[Note: The material in this installment is adapted from my forthcoming book, The Theology & Practice of Mission (B&H, Fall 2011).]
The Bible’s third plot movement occurs immediately after the Fall. God gives not only a promise of death (Gen 2:17), but also a promise of life (Gen 3:15). He immediately declares that one day the offspring of the woman would destroy the serpent. Paul recognizes this promise as a prophecy of Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16), … [Read More]
Theology & Culture (4): A Theology of Culture (Redemption and New Creation)
Theology & Culture (3): A Theology of Culture (Creation & Fall)
Over the course of my time in the “ministry” (18 years now), I have heard folks use the word culture in many different ways. Often evangelicals refer to “the culture” as a synonym for “the spirit of the age” or anything that is opposed to gospel and church. However, I do not equate culture with “the spirit of the age” because although the spirit of the age is something that influences a culture to a … [Read More]
Spend Your Weekend at SEBTS Feb 4-5: Come Hear Danny Akin, Al Mohler, Michael Green, J. Budziszewski, and Bruce Little
Conversing with the Culture (Feb 4-5, 2011)
We at Between the Times would like to invite you to this year’s 20/20 conference, “Conversing with the Culture,” on Southeastern’s campus Feb 4-5, 2011. This year’s conference centers on how to speak Christian truth to a culture that isn’t listening, and features plenary sessions by Danny Akin (SEBTS), Al Mohler (Southern Seminary), Michael Green (Oxford), J. Budziszewski (University of Texas-Austin), and Bruce Little (SEBTS), in addition to 24 … [Read More]
Guest Blog (Bruce Little): An Encounter with Francis Schaeffer
A Personal Encounter with Francis Schaeffer
I remember hearing Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984) in person, several weeks before his death, at a large gathering on the campus of a Christian University. Schaeffer was of particular importance to me. At the time, in April 1984, I was attending a graduate seminar on Schaeffer so it was perfect timing. Just a few years before, I had first felt the force of Schaeffer’s thought through reading his books, and … [Read More]
A Shocking Question
Since July I have had the privilege of serving as interim pastor of Olive Chapel Baptist Church, in Apex, NC. We received the following email last week inquiring about OCBC:
“Hello,
Our family has just moved to your area from Raleigh.
We are seeking a church home and have a few questions please:
*We know the Lord loves all of us, but we believe in honoring the Culture the Lord gave us, so we are seeking a traditionally ‘White’ church … [Read More]
A City Within A City: The 20/20 Collegiate Conference at SEBTS
This coming Friday and Saturday (February 5-6) SEBTS will host its annual 20/20 Collegiate Conference. This year’s theme is A City Within A City: Church, Culture & Counter-Culture. A list of this year’s plenary speakers is below. In addition to the plenary sessions, breakout sessions will be led by SEBTS faculty members such as Bruce Ashford, David Nelson, Alvin Reid, Nathan Finn, Heath Thomas, Ed Gravely, Mark Liederbach, and George Robinson (among many others).
It is not too late to register. … [Read More]
Does God Hate Haiti?
Sometimes Christians with a public platform say foolish and irresponsible things that gain international attention and bring significant embarrassment to the cause of Christ and His gospel. Such is the case again with Pat Robertson’s declaration that God judged Haiti with an earthquake for having swore a pact with the devil in the 18th century to escape French rule and oppression. Such an outrageous statement quickly made its way around the world. I am currently … [Read More]
Fifteen Factors That Have Changed the SBC since 1979, Part 4
This past summer, I began a four-part series of articles titled “Fifteen Factors That Have Changed the SBC since 1979.” Because of a variety of distractions, I only wrote the first three installments. A number of BtT readers have asked me what happened to the final article, including two brothers in the last three weeks. Well, after a five-month interlude between articles, this installment concludes the series. By way of reminder, these factors are not … [Read More]
A City within a City: Church, Culture, & Counter-Culture
We at BtT invite you to join us for our February conference, “City within a City: Church, Culture, & Counter-Culture (Feb 5-6, 2010). The conference features five plenary sessions (Danny Akin, Matt Chandler, David Platt, JD Greear, and Clayton King) and 30 breakout sessions (Chandler, Platt, McKinion, Reid, Finn, Ashford, King, Greear, etc.).
This is our annual collegiate conference and is focused on college-aged students, but we welcome seminary students, young professionals, and mature high school students. We expect … [Read More]
The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience
Last Friday a document titled “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience” was released to the public. According to the press release, “The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not – under any circumstance – abandon their Christian consciences” (emphasis in original). The declaration was drafted by Robert George, Timothy George, and Chuck Colson and signed by more than … [Read More]
