatuation with his personal accomplishments not to mention his patently unique apologetical method of making those with whom he disagreed out to be liars.2 Going back several years, James White has persistently harassed and morally denigrated Ergun Caner and anyone--including reputable scholars, local church pastors, capable apologists, Southern Baptist... Read more →

Pray for Liberty University, student body, and family members

A school shooting took the life of a student on an off-campus dorm. Reports NBC news: A campus security officer shot and killed a male college student at an off-campus women's dormitory Tuesday in Lynchburg, Va., after the student attacked him with a hammer, authorities said. The student, identified as Joshua Hathaway, 19, of Lubbock, Texas, a freshman at Liberty University, told the security officer about 4:15 a.m. that someone had stolen his car, police said in a search warrant affidavit filed in Lynchburg District Court and provided by the... Read more →

Craig Daliessio on good old-fashioned altar calls

Craig Daliessio, my friend and graduate of Liberty University, popular speaker, and author of A Ragamuffin Christmas , has a unique take on "altar calls."1 While conceding abuse of the altar call has been the unfortunate practice of some in evangelical and fundamentalist circles, Craig nonetheless laments the demise of genuine invitations and altar calls, especially among some of the contemporary churches where he often speaks. In "Gimme That Old Time Religion: Part 3: The Altar," he writes: "Another memory from my early days as a believer. Another seeming relic... Read more →

Author and Family Advocate Cathy Mickels speaks out about Mark Driscoll and Liberty University by Peter Lumpkins

Cathy Mickels is the former Washington state president of Phyllis Schlafly's national conservative organization, Eagle Forum. She has been an active, effective voice on behalf of many pro-family and education issues, including strong opposition to outcome-based education. She is also author of Spiritual Junk Food , a book dealing with our culture's "dumbing down" of Christian youth >>> On April 14th, Mickels spoke with David Wheaton at The Christian Worldview. One of the topics of discussion was Liberty University and Mark Driscoll. Nor is this the first time Mickels has... Read more →

Mark Driscoll responds to Peter Lumpkins

I'm grateful to a commenter named "John Strickland" who left this comment on my site >>> You've been schooled by many people recently...First, Mohler eats you for lunch, now you pick fights with Driscoll and LU and they do the same! When will you learn? Strickland also logged a link to Mark Driscoll's official response, a response the Seattle pastor dubs the "kerfuffle" over his speaking at LU. Driscoll writes: Lately, I’ve been busy with something you may have heard of called Easter. So, I’ve not been on the Internet... Read more →

Liberty University's refusal to correct alleged errors on trustee meeting by Peter Lumpkins

April 4th, 2012, I reported partial results of a recent meeting by Liberty trustees during which a substantial portion of the business dealt with trustee concerns about Mark Driscoll coming to the campus to speak. In a post entitled, "Liberty University trustees unanimous--Mark Driscoll is not welcome," I reported: Sources say trustees took a vote, and the vote was unanimous indicating that Mark Driscoll is not welcome at Liberty University. In addition to Driscoll's "potty mouth" approach to pulpit etiquette playing a role in their decision, his "Reformed" theology, Acts... Read more →

Longtime Liberty trustee disputes LU's claim that my post is inaccurate by Peter Lumpkins

LU officials claim my post entitled "Liberty University trustees unanimous--Mark Driscoll is not welcome" is "defamatory" portraying Liberty University in a "false light" (//link). Their website further alleges "Lumpkins' blog is clearly being used to disseminate misinformation about Liberty University and to cause strife and harm to the university." Readers need to know this is simply not true. None of my posts concerning Liberty University and Mark Driscoll has been designed to cause either strife for them or harm to them. Nor is my blog used by me or anyone... Read more →

Former Liberty trustee asks, is Liberty University training champions or what? by Peter Lumpkins

Tennessee Pastor, LU graduate, and former Liberty trustee, Tim Guthrie queries, whether LU is currently training champions for Christ. He writes: As an LU graduate I cannot believe what I have read and heard over the events of the past few days concerning Mark Driscoll and his invite to speak at LU. The invite: How in the world did Driscoll get an invite? His potty mouth in the pulpit and his latest book on marriage which advocates wives doing things to their husbands that are disgusting, along with other perverted... Read more →

