While speaking with my colleague Ed Gravely this morning, I told him about an anecdote I once heard. A friend from a Deep South state once told me that as late as the 1990s the SBC churches in his home state had more names on their respective membership roles than his state had citizens. Ed responded with a humorous quip he often shares with his students: “One reason you can know that infant baptism cannot … [Read More]
Global Context: A New Christendom with New Faces
Global Context Series: A New Christendom with New Faces
By: Bruce Riley Ashford
Philip Jenkins believes that we are living in the midst of a monumental moment in religious history, and he has written two books to make his case. The first, The Next Christendom, contains the meat of his argument while the second, The New Faces of Christianity, follows up on certain strands of the argument. The following is a brief review of both books.
Jenkins was … [Read More]
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The Post-American World
The Post-American World
Reviewed by: Bruce Riley Ashford
Of the commentary on America’s decline, there seems to be no end. The Post-American World is Fareed Zakariah’s contribution to the subject. He chimes in with a more cheery voice than most, focusing more on the “rise of the rest” than the “decline of the West” and arguing that America’s future need not be so gloomy as some predict.
Zakariah builds his case by referring to three great shifts of … [Read More]
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Out of Mao’s Shadow
Out of Mao’s Shadow
Reviewed By: Bruce Riley Ashford
Recently, I had opportunity to read Philip Pan’s Out of Mao’s Shadow. I had always wondered how the Chinese government managed to steer its mammoth populace toward a decade of globally unprecedented growth. Now I know, but almost wish I didn’t. In the book, Pan gives us the “no holds barred” narrative of recent Chinese history, and in particular China’s attempt to balance its version of capitalism with its … [Read More]
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Jesus’ Condemnation of Religion
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the 23rd chapter of Matthew… and thinking about the “religious” circles I run in. I find Matthew 23 to be one of the most insightful and, at the same time, most incredibly disturbing chapters of Scripture. It is Jesus’ famous chapter against religion. I have gleaned 3 things in my time studying this chapter.
First, Jesus acknowledges that over time, religion tends to creep in and replace the … [Read More]
Calvinism and the SBC: The Case for Consensus, Part 2
Calvinism and the SBC: The Case for Consensus, Part 2
By Alvin Reid and Nathan A. Finn
Several weeks ago we began a little “exercise in bridge-building” by writing two different “open letters” to Southern Baptists. After an introductory article, Alvin wrote an open letter to his Calvinist friends in the SBC. The next day Nathan wrote an open letter to his non-Calvinist friends in the SBC. The issues we raised in those letters animate our own … [Read More]
Movements
Mike McDaniel, director of our church planting center here at the Summit, called ‘Send RDU’, wrote this excellent piece that I thought was worth sharing:
I love reading about the great movements of God in history, times when God has shown up in undeniable ways. During the First Great Awakening, thousands flocked to hear the preaching of men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. In New England alone, it’s estimated that upwards of 50,000 people came … [Read More]
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Understanding St. Patrick (Updated)
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you are wearing green, lest you be pinched on that one day of the year where such cheeky activities are deemed appropriate. I am wearing one of my green bowties. Since I have a bit o’ the Irish in me (ahem, Finn . . .), I actually own three different green bowties and a spinach-hued necktie.
Unfortunately, most Americans (and probably most Irish, for that matter) are ignorant of … [Read More]
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Christianity May Be True for You, But . . .
N. T. Wright on relativism and religion:
Saying “It’s true for you” sounds fine and tolerant. But it only works because it’s twisting the word “true” to mean, not “a true revelation of the way things are in the real world,” but “something that is genuinely happening inside you.” In fact, saying “It’s true for you” in this sense is more or less equivalent to saying “It’s not true for you,” because the “it” in question–the … [Read More]
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D.A. Carson on the Relationship of the Gospel and Activism in Social Issues
Raleigh-Durham has its share of seminaries and seminarians. As a result, I am never short on hearing of how people who really serve and love God will be involved in this or that social issue: whether that is support for the pro-life position; preservation of the family; ecological preservation; care for the poor, etc. The below is not to imply that any of those things are not important.
But here is a great little snippit from … [Read More]
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