Who invited Mark Driscoll to Liberty University? by Peter Lumpkins

I have not been shy about querying whether Seattle had anything to do with Lynchburg. Mark Driscoll showing up on campus at Liberty University may be one of the most shocking events within evangelicalism thus far in the 21st century >>> So, how did Driscoll not only get invited to Liberty University's Vines Center to speak at convocation as well as hold a Real Marriage seminar on Liberty Mountain? According to a Washington Post story published last fall, Vice President Johnnie Moore, Jr. appears to be the one in charge... Read more →

Jerry Falwell, Jr assures Massachusetts residents Liberty University students won't bother the locals by Peter Lumpkins

A story in the Boston Globe reports that Liberty University is among the top candidates in purchasing the old Northfield Mount Hermon School campus, Northfield, MA, a campus purchased in 2009 by Oklahoma tycoons, The David Green Family (think Hobby Lobby) >>> Christians who are familiar with evangelical history will immediately associate Northfield with evangelist, D. L. Moody (1837-1899), who, along with Ira Sankey, rocked the 19th century world with simple gospel preaching accompanied by heart-warming gospel music. Moody founded both Moody Church and the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.... Read more →

Mark Driscoll at Liberty University by Peter Lumpkins

Reflecting the idea among some of Christianity's earliest Christian philosophers that viewed pagan philosophy primarily as a thoroughly corrupted source and therefore resisted making theological use of pagan wisdom in understanding God, Tertullian famously asks, “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem, the Academy with the Church?”1 >>> I suppose a similarly worded question could be asked of Liberty University officials: What does Lynchburg have to do with Seattle, the Falwells with Driscoll? Hold onto your eyes as they pop out of their sockets when you read Charles Billingsley's... Read more →

Mike Licona and Liberty University: setting the record straight by Peter Lumpkins

In a footnote (#5) on this piece I published November 10th, 2011, I wrote, "departing from the North American Mission Board [NAMB] as head of apologetics, Dr. Licona now teaches at Liberty University, a paradoxical maneuver for LU in itself" (italics added). Reliable sources have corrected a misleading statement I made which could imply that Dr. Licona left the North American Mission Board only to be hired by Liberty University. Such a conclusion would be false >>> In a full trustee board meeting, LU apparently made it clear that Dr.... Read more →

Mike Licona Responds to Norman Geisler by Peter Lumpkins

Apparently, Dr. Mike Licona has openly responded to Dr. Norman Geisler's public criticism. A copy of Licona's response is posted on Licona's son-in-law's site* (I could not locate it on Licona's site). Dr.Licona writes: An Open Response to Norman Geisler Norman Geisler has taken issue with a portion of my recent book, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach, in which I proposed that the story of the raised saints in Matthew 27:52-53 should probably be interpreted as apocalyptic imagery rather than literal history. In response, Dr. Geisler has... Read more →

Does Fortune High-Tech Marketing mar Christian witness? by Peter Lumpkins

Recemtly, I posted one of the most unpleasant pieces I've logged since I began blogging in 2006. By no stretch did I take particular satisfaction in publicizing a former SBC president's representative participation in a legally questionable pyramid scheme, nor in raising ethical concerns about the appearance of exploiting pastoral authority to potentially squeeze money from unsuspecting church goers. Even so, it was the right thing to do even if it was the painful thing to do. We now discover Alice's evangelical rabbit hole goes deeper still >>> Note the... Read more →

Is Liberty Mountain about to Erupt into a Volcano? by Peter Lumpkins

UPDATE: Liberty Student News pulled the original piece. Details below... Love him or hate him, the late Jerry Falwell, by any estimation, was one of Fundamentalism's greatest visionaries since the movement's birth in the early 20th century. Indeed the evangelical right's most capable, inspiring spokesman left a gap no living leader presently fills. He is missed. In fact, Liberty University--Dr. Falwell's unique contribution to evangelical subculture--surely misses his strong leadership hand, and it's showing up on Liberty Mountain >>> According to the Liberty Student News, there may be a volcano... Read more →